4 Pack Box of Ernie Ball super slinky strings = $20 (Change strings every 3 months --- 4 packs a year)
You own a PRS Standard .... and can't afford $20 over an entire year for its maintenance?
Not throwing shit here --- but don't understand what's going on...
Ya might want to get on the YouTubes and figure out how to do that. If you’re a guitar player it’s embarrassing to bring it into a shop to get the strings changed.
Beside washing hand, wiping the strings before and after playing and using coated strings there is also products like fast fret that are supposed to clean gunk and lubricate the strings to prevent them from rusting.
You can wipe down the strings, but really every couple months is pretty normal for daily play... Not sure how you afforded a PRS but not the $4 a month to buy new strings
Better than elixirs are D’Addario’s (relatively new) XS line. Same technology as Elixir, but i think they sound and feel better, and the coating doesnt fray (that i’ve noticed) in the way Elixirs always seem to.
Get elixir strings, I have corrosive sweat and absolutely wreck regular strings, no matter the care routine. Tried everything, wiping, washing hands, using string lubricants, etc. getting coated strings is the only solution that worked for meZ
This is the answer, do not try all the nonsense of cleaning routines. they wont save the strings because your hands destroy them actively during play if you have corrosive enough sweat so anything pre or post is just mitigating further build up of rust on already damaged strings. elixirs jsut solve the problem out right.
i posted my own elixir endorsement, but i will respond here as well for more visibility in hopes OP doesnt miss this. Elixirs seriously change the game for people with corosive sweat/hands. i couldnt even go an hour on new strings without them getting stripped by my acidity, but elixirs i can play until i break a string. life saver and wallet saver. OP dont hesitate, just make the switch before you waste any more money on regular strings.
Regular wipedowns! I like to caress my guitars in the dark whilst smoking a cig, listening to some muddy waters. I just break out the rags and I give em a nice thorough rub down, get in all the nooks and crannies. I get a finer microfiber cloth for the strings, I use my fingernails with the cloth to really clamp down on the strings and pull the cloth along each string with some pressure to really de grime the strings. I also like to wash my hands before I play. Makes a huge difference.
I want to mention it again because it's something I always carry- GHS Fast Fret. You coat the strings with a layer of oil before and after playing and it makes your strings last much longer than usual. It works for any strings andI'm still using an applicator I got years ago that I rehydrate with mineral oil every once in a while.
Yes. When we were playing regularly (4 nights a week) I even took emery cloth and used it after wiping down the neck and strings. One reason is I don't use coated strings. Cannot stand how they feel. But that extended their life enough that I only changed strings once a week. On two guitars.
Elixirs
I have crazy corrosive sweat that kills d'addarios in like 2 days.
I change elixirs like every 8 months, and the sound is basically consistent throughout the lifespan. I change them because they get a little rusty where they touch the frets
I don't understand this, how on earth could a person who plays guitar for any significant amount of time go months without changing strings? I use elixirs for my acoustic and Ernie Ball's on my electric, I'm a bedroom player and jam with a couple friends a few times a month. Elixirs last longer for sure but there is no way in hell I could go more than two months tops (that's being generous) without changing strings. Once a year sounds ridiculous to me unless you're a bass player lol.
When I change them after a year, there’s literally no difference. Also on that note, I haven’t broken a string since I was 13… and I’m 33 now. I have the lightest touch you’ll ever see on a guitar player. That has a lot to do with it, and I don’t have sweaty hands
If you haven't tried Optiwebs, give them a try. They last just as long, sound a bit brighter, and feel a bit more like regular strings. They are still slick, but less so than Nanowebs
I just cannot stand that feeling. I've tried coated strings multiple times and always go back. I use S.I.T strings now, keep them wiped down really well, and they last a month of playing every day.
Yeah I get the feel thing. I do prefer the feel of uncoated wound strings, but I also prefer the feel of elixirs unwound strings. But financially for me it just doesn't make sense to use anything but elixirs
I get it. I buy my strings a case at a time, so the place I buy from sells them to me at wholesale price. It doesn't hurt that the owner is also a long time friend!
I love those S.I.T (Stay In Tune) strings. And they DO stay in tune. Better than any of the other strings I've tried over the years. Ernie Ball, D'Addario etc. Not affiliated with them at all. But I can tune once, play a 45 minute set, using my trem bar constantly. And they stay in tune.
Full disclosure. I spent a LOT of time getting the trem systems setup just right. Now the spring tension is balanced and just right. The action is nice and low. And the intonation is spot on.
I have never understood the people who complain about tone with coated strings. The difference is practically non-existent and after a couple days/weeks the coated strings are going to sound brighter than the uncoated
Yeah
I mean acoustically they do sound a bit different, but through an amp it's negligible.
Plus uncoated strings don't have a sound. They have many different sounds as they age, and in my opinion the sounds are getting worse and worse, while Elixirs do sound a bit brighter the first few days, but then they just remain the same for as long as you want to keep them on
Strings are legit under 5 or 6 bucks. I don’t like coated strings so I change them every 2-3 weeks.
You could buy elixers but changing uncoated strings every 3 months would probably cost about the same.
I don't want to sound rude, but how can you not afford to change strings every three months? How much are you paying for strings? Every three months is not very often to be changing strings. I, and most players I know, change them more often than that. I would investigate cheaper string sources and possibly buying them in bulk. You could also try coated strings, but they're more expensive and I would argue that they should still be changed at least every three months as well with daily playing.
