excessive string squeak?

[steamfurnace]

I have been playing for nearly 50 years, and have never had a problem with string squeak while strumming until this past year. I now play mainly acoustic electric, and use light gauge strings on my 6 and 12 string guitars that I play on my gigs. I normally use Fender medium picks, and wear one out in a 4 hour gig. The squeak is worse on the 12 string, but my wife noticed I am getting it now on the 6 string as well. I normally use D'Addario EXP's or Martin SP phosphor bronze strings. I haven't noticed much difference in the brands regarding the squeak. I am just wondering, has my picking technique changed suddenly, or do I need to change picks, string brands, or what?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by steamfurnace

I have been playing for nearly 50 years, and have never had a problem with string squeak while strumming until this past year. I now play mainly acoustic electric, and use light gauge strings on my 6 and 12 string guitars that I play on my gigs. I normally use Fender medium picks, and wear one out in a 4 hour gig. The squeak is worse on the 12 string, but my wife noticed I am getting it now on the 6 string as well. I normally use Daddario EXP's or Martin SP phosphor bronze strings. I haven't noticed much difference in the brands regarding the squeak. I am just wondering, has my picking technique changed suddenly, or do I need to change picks, string brands, or what?

Hi sf

D'Addario EXP are the worst squeaking strings there are. They positively scream at times, and chirp all the way through performances. It's because they coat the winding string and then wrap it around the core side-wise which produces a non-skid surface. Their non-coated strings are far quieter.

Elixir on the other hand builds the entire string and the encases it producing a smooth outer surface.

Some of us do a lot of slides and hammering, so quiet strings are a must. And depending on your pickup system it can be even accentuated more.

[steamfurnace]

Thanks, LJ. I will try Elixirs or uncoated on the next string change. This squeaking is driving me nuts!

[jseth]

I absolutely agree with ljguitar on this one... I have NEVER heard a string that squeaks as much as those EXP's... wanted to take them off my guitar in the first week, but left them on for a month to see if things "quieted down" a bit... nope. Still as squeaky and noisy after a month as they were at first...

Elixir Nanoweb phosphor bronze strings... quiet, extremely long lifespan, nice smooth feel... well worth a few extra bucks for a string that lasts for 4-6 months!

[RayCJ]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi sf

D'Addario EXP are the worst squeaking strings there are. They positively scream at times, and chirp all the way through performances. It's because they coat the winding string and then wrap it around the core side-wise which produces a non-skid surface. Their non-coated strings are far quieter.

Elixir on the other hand builds the entire string and the encases it producing a smooth outer surface.

Some of us do a lot of slides and hammering, so quiet strings are a must. And depending on your pickup system it can be even accentuated more.

Another vote for Elixirs really being squeak tolerant. They're advertised as "nanofiber" and if you look very closely, you'll see the wrapped strings have intertwined fibers -and those fibers are what keeps squeaking under control.

Also, fingertip callous condition is a big factor. Sometimes the callouses are just right and the skin does not dig deeply into the wrapping on the strings -and sometimes, the callouses just don't cooperate. The situation comes and goes for me.

Ray

[HHP]

I hear very little on Monels. Do a lot of note and chord slides. They have a pretty smooth surface so I imagine that helps. No help on a 12 string yet but you could try on a 6.

[packy]

Give Elixer Polywebs a try.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by packy

Give Elixer Polywebs a try.

Hi Packy

I have a friend who records with Polywebs because the coating is 4X as thick as on Nano-webs. They are virtually noise-less (once you get past the fact they feel soapy/slick).

I have a friend who has very acidic skin, and he kills non-coated strings in one session of play. He uses Polywebs because of the extra thick coating, and if he wipes them down every 20 minutes while he plays, he can stretch them to nearly 2 weeks before a string change. That is where Polywebs really shine…

[steamfurnace]

Just a follow-up. I followed the suggestions here and switched both guitars to Elixir strings. Pleased to say, there is no string squeak on either one now!
Thanks for the suggestion; my wife and I are both a lot happier at my amplified gigs now>

[Blueser100]

Gee I didn't know about the extra coating on the polys. Thanks for that info. I will have to try them. I hate string noise and also have higher acidity too. Don't care for regular daddarios for both those reasons.

[Bern]

Rub a candle over the strings. I'll reduce most of the squeaking.