Keeping Your Guitar Strings Clean and
Bright
The crisp, bell-like tone of new guitar strings
is unfortunately, for many of us, short-lived. This may be due to lack
of proper string cleaning procedure, excessive humidity, or naturally
acidic sweat, all of which cause the alloys used in string manufacturing
to oxidize. This results in a "plonk" instead of a "zing". Many players
also have unrealistic expectations of how long a string should last.
Most string manufacturers will tell you that strings really only sound
their best for 4 to 10 hours of playing. This of course runs counter
to their advertising claims but such is the nature of all consumer products.
This means that if you play a lot, you may be changing your strings
every week or every day depending on your tonal preferences. At between
$7-$10 a pack this could get expensive, I hear you saying. Well, I guess
that's true. However, think about what else you might be spending that
much on in a week without batting an eye; cigarettes, a couple of pints
in your favourite pub, a movie, a cab ride somewhere, a coffee or three
at your local café… Of course there are some players that would prefer
the sound of old, dead strings and that's just fine too. As long as
their "tone concept" is not getting in the way of people enjoying their
music. There are also guitars which seem to only sound their best with
a fresh set of strings. I have generally found the newer guitars, which
tend to be "stiffer" than older, played-in guitars, need good strings
to really project much sound. Many older guitars, particularly those
that are lightly built, seem to sound great no matter how old the strings
are. Go figure. Here are some sample steps you can take to maximize
the life of your strings: 1) Before playing, apply a dime-size drop
of sanitizer and rub your hands together briskly. The sanitizer will
not only kill whatever bacteria are hiding out in your palms but will
also evaporate harmful oils which will dull strings. (You can buy a
bottle of hand sanitizer in your local drug store). I recommend using
this method over washing hands in soap and water because this tends
to soften both the left hand calluses and right hand fingernails, two
possible deleterious side effects. 2) When you're through playing, wipe
the strings with a dry dish towel or my personal favourite, a cotton
diaper. These make great polishing cloths as well. Really reef those
strings - wrap the cloth around the string and go all the way along
its length. You should see the dirt on the towel. 3)You may also want
to try one of the commercially available products to clean and maintain
your strings. The Kyser Capo people also offer Dr. Stringfellow String
Cleaner and Lubricant, Lem-Oil for preserving your guitar's fingerboard
and bridge, and polish for shining up your axe. "Fingergrease" spray
and "Fast Fret" glide-on string lubricants also purport to protect the
strings from corrosion. Lastly, even if you don't have a problem with
prematurely dead strings you may experience tuning problems. That's
because as you play strings they are wearing down where they mash against
the frets. If you notice your guitar won't seem to stay in tune, and
it's otherwise okay, try changing the strings. You may be pleasantly
surprised.