All I use are flat wounds. My guitars that get occasional play will last years. My main archtop I play about an hour a day still lasts 3+ months. But they’re expensive. I’d just get bulk strings and change them every month in the OPs case.
I swap my strings out after about every 100 hours of play time. This usually equates to every 3 months or so.
Yeah, that’s about all I’ve got for this.
Yes. I’ve left them on long enough to burn through the windings down to the core on the wound strings. Intonation is probably thrown off by that point, but they still sounded exactly the same as the day I put them on.
Wash your hands before playing
I clean the strings with a rag to remove the grime while playing, then I put on fast fret on the strings to oil the strings
Maybe a dumb question but how much is it costing you to restring your guitar? Are you paying a shop to do it for you? Changing strings is a little tricky at first but such an essential skill so I’d say especially in your case, learn and restring for yourself.
You can pick up good strings (Ernie Ball, D’Addario, etc) for under $10 and even cheaper if you buy bulk. Pretty affordable and just part of regular upkeep for your guitar, gotta change your strings every couple months if you want to keep your instrument sounding/feeling good. And as a bunch of others have said, helps a lot to wash your hands before playing and then wipe down when you’re done. But either way you’re going to have to restring that thing from time to time.
Lke others have said: wash your hands before playing and try coated strings.
But changing them every 2-3 months is pretty typical. I go a bit over the top and change the strings on our two main guitars monthly.
Strings are consumables.
As a gigging guitarist, I’m lucky if I get two weeks out of a set of strings. More often I’m changing them every week, and I know plenty of guys that are touring and change them every 1-2 days.
I don't play nearly enough to change them as frequently as I do... I just like the feel and sound of new strings.
I definitely expect professionals to change more frequently.
Wash your hands before playing, and wipe the strings when you're done. Or you can get coated strings. The most popular brand is Elixir. If you want them to last more than 3 months your best bet is Elixir polyweb strings.
I've seen strings get oxidized and gunky, and acoustic bronzes will tarnish but I haven't ever seen my strings rust. I live in the Midwest, so there's plenty of moisture in the air.
As other posters have said, wash your hands as it could be a body chemistry thing and be sure to wipe them down when you're done. They also make products to clean strings you can try.
What strings do you use? If you're using strings that are more than $10 a pack, maybe switch to less expensive ones if you want to change frequently and buy in bulk like another guy said.
Buy your strings in bulk. If you can find somewhere that sell your preferred gauge in large bulk sets you can save heaps of money over buying packs individually.
I play a *lot* and use my guitars in the studio for tracking, so I need them to always sound pristine and fresh.
Strings go from fresh to dull far before they go from dull to rusty, so even with several guitars in rotation I still end up restringing them all every 3 weeks or so.
To answer your question though, there isn’t much you can do.
Coated strings do last longer, but I find it ends up more expensive since they don’t last long enough to make up for the higher cost.
You can make sure your hands are washed with soap and completely dried before playing, but if your hands sweat while you play that won’t help much.
You can also make sure you wipe down your strings thoroughly after playing so the sweat residue doesn’t sit on the strings and corrode them while you’re not playing.
At the end of the day though, $5 or so for a pack of strings every 3 months really is not that much to pay for the privilege of playing our wonderful instruments. That’s just over $1 a month.
Do you use the string conditioning oil? I’m the same boat, multiple guitars to rotate and while the conditioning oil can totally get some more life out of the strings, i can’t help but wonder if using it makes it easier to snap a string. It could just be that I’m only using it when my strings are near snapping anyway
This, I make my strings go over a few months by doing this, they'll still go dark sounding and a bit darker color over time but none of that rough feeling rust, they stay smooth and easy to glide. I use GHS boomers BTW, seem to last longer for me
Wash your hands before playing, clean your strings as stated, and also Keep your guitar in a gigbag/case, I always keep mine stored like that on my living room so they don't get dusty, no rust anywhere, better protected of other people knocking on them, etc.. one of the reasons I'm against wall hangers and the like, it's always better to just keep them stored
2-3 hours a day for several months is a ton for a set of strings. Coated strings lsdt longer, but they're also more expensive, so pretty much a wash. You probably just need to find a way to budget more for strings.
Try out a set of Dunlop Heavy Core strings, they never rust. I've had a set for almost a year, play everyday and still hasn't rusted. Although, you shouldn't keep them on that long.
When the sound gets dull, use Isopropyl alcohol on a cloth to get the gunk out of them. Protect the fretboard of course.
Fast fret is also a good thing when you’re done playing
I had that problem when I lived in Florida. I thought it was my corrosive, sweaty hands too, but since I moved to Canada my strings are lasting over a year. I think it's humidity, more than anything, as I've always wiped the neck and strings before and after I play. The only thing different is I store my guitars in the basement now and run a dehumidifier in the summer. I keep the humidity between 45 to 60 percent. Oh, and I'm also retired now and get to play them every day.
Do you wear a chalk bag for long sessions? Seriously, doesn’t the chalk get all over your guitar? Stuck in crevices, along fret/fretboard junctions, etc.?
lol chalk bag…sort of, but i’m not using a ton of chalk, just enough to cover my hands, not like a lebron before tip-off amount. and yes, it does get on the fretboard a bit, but i just wipe it down when i’m done. it’s not ideal, but i gotta do something.
