How and when to clean guitar strings Quick Clip Tips
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- Very important! Why purchase a $1000+ high end guitar and play it with rusty dead strings? You paid for that warm rich tone so get as much of it out of your guitar as you can! How you ask? Clean strings is a great start!
I didn't realize that the strings turn over time, you learn something new all the time.
Yeah as they are wrapped around the peg tightening and loosening them make the whole string turn around, the unwound ones more than the wound but they all do it.
7 years later I just watched and appreciated...your cleaning method makes sense to me
And always wash your hands before and after playing folks... Great vid Randy!
Good point! Thanks Cesar for coming by! :)
@@RandySchartiger
I got naturally oily skin..would a tiny bit of petroleum thinner be a bad idea. I use D'Adddario coated strings. You gotta be from Tennessee .
Absolutely. I wash my hands frequently even when I'm not playing lol. I guess being a chemist has trained me to wash my hands a lot lol
I have been cleaning my strings after every playing session. I don't often use coated strings and have been using the "pinch" method on each string up and down the string once or twice. I can easily see that your method of doing them all at once would save a lot of time. I do use a microfiber cloth like you get to clean your glasses. It seems to do a good job. You are correct in that it does extend your string life considerably.
Exactly how I've done it for years with the addition of a quick wipe with Fast Fret afterwards on electric, acoustic and basses.
I sometimes spray a little bit of WD40 onto a cloth and wipe them very lightly with it, Fast Fret is good stuff also. Thanks for viewing mate!
I changed my strings for the first time 2 days ago, didn't even know I had to clean them. You probably just saved me quite a bit of money on strings
just make sure that your new strings aint coathed, like he says in the video it ruins the coating
As a noob I have to say this makes sense over wipe on cleaners that clean the tops of the strings only and miss the fret completely
I wash my hands before I play and I wipe down my strings, neck and body of the guitar as well, its amazing how much stuff (DNA) can accumulate after playing for an hour or so. Great video, learned a new way to wipe down the strings. Thank you Mr Randy, great tip and have a great evening:)
Very cool and your guitar will love you for it! :) Yeah it is amazing how fast DNA builds up especially on strings and fretboards, this way I wipe the strings sort of wipes the fretboard off at the same time. Thanks for having a look Suzanna you are always appreciated! Hope you're having a wonderful day as well! :)
I was noticing my stings were starting to sound a bit more muted and was wondering what the deal was. Dreading changing the strings since it’s a 12 string. This video helped a lot!
Thank you, Randy. I was looking specifically tor Elixir cleaning. Respects.
Thanks for sharing another good quick clip tip. I do something similar but will try it the way you just showed. I always wash my hands before playing and so mainly do it when I sweat. I’ll try to do it every time.
It's a good way of keeping them clean especially if you use coated or treated strings. Thanks for having a look Dale!
I used to do this pinching stuff. Just make sure you arent sliding too hard if you dont want to mess up the strings intonation specially on high E and B string.
Thanks for the "Quikcliptip" there Mr. R of THTNS! :) I really never thought about wiping the strings before, I will start taking better care of them now though. G-Day!
You're welcome my friend! I think you'll find your strings will last a lot longer before they start dieing out and losing tone. Thanks for watching Mike!
I use the clever old remedy of LIME & Salt to clean my fret board and strings really good! It does wonders Amigos! The lime takes away all the nasty gritty stuff and shines it up nice, and it doesn't take away the awesome "SLIDE" effect your fingers have during play action!
Aggressively, use the (cut in half) Lime like a scrubber going up & down the guitar strings/neck, squeezing the juice out to work it's miracle...BAAM!
DRY IT UP really good just like RANDY did in this video using a piece of cloth or towel...
Done deal y'all!🎸🔥🍺🍺🍺🚬
Side note: To take out those "White HEAT Stains" on wood surfaces (iron marks, dumb mistakes we make lol) Use Lemon & salt and it goes away for good! 👽👽👍
I'd never thought of that! I always just pinched each individual string the way you first demonstrated. But no matter what, there's only one way I've ever found to bring them back to life, and something I learned from Eddie van Halen, boil them. They will sound like brand new string's. Once they are dead, other than boiling them, I've never found a way to bring them back to life. I hate changing my guitar strings, so next set I buy will be those coated elixirs. I've never used them, actually never heard of them until a few days ago. So I think that will be my next route.
Good video. Thanks for sharing. Thumbs up. I always wipe them down. Some times I wipe under the strings like that. I will do it all the time now. I rarely played that many hours. Thanks for the tips.
I haven't been playing that many hours for several months now, I need to get back on it tho and get back into practice. Thanks for tuning in Tommy much appreciated!
Great video as ever Randy. I wipe my strings every time I play, and I swear by GHS Fast Fret. I've never seen it in spray form talked about by some people commenting here. We get it in stick form that you rub on the strings. Keep up the good work, and hi from England brother!
This guy is a legend
Thank you!! My strings were so dirty and I had no idea what to do
Hi Randy, great quick clip tips video about cleaning guitar strings! Have a wonderful Sunday, my dear friend :-) ☼
Thanks so much Jenny! Wishing you a wonderful Sunday! :)
Thanks for the useful tips!
