It actually depends on the person. Some people seem to shed skin particles all over the place and others do not. I guess it depends if people have sweaty hands of dry skin.
After decades of playing experience I've come to the conclusion that its best to simply wipe down the strings after each session while they're fresh and stinking 😃
I used to wipe down my strings when I was still a teen, but then I stopped doing it. Wiping them down is good practice, but eventually they'll have to be changed, no matter what.
That is so gross. It put me off my coffee. My grandson rots strings real quickly, within a day or two his unwound strings are covered in Kentucky Fried Chicken coating. There is something about his hands that seems to rot the strings prematurely. I banned him from playing on my G's because they end up disgusting. If he doesn't play on my G's then my strings stay shiny between string changes, as soon as he touches them i have to scrub and re-oil my strings the following day. I have given him some string slick stuff to help but it makes little difference. He is clean too, it's not that he's a skank. My next trick will be trying out coated strings to see if that helps. Every time I pick up one of his G's I know I have to factor in time to re-shine his strings first before playing, it feels so horrible under the fingers too. So maybe these people are like him and just have some kind of defective hand chemistry alongside a reluctance to change strings....?
It is so true that some people go through strings and through frets, like nobody's business. I remember one customer that brought an acoustic that wasn't even too old and his frets had dimples all over the place. I recommended EVO gold frets and refretted his guitar. In about 10 days he came back for a truss-rod adjustment as he said the action started feeling a bit high. His fretboard was covered with cheese and his brand new EVO frets already had dimples deeper than any of the guitars I've owned for over two decades.
Could be something in pH levels reacting . Have you tried different types or strings like phosphorus bronze or steel or nickel? If he's a teenager could be something that will change as he gets older. Bright side is at you would know if he was sneaking a tune on one of your guitars. 😅
@@johnDBoone I definitely think every person‘s skin is different. I have a customer that keeps bringing his guitar back to me every few weeks. He uses coated strings on his acoustic and every time I see the guitar, the two treble strings are completely rusted.
@@johnDBoone I am off to get him some coated strings.... soon. I keep saying next week...every week. nowhere locally sells them so it's a 70 mile round trip just to get strings. I know I could order some online, there's far more fun to be had going to a store though. I can buy extra stuff I don't need, convince myself I need new guitars etc. I also have around 30 packs of stings in a drawer, so there is no real rush. He snapped a high E a couple of days ago soloing brick in the wall. the string snapped around the 12th fret, so it is purely down to rotting them with his acid alien blood than it is poor guitar maintenance. I can always tell when he touches my stuff too, he leaves it where he uses it rather than putting it back. Sneaky and subtle are clearly not a strong point, which is good because I know I need to clean my strings before that Kentucky fried coating encases my gear!
I'm lucky, my hands don't sweat much. So I feel for musicians that sweat a lot. But this comes down to bad habits and bad hygiene making things worse. I wash my hands before playing and wipe my strings and neck, and generally wipe down the whole guitar after playing. Takes less than a minute. Keeps 'em looking nice and cared for. Anyway if you play another person's guitar or try one in a store you're possibly exposing your hands to some pretty nasty stuff on those strings. Not a bad idea to take a moist towelette or some hand sanitizer for after.
All the wound strings will have some amount of cheese buildup between the windings. So, you are right, when we play other people's guitars we touch that stuff all the time. Can I borrow your guitar? Can I borrow your hair brush? Same thing.
For some reason I've never thought about the wear that old strings put on the frets. Thank you. 👍👍
Glad to hear it was helpful. Please subscribe and share. Thanks.
12:17 Flatwound string 😂
Actually... coated strings, LOL.
I wipe with a rag on the top and bottom and then apply a light layer of Lizard Spit. Prolonges string life and keeps them "slick". I love Lizard Spit.
Have you tried that on D'Addarion XS strings?
I dread to think of the amount of cheese on the late James Jamersons Labellas. He never changed them in years!
It actually depends on the person. Some people seem to shed skin particles all over the place and others do not. I guess it depends if people have sweaty hands of dry skin.
After decades of playing experience I've come to the conclusion that its best to simply wipe down the strings after each session while they're fresh and stinking 😃
I used to wipe down my strings when I was still a teen, but then I stopped doing it. Wiping them down is good practice, but eventually they'll have to be changed, no matter what.
I love your style, brother! 🤣🤣🤣👍
Thanks. And I love your good taste in RUclips videos. LOL
String cheese is still delicious, even with a daily intolerance 😢 it just cause pain...um, down the road.
LOL
That is so gross. It put me off my coffee. My grandson rots strings real quickly, within a day or two his unwound strings are covered in Kentucky Fried Chicken coating. There is something about his hands that seems to rot the strings prematurely. I banned him from playing on my G's because they end up disgusting. If he doesn't play on my G's then my strings stay shiny between string changes, as soon as he touches them i have to scrub and re-oil my strings the following day. I have given him some string slick stuff to help but it makes little difference. He is clean too, it's not that he's a skank. My next trick will be trying out coated strings to see if that helps. Every time I pick up one of his G's I know I have to factor in time to re-shine his strings first before playing, it feels so horrible under the fingers too. So maybe these people are like him and just have some kind of defective hand chemistry alongside a reluctance to change strings....?
It is so true that some people go through strings and through frets, like nobody's business.
I remember one customer that brought an acoustic that wasn't even too old and his frets had dimples all over the place.
I recommended EVO gold frets and refretted his guitar. In about 10 days he came back for a truss-rod adjustment as he said the action started feeling a bit high. His fretboard was covered with cheese and his brand new EVO frets already had dimples deeper than any of the guitars I've owned for over two decades.
Carbide frets
Could be something in pH levels reacting . Have you tried different types or strings like phosphorus bronze or steel or nickel? If he's a teenager could be something that will change as he gets older. Bright side is at you would know if he was sneaking a tune on one of your guitars. 😅
@@johnDBoone I definitely think every person‘s skin is different. I have a customer that keeps bringing his guitar back to me every few weeks. He uses coated strings on his acoustic and every time I see the guitar, the two treble strings are completely rusted.
@@johnDBoone I am off to get him some coated strings.... soon. I keep saying next week...every week. nowhere locally sells them so it's a 70 mile round trip just to get strings. I know I could order some online, there's far more fun to be had going to a store though. I can buy extra stuff I don't need, convince myself I need new guitars etc. I also have around 30 packs of stings in a drawer, so there is no real rush. He snapped a high E a couple of days ago soloing brick in the wall. the string snapped around the 12th fret, so it is purely down to rotting them with his acid alien blood than it is poor guitar maintenance. I can always tell when he touches my stuff too, he leaves it where he uses it rather than putting it back. Sneaky and subtle are clearly not a strong point, which is good because I know I need to clean my strings before that Kentucky fried coating encases my gear!
I change my strings once a month
What kind of strings do you use?
🤢. Green cheese.
LOL.
Great video (you’re awesome), gross strings 🤮
LOL.
I'm lucky, my hands don't sweat much. So I feel for musicians that sweat a lot. But this comes down to bad habits and bad hygiene making things worse. I wash my hands before playing and wipe my strings and neck, and generally wipe down the whole guitar after playing. Takes less than a minute. Keeps 'em looking nice and cared for. Anyway if you play another person's guitar or try one in a store you're possibly exposing your hands to some pretty nasty stuff on those strings. Not a bad idea to take a moist towelette or some hand sanitizer for after.
All the wound strings will have some amount of cheese buildup between the windings. So, you are right, when we play other people's guitars we touch that stuff all the time.
Can I borrow your guitar?
Can I borrow your hair brush?
Same thing.