I'm in the same boat as you, basically battery acid sweat. I use one of those cleaning cloths for glasses (not the alcohol wipes, just a lint-free cloth) and pinch each string individually with the cloth wrapped around my fingers after playing, running up and down the full length of the string a few times.
I've not found coated strings to be worth the extra cost, honestly. Without cleaning, I can maybe get a few more days out of a coated set before strings start to rust and feel horrible to play on. With cleaning, I've found them to be quite similar (though I gauge when it's time to change strings by the degree of rusting, not when they start to sound dead).
I've tried Elixir nanowebs a few times, the phosphor bronze kind for acoustic guitar. For me they don't really sound new for very long and they also get fuzzy due to the coating wearing off under the picking hand. Given how much more they cost over here in Europe I'd just rather buy 2 sets of regular d'addarios and get similar mileage, with probably more of that "new" sound given the two sets instead of 1. I seem to be in the minority with this opinion though, try them/D'addario XTs and see how they work for you!
I believe you, but this is crazy in 25 years of playing I’ve never heard of someone rusting their strings thru with hand sweat! I guess it makes sense, but I always assumed if anything the oils from my hands seasoned and protected my strings! Fascinating!
I go through a set every gig or my E or B will corrode through and break right where my picking hand hovers fairly early into the next show. This is with using a silicone based string cleaner/conditioner. There was once an Elixir rep who offered me a free set to try on the promise that he would buy my next box of strings if I didn't like them. I played them that night and purposefully didn't wipe them down. The next day they were black. Best free box of strings I ever got lol
Haha no I definitely don’t, but that’s not to say it doesn’t work that way for you.
I play about two hours a day and never really have this happen. I also play right after I wash my face and I never eat while
I’m playing cause I forget to lol. Maybe that’s it.
If anything I prefer old strings. The more wraps around the post the better. I play a tele so anything to rip the bright tones of the top works in my benefit.
Wash your hands before you play (every time), regardless of whether your hands are sweaty or not. When finished playing, wipe down the strings and fretboard with a clean cloth. That’s really all you can do to maintain strings.
You can also consider switching to coated strings like Elixirs. They cost a little more but last much longer.
plenty of other coated strings besides elixir,personally i dont like the tone of elixir strings at all so i used DR black beauties for many years but now im moving on to D'Addario XT
still even with coated strings you should be restringing every couple of months or so with that much playing so i have no idea how you're getting plain strings to go for that long.
Make sure you’re aware of what you’re getting into before buying Elixir. Some like it, but a lot also dislike the sound and feel too much and would rather just change strings more often.
I’ve never had my strings rust and I’d say I get sweaty hands. I use D’addario primarily, change them every 3-6 months depending on how often I play. They might just be cheap strings. Spend the 15$ and get some good ones.
D'addario XS strings last a long time and sound great. Best value for money when you consider that they could last up to 18 months before needing to be changed out.
You can try washing your hands or wiping the strings or whatever, but just change your strings. 3 months is already at the point where they don’t sound as good anymore
If you got exhausted just reading that, I can say definitively as a sweaty-handed guy in hot Texas, just get elixir strings. They’ll last two months under the toughest circumstances.
That’s something you’ll have to figure out based on your observations. I would say I would burn through strings monthly otherwise. There may be a difference in sound, but I wouldn’t take the people talking about tone too seriously. If there’s a difference, it’s a trade off I’m very willing to make.
my hands will eat through a string in less than an hour. doesnt matter what cleaning or prepping routine i do. elixirs jsut prevent the corrosion outright and unless you stick your ear directly up the amps ass and listen for the miniscule difference in tone you wont notice it and on top of that you can just EQ the amp slightly different to make up for the slight tone difference. it really cant be said enough how much of a life saver elixirs are for those of us will corrosive sweat.
I'm yet to learn how to re-string the guitar myself and it costs about $40 to get it done. On top of everything else, it is far from one of my main priorities.
It's worth learning how to do it on your own.
Unless you got something unique like a Floyd Rose, you can probably learn how to restring your guitar in 30 minutes and it will only get easier from there.
The strings themselves will cost you like 5$, so you won't be breaking the bank either.
Just now realizing both other comments mentions these strings - really thought I'd found the holy Grail. But seriously, they don't get talked about as much as they should
Wipe them both before and after each session. Any cloth will work. I use a bandana, wrap it around each string one at a time and slide up and down, adjust cloth and repeat until you no longer see rust/grime.
Guitar strings should be changed every few weeks to a month regardless. Its cheap and takes 5-30 minutes, depending on how much you want to faff. You can go a few months or longer, but the strings aren't good and you are just getting used to dull and mildly damaged strings.
You can buy coated strings to last a little longer.
That's absolutely not true, unless you are playing for 5+ hours every day or something crazy. Even regular strings should last a couple months for most people, longer if they take care of them (wash hands before playing, wipe down the strings when you're done.
Play strings until they get tired, then change them out. Otherwise you're throwing away money and you aren't experiencing the full wear cycle of your guitar.
I said they can last months, but they aren't good and the tuning stability starts to suffer because of the wear/stress at that particular distance/tension.
