Best way to care for your steel guitar strings?

[Chas007]

How do you take care of your steel guitar strings so they will look good and last?

[Brucebubs]

Do you mean storing new strings or strings already on your guitar?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Chas007

How do you take care of your steel guitar strings so they will look good and last?

Hi Chas007

I don't do anything for them so they 'look' better.

I wipe strings down with a micro-fibre shop rag every time I play them (even if for only 5 minutes) before putting them back in the case.

That alone easily doubles the life of my non-coated sets. It may also keep the looking great…Coated strings can discolor & be working just fine (even if/when wiped down).

Spare sets live in my guitar cabinets in a drawer. Our relative humidity is low where we live, and strings stored in that manner last years.

[Chas007]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Do you mean storing new strings or strings already on your guitar?

Already on your guitar.

[fitness1]

I've mentioned this many times on the forum in the past. One of my best friends was an analytical chemist who specialized in surface analysis.

He told me the best thing to remove "organics" from brass and bronze was simple old wool.

Go to a fabric store and buy a chunk of good quality wool, and cut some small squares off to keep your case.

Wipe down the strings after playing - and make sure and wrap the wool around the bottom side of the strings too where the most stuff builds up.

[D-utim]

Wash hands with soap before, wipe strings with cotton after.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Chas007

Already on your guitar.

OK, as mentioned above, wash your hands before playing is the main one.

[fitness1]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

OK, as mentioned above, wash your hands before playing is the main one.

Yes - huge. Sort of assumed that one

KFC grease doesn't work well with guitars and their strings!

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by fitness1

Yes - huge. Sort of assumed that one

KFC grease doesn't work well with guitars and their strings!

Funny you should say that, I find Elixir strings too slippery and once saw someone else with similar experience describe them as 'coated in fried chicken grease'.

[Rudy4]

I use Elixir Nanos, so nothing. I play probably an hour a day average and change them every 6 months whether they need it or not.

[whvick]

I just play coated strings.

[srbell]

Before I used Elixirs I used to wipe the strings down after playing, but that was decades ago. Any more I use Elixirs and don't do anything other than make sure I wash my hands after eating a greasy burger before picking up a guitar. Seriously though, I don't do anything special and the Elixirs just keep going strong.

[douglasfan1]

Originally Posted by Chas007

How do you take care of your steel guitar strings so they will look good and last?

The best way to care for your steel guitar strings is to change it periodically. Even though for the guitar I seldom play, I change once or twice a year depends on the string condition.

For my main axe, I keep changing it every two or three months since I play it everyday. As many mentioned above, wipe strings down with a micro-fibre before putting back to case, wash hands before playing. Also, I do apply strings oil every time after playing but I don't know whether it really help or not. Your mileage may vary

[Tannin]

Clean hands, nothing else. Works for me.

I use a variety of coated and uncoated strings, in brass and phosphor bronze, sometimes monel. I wipe the fretboard down with a soft, dry cloth when I change strings. Sometimes I use a little Fast Fret, but not for cleaning purposes, only when I'm trying to reduce finger-squeak. Strings last me anything between 1 month and 6 months or more, depending on how much I have played that particular guitar and what sort of strings they are.

The long and the short of it is keep your hands clean.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

OK, as mentioned above, wash your hands before playing is the main one.

I'll second this.