Strings

redrider37 · #1 January 8th, 2007

Hi People,

I have 2 sill questions, or at least I think they but they may help other newbies like me.

No1
Can you clean steel guitar strings with a light oil?

No2
I had an anchor fitted to my Honer guitar (accoustic/elect) and now my guitar seems really unbalanced, so I have now gone back to tieing my strap to the head stock, would a better quality strap cure the balance?

Thanks Pete

redrider37 · #2 January 8th, 2007

silly it should read

newlite · #3 January 8th, 2007

(the is an edit button if you want to make a change to you post...

)

im wondering number one too. how often do you have to clean em? replace em?

allthumbs · #4 January 8th, 2007

I don't usually bother with stuff to prolong string life. You can, if you haven't cut the ends, take the strings off, put them in a sock and run them through a cloths washer or boil them in water for 10 minutes or so. You can extend the life of your strings X3 by doing that. Most people though just change their strings every 2 to 3 months.

solidwalnut · #5 January 8th, 2007

People have different amounts of skin oil and alkalinity/acidity in the make-up the oil and water produced by the fingers/hands. Some people will go through strings more quickly than others.

Me, I'm like allthumbs. I'd rather just change them out. There's nothing quite like a fresh set of strings. And it doesn't matter what you do as far as cleaning them or boiling them. They will not be the same as a fresh set.

allthumbs · #6 January 8th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by solidwalnut

People have different amounts of skin oil and alkalinity/acidity in the make-up the oil and water produced by the fingers/hands. Some people will go through strings more quickly than others.

Me, I'm like allthumbs. I'd rather just change them out. There's nothing quite like a fresh set of strings. And it doesn't matter what you do as far as cleaning them or boiling them. They will not be the same as a fresh set.

True dat.

gericom1 · #7 January 8th, 2007

I use Elixir strings on my acoustics, they are coated strings and last longer than normal strings, some people hate them I love em, less string changing for me...........

chuckswood2001 · #8 January 8th, 2007

any guitar shop should have a string cleaner, mine is made by gibson , its just a little bottle of cleaner, u put it on a cloth and wipe the strings with it, i still change my strings every 2 or 3 months, just use this in between changes, takes some of the oils from ur fingers off and lubricates the strings

Chuck

solidwalnut · #9 January 8th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by gericom1

I use Elixir strings on my acoustics, they are coated strings and last longer than normal strings, some people hate them I love em, less string changing for me...........

I don't hate 'em, but I don't use them very often. I know they last longer, but for some reason I break those. Plus, they're just not as bright or have the same timbre to me as regular wound strings. Just my take.

I do use Elixirs on one of my guitars, just not the one I play all the time!

Steve

T-ride · #10 January 10th, 2007

Does it really make that big of diffrence changing your strings? I have had the same set on my guitar for over a year.

coldethyl · #11 January 10th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-ride

Does it really make that big of diffrence changing your strings? I have had the same set on my guitar for over a year.

The best way to find out is to actually do it!
It also depends on how much you play your guitar. I personally change my strings every month to 3 months depending on how often I use a particular guitar.

I find that strings lose their brightness after a while and a new set of strings brings a whole new tone into the picture, compared with strings that have been on the guitar for ages.

Choice is yours, but I'd be changing them if I were you.

solidwalnut · #12 January 10th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-ride

Does it really make that big of diffrence changing your strings? I have had the same set on my guitar for over a year.

It's only as necessary as you are picky about getting the best sound you can out of your axe! No, it's not a strict necessity. But after you've been playing a while, you can tell the difference. Especially when recording, since under the microphone is the same thing as your guitar and you being under a microscope! When you are trying to put your guitar in perfect tune for recording, you can tell because it becomes harder and harder to do and more elusive.

Me, I change strings just about every other session or so. My guitar shines its best with fresh strings. But that's being pretty picky...

Steve

T-ride · #13 January 11th, 2007

Well i won't be recording any time soon (trust me) in fact my wife says i'm the "king of the intros", but i do strive to get better and a better sound. thanks for the tip, i plan on changing them this weekend

LeeB · #14 January 11th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-ride

Well i won't be recording any time soon (trust me) in fact my wife says i'm the "king of the intros", but i do strive to get better and a better sound. thanks for the tip, i plan on changing them this weekend

then you will know. Its only when I change strings that I discover how dead sounding the old ones were....great for playing some old blues stuff but thats about it

T-ride · #15 January 11th, 2007

what kind do you recomend?