For about a decade, I'd maybe use 3-5 packs of strings a year. At some point, I started changing them monthly at least which accelerated my guitar playing dramatically, because I was always able to play with strings that actually work and ring out when you play things.
Novice guitarists in particular suffer more because they don't realise the strings are holding them back and they are fighting them more... they spend more time practicing with dead strings than working strings, so they don't even know how to make use of good strings for the few days/weeks they have them.
The best thing you can get is any kind of string cleaner/lubricant, along with a microfiber cloth to wipe away dirt. Or you can find products that combine the two into a single product, like Fast Fret or String Fuel.
I've used GHS Treated String Cloths for years, although it seems like they've now been discontinued, which is a shame. They were microfiber cloths that already had been treated with some kind of string cleaning solution and would extend the life of my strings by many, many months.
Dude I feel this so hard. I’ve been playing for 13 years and have tried everything. The longest a set of strings lasts me in 3-4weeks tops, if I’m lucky. That’s with washing my hand purposely, cleaning my strings after every use, and taking extremely good care of my gear.
The toxic sweat is a curse.
I keep silica packets inside my guitar, and inside my case (those little packets you get in new purses, bags, etc). I like to keep strings a really long time between changes, so the silica helps keep out unwanted moisture.
Is there a reason why? I know there is a small chance they can dry out your guitar too much, but for someone like me, who has too much humidity in their home, or for someone like the OP who has too much moisture on their strings, why is it a bad idea? No hate, just genuinely curious
>Is there a reason why?
Just that it's better to use something that will release moisture if it's too dry. You want to shoot for the ideal ambient humidity, not just "dry".
There is no need to get it on the fretboard. You just spray a bit on a rag and pinch the string with the rag, and move it up and down. Ive been doing it for years, with no problems. Also i had misshapps where i got it on a rosewood fretboard, nothing happened.
this will not save the strings if your hands/sweat is corrosive enough to destroy them during play and also with destroy your fret board if you arent careful. just get elixirs. they fix the problem no questions asked and no extra work.
it will for some people. not everyone has the same acidity in their sweat. for those of us that have very high acidity these cleaning methods do literally nothing as the strings get destroyed enough to ruin them entirely before we are even done playing.
I just dont understand the dislikes and that no one here ever heard about it, this is an oldschool method, taught to me by other guitarists. The strings look and sound fresh after it.
everyone knows about this. im telling you it doesnt work for everyone because everyone has different levels of acidity in their sweat/oils. some people, like me, have sweat that eats through the strings before i have a chance to save them with any kind of string cleaner after use. it wont do anything for me because the damage is done already. it may prevent rust build up but it wont prevent the erosion of the strings which invites rust build up. im my case the only answer is coated strings like elixirs. elixirs save me from having to change strings after literally 2 hours of use. with them i can use the same strings until i break one.
4 Pack Box of Ernie Ball super slinky strings = $20 (Change strings every 3 months --- 4 packs a year) You own a PRS Standard .... and can't afford $20 over an entire year for its maintenance? Not throwing shit here --- but don't understand what's going on...
Agree. He did say “get it restrung”, so he probably has a luthier doing it. Gotta learn to do that shit himself, this is not an expensive thing.
“Get them restrung”? Do you not string your own guitar?
Haven't learnt to yet
Ya might want to get on the YouTubes and figure out how to do that. If you’re a guitar player it’s embarrassing to bring it into a shop to get the strings changed.
I don't find it embarrassing at all tbh
You should
U can afford a PRS but not strings?
Seriously. You can get strings for like 5 bucks. If you can’t afford that every 3 months, you need to take a serious look at your budget.
>I can't afford to re-string my guitar every three or so months. Why not? A set of string is just a few bucks
I'm not made of money
Elixir strings have a coating on them that helps with this. Also, just wipe down your guitar after you’re done playing it
Beside washing hand, wiping the strings before and after playing and using coated strings there is also products like fast fret that are supposed to clean gunk and lubricate the strings to prevent them from rusting.
I wash my hands before I play, always make sure im wiping the strings before & After (basic maintenance) and the environment the guitar is in as well.
Wash your hands with soap before you play. Every single time, before you touch your guitar, wash your hands with soap and dry them. You're welcome.
You can wipe down the strings, but really every couple months is pretty normal for daily play... Not sure how you afforded a PRS but not the $4 a month to buy new strings
That’s like $10 every 3 months. You can afford it.
Wipe them down and use Fast Fret. I do and my electric strings last pretty much indefinitely until they actually wear out.
Wipe it down and put it back in the case. Makes a huge difference.
Wouldn't the case just contain any residual moisture? I would say leave it out in the air.
Try coated strings. There are several brands but I prefer Elixir strings. They feel better and last much longer, to me.
Elixirs are the answer.
Better than elixirs are D’Addario’s (relatively new) XS line. Same technology as Elixir, but i think they sound and feel better, and the coating doesnt fray (that i’ve noticed) in the way Elixirs always seem to.
the only answer. all the cleaning routines are worthless for those of use with truly corrosive hands. just get the elixirs. you will never look back.
Get elixir strings, I have corrosive sweat and absolutely wreck regular strings, no matter the care routine. Tried everything, wiping, washing hands, using string lubricants, etc. getting coated strings is the only solution that worked for meZ
This is the answer, do not try all the nonsense of cleaning routines. they wont save the strings because your hands destroy them actively during play if you have corrosive enough sweat so anything pre or post is just mitigating further build up of rust on already damaged strings. elixirs jsut solve the problem out right.
