What do you use to keep your lovelies shiny and bright?

Tonedef

Last night after my practice session, I noticed that my fingertips were blacker than usual. I looked at the strings and decided that they were nowhere near their beautiful original bling, with the unwound strings looking particularly grey and lifeless. The frets were also looking pretty dull.

Well, I grabbed a cloth and some brasso, and got to work on all the metal bits on the axe. I had that baby shining like a diamond in no time. I took the opportunity to clean the neck and body as well. This was as simple as a wipe with a moist soapy cloth, a final wipe with a moist (no soap) cloth and a buff with a soft dry cloth. It actually FELT like it sounded better afterwards. Don't know if this was purely psychological though.

What do you guys do, what do you use, and how often?

VellaJ

Depending on your guitar, you can use a number of things. My axe has a polyurethane coating instead of a clear coat, so one can use something like Mr. Minn on the body. Clear-coat guitars need to be polished periodically with dedicated guitar polish. DON'T get any of that on your fingerboard, the wood can't breathe. You can use polish on the back of the neck, but use lemon oil for the fingerboard, about once a year.

AlanRatcliffe

Dunlop Formula 65 on finishes (including finished maple boards) and a carnuba wax twice a year. Naphtha to clean a rosewood, pau ferro or ebony board and frets with each string change. I oil them with mineral oil (Fret Doctor) about twice a year.

Tonedef

What about tarnish on the strings and frets? Is brasso or silvo okay?

AlanRatcliffe

Tonedef wrote What about tarnish on the strings and frets? Is brasso or silvo okay?

Not really. They are both polishing compounds, which leave a white abrasive powder behind. With rosewood fingerboards that tends to get in the grain and doesn't come out easily. There are also some chemicals in them (particularly Silvo) that can sometimes make a more delicate finish go sticky.

Tonedef

But if i tape up the fretboard then its okay? I mean, common sense tells me its not gonna kill the strings (my primary concern), but then common sense authored many famous last words.

PeteM

When your strings get tarnished it's time to change them.

AlanRatcliffe

Yeah - strings are usually shot well before they tarnish.

Never polish your strings with Brasso - the compound will fill the grooves and dull the sound even more. Use surgical spirits (or isopropyl alcohol, but IMO that evaporates a bit too quickly) to clean the strings after you play and they will last a lot longer. Get some medical swabs impregnated with surgical spirits that doctors use from a pharmacy - nice size, each one is nicely packaged and sealed and it's easy to keep a handful in your guitar case.

Tonedef

PeteM wrote When your strings get tarnished it's time to change them.

my strings are like a week old! ? and theyre ernie balls so theyre not kak. That said, my sweat is extremely corrosive, and sweaty hands have always been an issue for me. I wash and dry my hands carefully before each session, but my usage pattern may be at fault. I sit and jam for hours and hours on end, and only give the strings a wipe when Im done for the night, by which time the strings have had plenty of time to pickle.

AlanRatcliffe

Try a different brand of string - that sometimes helps. D'Addarios don't last for me, but Ernie Balls do and I have a friend who is exactly the reverse.

Tonedef

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Try a different brand of string - that sometimes helps. D'Addarios don't last for me, but Ernie Balls do and I have a friend who is exactly the reverse.

I shall definitely give your suggestion a shot next time I change'em!

Bob-Dubery

Tonedef wrote my strings are like a week old! ? and theyre ernie balls so theyre not kak. That said, my sweat is extremely corrosive, and sweaty hands have always been an issue for me. I wash and dry my hands carefully before each session, but my usage pattern may be at fault. I sit and jam for hours and hours on end, and only give the strings a wipe when Im done for the night, by which time the strings have had plenty of time to pickle.

I have a friend who is death to strings. It's one of those things that just happens.

Some folks get on well with some brands but not others. I like the feel and sound of DRs, but if I get two days out of a set I'm doing well.

Consider using coated strings - and remember that they're not all equal either. D'addario do a coated string. Elixir ONLY do coated strings. It still pays to wipe them down after playing, but because of the coating the gunge from your pores will not come into contact with the metal the strings are made from.

Some strings, EG Elixirs, are coated in such a way that the coating also retards the building up of grime in the windings. Coated strings should last you much longer. I use Elixirs and I find that the extra life more than compensates for the increased cost per set of strings.

ezietsman

Don't worry too much about the tarnish. My strings start going gold colored within an hour or two. Wiping them doesn't help. They will last a good while longer if you religiously clean them after every session. Some people can go 2 or 3 months on strings without them looking worn out, others, like me, destroy them within days. Could be my (very) undelicate touch tho...