Oil on playing fingers

[fazool]

I will restate my comments from the yes-versus-no arguments over oiling a fretboard.

Some people claim the oil on the skin is good enough. A comment was made to get oil off your forehead.

The reality is that sweat is mostly water with some lactate, some minerals, urea and ammonia. It is not oil. It's is more like weak urine.

Sweat from your hands (or forehead) doesn't "oil" anything. It just pees on it.

[k_russell]

I know a man who applies olive oil to his fingers before playing. He says it reduces squeaking when his fingers move on the strings. He plays a nylon string guitar and cleans the strings when he finishes playing.

I read that Segovia used Vaseline for the same reason. He kept a small amount of the product on the guitar's heel during a concert.

[Eastbound]

Nose grease is best for lubing your strings. Fast Fret and string lube not so great The nose grease doesn't build up and does a better job in he long run. Ive tried all of them

Please go ahead and laugh, but it works well. Take a dry callus and slide it up and down a slightly corroded steel guitar string.....try again after applying some nose grease. Makes slides easier, less string noise and can last an entire session

Fast fret and string lube work for a little while, then start to gunk up and make the situation worse IMO

I also put nose grease on fishing rod junctions, as is makes them easier to get back apart. I learned this way before I used it on guitar strings

[leew3]

Washing your hands before you play is a great idea. In terms of hand care, I'd recommend Guitar Hands as it works great, not greasy or sticky and keeps your hands is good shape.

http://www.guitarhands.com/

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by 12FanMan

Before beginning a playing session on a 12 string, I'm assuming it's a good idea to wash the hands to keep gunk from accumulating on the strings (or the fret board). My question is...after doing so, and drying the fingers, should I put any type of oil on the ends of my fingers? Also, is it a good or bad idea to wipe the strings with a lightly-oiled cloth once in awhile?

Hi 12FanMan
If the washing and removing of the gunk causes your skin to dry and crack, then of course one should wash hands to play, and then treat them after you finish playing.

I'd never put oil on my strings. It would definitely transfer to fingerboards, picks (if you use them) and other 'body parts' (of the instrument).

I try to keep foreign substance off my strings to preserve string life (tone and sustain).

WD-40 has it's uses, but none of them involve my instruments.

[12FanMan]

Originally Posted by Don Lampson

I suspect you mean "Fret Ease"? Wasn't that product for the back of the neck, to assist your fingers sliding up, & down, the fretboard? IIRC, it came in a spray bottle, or aerosol can?

I saw an old picking bud use it, touting its dubious value... Looks like you'd still end up with getting your board oily?

Don

To quote a great American philosopher: "Shezam!"

Maybe I should have read the directions. Naaa. Too extreme.

No tellin' how much damage I did to my strings.
Burn and learn.

[12FanMan]

Originally Posted by jseth

Another vote for clean hands - let them dry well before playing!!!

As for the oil? Well, years ago, I perused Barney Kessel's massive tome, "The Guitar" (?), and out of 2500 pages (!) came away with one very sweet bit of advice he gave...

He talked about lightly passing your fingertips on either side of your nose to use the natural oils of your body to lubricate your fingertips... for some folks, their foreheads are the more productive area for that oil to develop.

I must have looked at that book in the 70's, and I've been doing it so long that it is a knee-jerk motion for me now. It is a VERY effective technique, assuming you want the feel of slightly slippery fingertips. Doesn't work so well when I'm fresh out of a shower or directly after shaving, but it doesn't take too long to come back.

About 15 years ago, I began using Elixir strings, which, of course, are coated and a bit slippery all by themselves. I probably do not need to do anything to my fingertips with those strings, but I still do... it's a habit at this point.

Check it out! It is nothing more than the natural "grease" that one would have on their fingers, so nothing foreign will be getting on your strings or fretboard.

Hope this gets you where you want to go!

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Thank you for validating what's left of my memory. I KNEW I read that SOMEwhere. I recalled READING it...but not hearing anyone SAY it.

[12FanMan]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Why would you wash your hands “to keep gunk from accumulating” then put “gunk” (oil…other than natural body oil) on your newly washed fingers? For me, doesn’t compute…

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"Why would you wash your hands “to keep gunk from accumulating” then put “gunk” (oil…other than natural body oil) on your newly washed fingers?"

Why? For the same reason some kid flips off a state trooper and tries to outrun the police radio. Novices can be dangerous,

Try to remember a lot of the people on this forum are (like me) novices. Asking questions, even if ill-informed, is a good thing...at least for them. A novice who hides out in the shadows for fear of asking a "dumb question," remains a novice.

No one starts out an expert. Even the best expert had to have SOMEone correct his early misconceptions.

[renoslim]

Well I'll jump in as a contrarian to most of this discussion. I periodically clean my strings with:

- a 9 inch by 9 inch lint free cloth. I have these left over from when I worked for the Burroughs corporation. They were used for cleaning disk platters. (I was a Field engineer)

- I use a little light mineral oil on the above cloths. For years I have used the "orange" type cleaner which I think is just a little color and scent in the oil. It says "revitalizing oil" on the spray bottle. I will fold the cloth and loop it under the string. I know it is doing a good job when they start "squeaking".

- After scrubbing the strings with the above cloth, I wipe it all down with one of those blue microfiber cloths

For me this gives me:

- longer string life
- clean, slick (not at all oily) strings and fingerboard
- no negative effect on my hands or fingers.

This does darken rosewood boards over the years but I like that. More noticeable on guitars that are initially light, not noticeable at all on ebony.

I have done this on all my guitars for many years (I have had those cloths since the seventies !) and have seen no ill effects. I have also done the same
procedure on maple necks (think strat or tele) and see no harm. NOW... I would probably NOT use this process on a worn, "finished", maple neck, as I am not sure of the effect where the finish is worn through.
I have not seen any ill effect on the necks or fingerboards of my collection which includes a mix of ebony, rosewood, bound, unbound. Also use this on nylon string guitars as well.

Lee

[12FanMan]

Originally Posted by fazool

I will restate my comments from the yes-versus-no arguments over oiling a fretboard.

Some people claim the oil on the skin is good enough. A comment was made to get oil off your forehead.

The reality is that sweat is mostly water with some lactate, some minerals, urea and ammonia. It is not oil. It's is more like weak urine.

Sweat from your hands (or forehead) doesn't "oil" anything. It just pees on it.

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Yes, but it allows one to play in the key of pee.

[Glennwillow]

Yes, wash your hands before playing any guitar.

No, forget the oil.

- Glenn

[Eastbound]

Nose grease is the best. Seems a little weird but it works really well to conditioning the strings for playing. I had Jack Lawrence recommend this to me on the Martin guitar forum. Been doing it since and threw my fast fret in the garbage can.

[garyrogue1]

Originally Posted by Eastbound

I also put nose grease on fishing rod junctions, as is makes them easier to get back apart. I learned this way before I used it on guitar strings

I used to use nose grease on fishing pole junctions also.

Many, many years ago, when I was taking a few classical guitar lessons and going to shows, I noticed that the players would reach down into the neck heel junction with their picking fingers. The person I was taking lessons from said, "they had a little hand lotion there". Could be Vaseline, or take your pick. I assume it was to reduce friction of finger picking, less sound, speed etc. Like keeping those nails smooth.

[rollypolly]

I use fingerease every now and then, especially when the season changes and a guitar might have been sitting unplayed and the strings feel a bit stiff. It works great to loosen things up a bit. I’d be hesitant to spray it on every day though. I don’t like to put any product on my guitars.

[ALBD]

Amazon doesn't sell nose grease

This may be a million dollar business idea.