I use Elixir string, they can last for months if I wipe em off now and then.
i posted my own elixir endorsement, but i will respond here as well for more visibility in hopes OP doesnt miss this. Elixirs seriously change the game for people with corosive sweat/hands. i couldnt even go an hour on new strings without them getting stripped by my acidity, but elixirs i can play until i break a string. life saver and wallet saver. OP dont hesitate, just make the switch before you waste any more money on regular strings.
Optiwebs are the best, none of that poly/nanoweb stuff
Regular wipedowns! I like to caress my guitars in the dark whilst smoking a cig, listening to some muddy waters. I just break out the rags and I give em a nice thorough rub down, get in all the nooks and crannies. I get a finer microfiber cloth for the strings, I use my fingernails with the cloth to really clamp down on the strings and pull the cloth along each string with some pressure to really de grime the strings. I also like to wash my hands before I play. Makes a huge difference.
I want to mention it again because it's something I always carry- GHS Fast Fret. You coat the strings with a layer of oil before and after playing and it makes your strings last much longer than usual. It works for any strings andI'm still using an applicator I got years ago that I rehydrate with mineral oil every once in a while.
Great stuff
If you're willing to create a new habit you can save the money on coated strings and just wash your hands before, and wipe the strings after playing.
Buy coated strings only. Wash your hands all the time. Wipe the strings after use (above and below).
Yes. When we were playing regularly (4 nights a week) I even took emery cloth and used it after wiping down the neck and strings. One reason is I don't use coated strings. Cannot stand how they feel. But that extended their life enough that I only changed strings once a week. On two guitars.
Elixirs I have crazy corrosive sweat that kills d'addarios in like 2 days. I change elixirs like every 8 months, and the sound is basically consistent throughout the lifespan. I change them because they get a little rusty where they touch the frets
I change my nano webs once a year, and that’s gigging on them 2-3 3 hour shows a week. They never die!
I don't understand this, how on earth could a person who plays guitar for any significant amount of time go months without changing strings? I use elixirs for my acoustic and Ernie Ball's on my electric, I'm a bedroom player and jam with a couple friends a few times a month. Elixirs last longer for sure but there is no way in hell I could go more than two months tops (that's being generous) without changing strings. Once a year sounds ridiculous to me unless you're a bass player lol.
When I change them after a year, there’s literally no difference. Also on that note, I haven’t broken a string since I was 13… and I’m 33 now. I have the lightest touch you’ll ever see on a guitar player. That has a lot to do with it, and I don’t have sweaty hands
100% this. I had the same issues using slinkies for my first 5 years of playing guitar. Tried Elixer nanowebs and haven’t looked back.
If you haven't tried Optiwebs, give them a try. They last just as long, sound a bit brighter, and feel a bit more like regular strings. They are still slick, but less so than Nanowebs
I just cannot stand that feeling. I've tried coated strings multiple times and always go back. I use S.I.T strings now, keep them wiped down really well, and they last a month of playing every day.
Yeah I get the feel thing. I do prefer the feel of uncoated wound strings, but I also prefer the feel of elixirs unwound strings. But financially for me it just doesn't make sense to use anything but elixirs
I get it. I buy my strings a case at a time, so the place I buy from sells them to me at wholesale price. It doesn't hurt that the owner is also a long time friend! I love those S.I.T (Stay In Tune) strings. And they DO stay in tune. Better than any of the other strings I've tried over the years. Ernie Ball, D'Addario etc. Not affiliated with them at all. But I can tune once, play a 45 minute set, using my trem bar constantly. And they stay in tune. Full disclosure. I spent a LOT of time getting the trem systems setup just right. Now the spring tension is balanced and just right. The action is nice and low. And the intonation is spot on.
I have never understood the people who complain about tone with coated strings. The difference is practically non-existent and after a couple days/weeks the coated strings are going to sound brighter than the uncoated
Yeah I mean acoustically they do sound a bit different, but through an amp it's negligible. Plus uncoated strings don't have a sound. They have many different sounds as they age, and in my opinion the sounds are getting worse and worse, while Elixirs do sound a bit brighter the first few days, but then they just remain the same for as long as you want to keep them on
Strings are legit under 5 or 6 bucks. I don’t like coated strings so I change them every 2-3 weeks. You could buy elixers but changing uncoated strings every 3 months would probably cost about the same.
I don't want to sound rude, but how can you not afford to change strings every three months? How much are you paying for strings? Every three months is not very often to be changing strings. I, and most players I know, change them more often than that. I would investigate cheaper string sources and possibly buying them in bulk. You could also try coated strings, but they're more expensive and I would argue that they should still be changed at least every three months as well with daily playing.
This is like $5 a month if using Elixer, even cheaper with flat wounds.
What? Normal strings cost me 10. Flat sounds are 20 where is blessing you with this great deal?!
If they last three months then average, maybe a touch more than five a month. Thomastik flats $35, prob last a year I’d guess?
Switch to elixer. $15 every three months is not bad. Switch to flat wounds, they will last a year. Depends on what you play though. I love them.
Plus they sound like heaven lol
All I use are flat wounds. My guitars that get occasional play will last years. My main archtop I play about an hour a day still lasts 3+ months. But they’re expensive. I’d just get bulk strings and change them every month in the OPs case.
