How do you clean strings?

[Hobbayne]

31 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

ha ha ha hahahahahahahaahahahahaha

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

Never.

I bow to your superior knowledge. 😑

[Bridgehouse]

6 minutes ago, Hobbayne said:

I bow to your superior knowledge. 😑

I’m just guessing but I suspect his post was in relation to “how do you clean your strings” and not your post.

[Guest MoJo]

1 hour ago, Hobbayne said:

I do sweat quite a bit in a hot pub.

I sweat most when I'm asked to sing a lead vocal

[Guest MoJo]

40 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

I’m just guessing but I suspect his post was in relation to “how do you clean your strings” and not your post.

I concur

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, Bridgehouse said:

I’m just guessing but I suspect his post was in relation to “how do you clean your strings” and not your post.

Indeed; we have a 'profanity filter' for cleaning posts. 

[Maude]

35 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Indeed; we have a 'profanity filter' for cleaning posts. 

And then a liberal application of creosote to protect them. 

[Bluewine]

20 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

I like my strings when they are worn ln  but if they get a bit grimy especially in this weather I use a few alcohol wipes that I use for my glasses the moisture evaporates 

In 55 years I've never been in the habit of cleaning strings, however using alcohol wipes is something I plan on trying.

Thanks Reggaebass

Blue

[Hobbayne]

I know you can EQ  a certain amount of top back into a dying string.  Once its dead its better to change them.

Thats what I,m trying to say. Sorry fretmeister.

[LITTLEWING]

Some great ideas there so far, well done!! The main reason I put this out there is that my E string is always the first to dull down and I'd really love to keep it reasonably fresh for longer and not contemplate buying single strings.

[fretmeister]

On 27/07/2018 at 11:58, Bridgehouse said:

I’m just guessing but I suspect his post was in relation to “how do you clean your strings” and not your post.

Yup.

 

If I had meant any other post then I would have quoted it.

[The59Sound]

On 26/07/2018 at 22:37, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

We’ve definitely been around the block with this one before, including....

 

Great way to damage your frets!

[The59Sound]

On 26/07/2018 at 22:37, 40hz said:

IMO there's no substitute other than to just buy new strings.

Or just buy good strings that last ages. 

[gary mac]

On 27/07/2018 at 09:37, EliasMooseblaster said:

Another vote here for Fast Fret on uncoated strings. It won't bring a set back to life, but they'll go for a lot longer before they start to sound dead if you're diligent with the stuff. Back when I still had flats on my fretless, I found it was pretty nifty on those as well (anyone else find that flats get a bit "sticky" if you don't clean them?)

I'm another Fast Fret fan, always use it at the end of a set. 

[yorks5stringer]

I never have the need to clean strings as i always eat my kebab after the gig...

[SICbass]

I‘m sorry, I don‘t understand the question.

[dmccombe7]

On 27/07/2018 at 11:05, missis sumner said:

I'm convinced that when stings go dull, it's mostly because of the flat spots that are created in contact with the frets, not the actual accumulation of dirt in the string...

Any fretless people have a view on this?

That's an interesting one so i guess light touched players strings should last longer than the heavy hande player in theory.

Curious to see if anyone can validate this one. 

Dave

[TheGreek]

On 26/07/2018 at 22:37, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

We’ve definitely been around the block with this one before, including....

 

I was thinking of this when I read the thread title.

Blast from the past, didn't people recommend vinegar? Never tried it personally...

[dmccombe7]

11 hours ago, TheGreek said:

I was thinking of this when I read the thread title.

Blast from the past, didn't people recommend vinegar? Never tried it personally...

Not sure about cleaning strings but always handy for the post gig fish supper 

[TheGreek]

8 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Not sure about cleaning strings but always handy for the post gig fish supper 

Fish-ure...

Sorry....I'll get me coat

[Stefanogregori]

I gave up trying to clean strings.  Didn't seem to do much for me.  Also tried making sure my hands were clean before I played.  Strings seem to last fine for practice but as soon as I sweat on them at a gig they lose that freshness.  I have resorted to Elixirs (nickel) and they are actually pretty bright and stay that way.  There is also a decent set of coated strings by Blacksmith.  They aren't as bright as the Elixirs but are still fairly bright and have so far stayed that way four gigs in.