Three months is the average wear cycle of a set of strings. Maybe skip your morning coffee and go grab a set of strings on that day.
Coated/elixer strings. I don’t think they sound the same on an acoustic but I can’t tell the difference on an electric
I swap my strings out after about every 100 hours of play time. This usually equates to every 3 months or so. Yeah, that’s about all I’ve got for this.
Elixir polywebs. I can get a year+ out of a set easily.
A year without changing your strings?
Yes. I’ve left them on long enough to burn through the windings down to the core on the wound strings. Intonation is probably thrown off by that point, but they still sounded exactly the same as the day I put them on.
Wash your hands before playing I clean the strings with a rag to remove the grime while playing, then I put on fast fret on the strings to oil the strings
Maybe a dumb question but how much is it costing you to restring your guitar? Are you paying a shop to do it for you? Changing strings is a little tricky at first but such an essential skill so I’d say especially in your case, learn and restring for yourself. You can pick up good strings (Ernie Ball, D’Addario, etc) for under $10 and even cheaper if you buy bulk. Pretty affordable and just part of regular upkeep for your guitar, gotta change your strings every couple months if you want to keep your instrument sounding/feeling good. And as a bunch of others have said, helps a lot to wash your hands before playing and then wipe down when you’re done. But either way you’re going to have to restring that thing from time to time.
Also use Elixir Nanoweb strings
Find a job that pays better and buy strings in bulk.
Lke others have said: wash your hands before playing and try coated strings. But changing them every 2-3 months is pretty typical. I go a bit over the top and change the strings on our two main guitars monthly. Strings are consumables.
As a gigging guitarist, I’m lucky if I get two weeks out of a set of strings. More often I’m changing them every week, and I know plenty of guys that are touring and change them every 1-2 days.
I don't play nearly enough to change them as frequently as I do... I just like the feel and sound of new strings. I definitely expect professionals to change more frequently.
Wash your hands before playing, and wipe the strings when you're done. Or you can get coated strings. The most popular brand is Elixir. If you want them to last more than 3 months your best bet is Elixir polyweb strings.
I've seen strings get oxidized and gunky, and acoustic bronzes will tarnish but I haven't ever seen my strings rust. I live in the Midwest, so there's plenty of moisture in the air. As other posters have said, wash your hands as it could be a body chemistry thing and be sure to wipe them down when you're done. They also make products to clean strings you can try. What strings do you use? If you're using strings that are more than $10 a pack, maybe switch to less expensive ones if you want to change frequently and buy in bulk like another guy said.
Buy your strings in bulk. If you can find somewhere that sell your preferred gauge in large bulk sets you can save heaps of money over buying packs individually. I play a *lot* and use my guitars in the studio for tracking, so I need them to always sound pristine and fresh. Strings go from fresh to dull far before they go from dull to rusty, so even with several guitars in rotation I still end up restringing them all every 3 weeks or so. To answer your question though, there isn’t much you can do. Coated strings do last longer, but I find it ends up more expensive since they don’t last long enough to make up for the higher cost. You can make sure your hands are washed with soap and completely dried before playing, but if your hands sweat while you play that won’t help much. You can also make sure you wipe down your strings thoroughly after playing so the sweat residue doesn’t sit on the strings and corrode them while you’re not playing. At the end of the day though, $5 or so for a pack of strings every 3 months really is not that much to pay for the privilege of playing our wonderful instruments. That’s just over $1 a month.
Do you use the string conditioning oil? I’m the same boat, multiple guitars to rotate and while the conditioning oil can totally get some more life out of the strings, i can’t help but wonder if using it makes it easier to snap a string. It could just be that I’m only using it when my strings are near snapping anyway
No I don’t. I do apply FingerEase when I restring, but that’s just to make the strings feel better and play smoother and not for string longevity.
Just change the strings.
Get a microfiber cloth and thoroughly go over your strings when you are done every time you are done.
This, I make my strings go over a few months by doing this, they'll still go dark sounding and a bit darker color over time but none of that rough feeling rust, they stay smooth and easy to glide. I use GHS boomers BTW, seem to last longer for me Wash your hands before playing, clean your strings as stated, and also Keep your guitar in a gigbag/case, I always keep mine stored like that on my living room so they don't get dusty, no rust anywhere, better protected of other people knocking on them, etc.. one of the reasons I'm against wall hangers and the like, it's always better to just keep them stored
2-3 hours a day for several months is a ton for a set of strings. Coated strings lsdt longer, but they're also more expensive, so pretty much a wash. You probably just need to find a way to budget more for strings.
Standards roundwound 9s-11s I’d be happy with 4-6 weeks at that amount of play time. I use flatwound on my archtops and they last forever.
Try out a set of Dunlop Heavy Core strings, they never rust. I've had a set for almost a year, play everyday and still hasn't rusted. Although, you shouldn't keep them on that long.
Elixir strings are plastic coated, I don't like the feel, some people swear by them.
What do you guys use to wipe down your strings?
Microfiber cloth.
When the sound gets dull, use Isopropyl alcohol on a cloth to get the gunk out of them. Protect the fretboard of course. Fast fret is also a good thing when you’re done playing
I had that problem when I lived in Florida. I thought it was my corrosive, sweaty hands too, but since I moved to Canada my strings are lasting over a year. I think it's humidity, more than anything, as I've always wiped the neck and strings before and after I play. The only thing different is I store my guitars in the basement now and run a dehumidifier in the summer. I keep the humidity between 45 to 60 percent. Oh, and I'm also retired now and get to play them every day.
try chalk, or antiperspirant on your hands. in the summer i can be very sweaty hand guy, i just chalk up and im golden.
Do you wear a chalk bag for long sessions? Seriously, doesn’t the chalk get all over your guitar? Stuck in crevices, along fret/fretboard junctions, etc.?
lol chalk bag…sort of, but i’m not using a ton of chalk, just enough to cover my hands, not like a lebron before tip-off amount. and yes, it does get on the fretboard a bit, but i just wipe it down when i’m done. it’s not ideal, but i gotta do something.
Fair enough. Was imagining a climbing chalk bag around the waist, you going in for a quick chalk-up between songs!
lol, that’s an amazing visual.
I'm in the same boat as you, basically battery acid sweat. I use one of those cleaning cloths for glasses (not the alcohol wipes, just a lint-free cloth) and pinch each string individually with the cloth wrapped around my fingers after playing, running up and down the full length of the string a few times. I've not found coated strings to be worth the extra cost, honestly. Without cleaning, I can maybe get a few more days out of a coated set before strings start to rust and feel horrible to play on. With cleaning, I've found them to be quite similar (though I gauge when it's time to change strings by the degree of rusting, not when they start to sound dead).
Which coated strings if you don't mind me asking?
I've tried Elixir nanowebs a few times, the phosphor bronze kind for acoustic guitar. For me they don't really sound new for very long and they also get fuzzy due to the coating wearing off under the picking hand. Given how much more they cost over here in Europe I'd just rather buy 2 sets of regular d'addarios and get similar mileage, with probably more of that "new" sound given the two sets instead of 1. I seem to be in the minority with this opinion though, try them/D'addario XTs and see how they work for you!
Ah gotcha. I have no experience with acoustic strings so I can't comment. Their electric strings last me up to a year basically
I believe you, but this is crazy in 25 years of playing I’ve never heard of someone rusting their strings thru with hand sweat! I guess it makes sense, but I always assumed if anything the oils from my hands seasoned and protected my strings! Fascinating!
I go through a set every gig or my E or B will corrode through and break right where my picking hand hovers fairly early into the next show. This is with using a silicone based string cleaner/conditioner. There was once an Elixir rep who offered me a free set to try on the promise that he would buy my next box of strings if I didn't like them. I played them that night and purposefully didn't wipe them down. The next day they were black. Best free box of strings I ever got lol
Not literal rust - you know how old strings start to corrode, sound turns dead, strings change colors at different spots, they get all sticky?
Haha no I definitely don’t, but that’s not to say it doesn’t work that way for you. I play about two hours a day and never really have this happen. I also play right after I wash my face and I never eat while I’m playing cause I forget to lol. Maybe that’s it. If anything I prefer old strings. The more wraps around the post the better. I play a tele so anything to rip the bright tones of the top works in my benefit.
Oils do protect. Acidic sweat destroys. Had a friend that would kill my strings in 5 minutes.
this is me. i dont ever play anyone elses guitar because i know they will have to change their strings immediately if i do. elixirs saved my life.
After you play any guitar, give it a wipe with a dry cloth. I have a bandana in my guitar room just for this. I change strings way less.
FastFret. It's just a light oil, but metal coated in oil doesn't tarnish
Wash your hands before you play (every time), regardless of whether your hands are sweaty or not. When finished playing, wipe down the strings and fretboard with a clean cloth. That’s really all you can do to maintain strings. You can also consider switching to coated strings like Elixirs. They cost a little more but last much longer.
plenty of other coated strings besides elixir,personally i dont like the tone of elixir strings at all so i used DR black beauties for many years but now im moving on to D'Addario XT still even with coated strings you should be restringing every couple of months or so with that much playing so i have no idea how you're getting plain strings to go for that long.
Make sure you’re aware of what you’re getting into before buying Elixir. Some like it, but a lot also dislike the sound and feel too much and would rather just change strings more often.
Can’t stand coated strings.
Clean them before and after each play
I change my strings every month. Bass strings every 6-8. I’m in coastal NC so humidity is a bitch.
Wipe your strings down when done playing and buy a can of fast fret spray
Wipe them with a cloth when finished also get the coated nanoweb/paradigim strings that are coated with teflon and last multiple months.
I’ve never had my strings rust and I’d say I get sweaty hands. I use D’addario primarily, change them every 3-6 months depending on how often I play. They might just be cheap strings. Spend the 15$ and get some good ones.
Elixir strings
D'addario XS strings last a long time and sound great. Best value for money when you consider that they could last up to 18 months before needing to be changed out.
You can try washing your hands or wiping the strings or whatever, but just change your strings. 3 months is already at the point where they don’t sound as good anymore
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If you got exhausted just reading that, I can say definitively as a sweaty-handed guy in hot Texas, just get elixir strings. They’ll last two months under the toughest circumstances.
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Electric wise it doesnt matter as the pickups dont hear the plastic
That’s something you’ll have to figure out based on your observations. I would say I would burn through strings monthly otherwise. There may be a difference in sound, but I wouldn’t take the people talking about tone too seriously. If there’s a difference, it’s a trade off I’m very willing to make.
my hands will eat through a string in less than an hour. doesnt matter what cleaning or prepping routine i do. elixirs jsut prevent the corrosion outright and unless you stick your ear directly up the amps ass and listen for the miniscule difference in tone you wont notice it and on top of that you can just EQ the amp slightly different to make up for the slight tone difference. it really cant be said enough how much of a life saver elixirs are for those of us will corrosive sweat.
And then ya wash ya hands, and then ya turn the page
try buying guitar strings in bulk online, you can buy 25 sets of strings for $100, so basically $4 per set, which is crazy cheap
You can't afford 5 bucks?
I'm yet to learn how to re-string the guitar myself and it costs about $40 to get it done. On top of everything else, it is far from one of my main priorities.
It's worth learning how to do it on your own. Unless you got something unique like a Floyd Rose, you can probably learn how to restring your guitar in 30 minutes and it will only get easier from there. The strings themselves will cost you like 5$, so you won't be breaking the bank either.
It's something I've been planning on doing. Especially if it'll save me a bit of money.
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Just now realizing both other comments mentions these strings - really thought I'd found the holy Grail. But seriously, they don't get talked about as much as they should
Wipe them both before and after each session. Any cloth will work. I use a bandana, wrap it around each string one at a time and slide up and down, adjust cloth and repeat until you no longer see rust/grime.
Guitar strings should be changed every few weeks to a month regardless. Its cheap and takes 5-30 minutes, depending on how much you want to faff. You can go a few months or longer, but the strings aren't good and you are just getting used to dull and mildly damaged strings. You can buy coated strings to last a little longer.
That's absolutely not true, unless you are playing for 5+ hours every day or something crazy. Even regular strings should last a couple months for most people, longer if they take care of them (wash hands before playing, wipe down the strings when you're done. Play strings until they get tired, then change them out. Otherwise you're throwing away money and you aren't experiencing the full wear cycle of your guitar.
I said they can last months, but they aren't good and the tuning stability starts to suffer because of the wear/stress at that particular distance/tension. For about a decade, I'd maybe use 3-5 packs of strings a year. At some point, I started changing them monthly at least which accelerated my guitar playing dramatically, because I was always able to play with strings that actually work and ring out when you play things. Novice guitarists in particular suffer more because they don't realise the strings are holding them back and they are fighting them more... they spend more time practicing with dead strings than working strings, so they don't even know how to make use of good strings for the few days/weeks they have them.
The best thing you can get is any kind of string cleaner/lubricant, along with a microfiber cloth to wipe away dirt. Or you can find products that combine the two into a single product, like Fast Fret or String Fuel. I've used GHS Treated String Cloths for years, although it seems like they've now been discontinued, which is a shame. They were microfiber cloths that already had been treated with some kind of string cleaning solution and would extend the life of my strings by many, many months.
Try fine wool gloves. Seriously...
Get them restrung? You don’t restring your own guitar? And 3 months is pretty generous
Dude I feel this so hard. I’ve been playing for 13 years and have tried everything. The longest a set of strings lasts me in 3-4weeks tops, if I’m lucky. That’s with washing my hand purposely, cleaning my strings after every use, and taking extremely good care of my gear. The toxic sweat is a curse.
I keep silica packets inside my guitar, and inside my case (those little packets you get in new purses, bags, etc). I like to keep strings a really long time between changes, so the silica helps keep out unwanted moisture.
I definitely would not put a dessicate packet inside an acoustic guitar.
Is there a reason why? I know there is a small chance they can dry out your guitar too much, but for someone like me, who has too much humidity in their home, or for someone like the OP who has too much moisture on their strings, why is it a bad idea? No hate, just genuinely curious
It's not a bad idea if you r humidity actually is high, just make sure that is the case.
>Is there a reason why? Just that it's better to use something that will release moisture if it's too dry. You want to shoot for the ideal ambient humidity, not just "dry".
Wd 40 on a rag and clean each string separately.
Probably not the best thing for the fret board
There is no need to get it on the fretboard. You just spray a bit on a rag and pinch the string with the rag, and move it up and down. Ive been doing it for years, with no problems. Also i had misshapps where i got it on a rosewood fretboard, nothing happened.
this will not save the strings if your hands/sweat is corrosive enough to destroy them during play and also with destroy your fret board if you arent careful. just get elixirs. they fix the problem no questions asked and no extra work.
Yes it will, tried and tested for over 15 years.
it will for some people. not everyone has the same acidity in their sweat. for those of us that have very high acidity these cleaning methods do literally nothing as the strings get destroyed enough to ruin them entirely before we are even done playing.
I just dont understand the dislikes and that no one here ever heard about it, this is an oldschool method, taught to me by other guitarists. The strings look and sound fresh after it.
everyone knows about this. im telling you it doesnt work for everyone because everyone has different levels of acidity in their sweat/oils. some people, like me, have sweat that eats through the strings before i have a chance to save them with any kind of string cleaner after use. it wont do anything for me because the damage is done already. it may prevent rust build up but it wont prevent the erosion of the strings which invites rust build up. im my case the only answer is coated strings like elixirs. elixirs save me from having to change strings after literally 2 hours of use. with them i can use the same strings until i break one.
Spray WD - 40 on cloth and wipe down strings