Thanks a lot for the best cleaning guitar strings you teach
I recommend others to play with "old" strings. By old I mean old or dirty strings.
Yes, if your strings are rusted, corroded or dead then change them, if not then leave them alone. Every now and then a cleaning is cool, but not needed.
I have stings on guitars for years with no issues at all, yes some are dirty and get my fingers dirty after playing for over 30min, but other then that, they sound and feel amazing. I have strings on guitars that are probably older then some people reading this and they still play and sound just as expected, sure I can slide to the moon with new strings, but with these they still get me there, I just need a little more effort.
Don't get caught up with new or clean strings, yes brand new strings will let your fingers glide with ease, but that doesn't last long at all and you don't wanna change strings every week to get that feeling, because you never allow your strings to settle and actually give you a great tone.
TLDR, don't fall for the hype of new or clean strings, old strings are just as great if not better because they save you money. If you're used to playing brand new strings then that's what you like and if you're used to any strings on the guitar for over a month then you are used to "old" strings and should just leave them alone and play the fkn guitar mate. All these small things wrong with your guitar, but the only thing wrong is that you don't play enough, your guitar is fine and so are your strings
Great idea
Very good tip Brother! I use Elixers and very lightly wipe mine if its real humid and picking around outside. Other than that, I don't wipe em. That coating like you said will rub off the Elixers.
That's a good idea wiping them lightly if you do at all. I used Elixor's a long while and learned pretty quick that wiping them actually shortens their life.
great tip randy. I'm just getting into playing on a daily basis, and you have some really good tips on guitar maintenance.
Simple and brilliant, I started playing seriously again and the maintenance is a big deal. Bad strings effect your intonation and playability and
I'm finally good enough now that I can hear the difference and it frustrates me haha.
Great help, Randy, thanks a lot!!
Thanks man for the tip! Greetings from the Philippines!
Happy to help! thanks for checking out my videos!
Very good job on the strings, Randy.
Greetings from Italy, my dear friend :-)
Cristina
Thank you so much Cristina for stopping by! Hope you're having a wonderful day! :)
"I do! I do!" At least I wipe them off after I'm finished for the day. And I use Elixir polyweb strings (most times) but I've never really wiped each individual string.
But, OMG!!! Talk about the dumb hitting on something by accident! I do exactly what you've shown!!! I have a microfiber cloth & I will slide that under the strings between the fretboard & the strings, because I use Finger Ease on my strings & even tho' I protect the fret board when I'm spraying it on, after I play the guitar awhile I can see some of it on the fret board. Watching what you're doing tho', I see room for a *lot* of improvement on how I do mine...ha!
My strings get rust like crazy up by the nut tho' for some reason & I'm not sure what causes that...sweaty little fingers maybe.
Thanks for another terrific tip Randy!
~G~ ♪
I notice my strings rusting at the nut before they start to rust anywhere else, I'm not sure but I believe it's because they don't get wiped as good there because they are closest to the fretboard in that area and harder to get under and between, plus they usually are played more in that area. Thank you for tuning in Ginger always very much appreciated! :)
Aah, see? I didn't think of that...yeah, they are pretty low at that point.
And you're welcome...I try to tune in every single day...sometimes more than once depending on the topic. =}
I'm hooked! =D~G~ ♪
Gingerjake2
This is good! =D
Thank you I’ve been wondering if I had/how to clean them
Thank you.
thanks for the tip brother! young guitarist always happy to take some advice from the more experienced, plus got a good laugh from that surprise near the end.
lol I'll have to see what the surprise was, I put in so many easter eggs it's hard to remember lol thanks for watching!
That was really, really smart. Thanks!
Great idea.from now that's what I am doing.thanks brother.
You're welcome brother, yeah it does a good job this way and is quick. Thanks for viewing mate!
Yes I wipe the strings when finished playing. I spray the strings with fast fret then wipe. I used to do that same thing with pulling the rag under and just sort of fell out of the habit but thanks for the reminder. I really hate coated strings, they're overpriced and sound dead right from the start.
I couldn't agree more on coated strings, some people really like them and won't play on anything else but they feel so un-natural to me and they do tend to take something away from the sound, plus when I tru to do pull offs I can't do them loud enough, it's more like a slip off lol Thanks for watching Dane!
Randy Schartiger slip off, lol. That's my playing style anyway
Hammer time~ Tks bud you always thinking ;)
I can always relate
Great tip.👌🏽❤️💯
Bollocks! I've had the same strings on my main bass for 4 years! If it's good enough for Duck Dunn it's good enough for me! ;-)
That's some good mileage you're getting out of your strings, this will even add to an already good thang! :)
Cheers mate, got something coming up soon, could be bio hazard suit time!
tallthinkev
Coolness! I'll be watching! :)
Good tip brother! I'll give it a go! Rock on!
It definitely makes the strings last a lot longer and sound better longer too! Thanks for having a look brother!
Tip top quick clip tip as ever! Hey mate take care.
Thank you brother! Trying to stay cool in this heat wave we're having here!
good video Randy
Another great tip my friend!
Thank you mate for checking it out! :)
Neat. And no, I don't usually clean my strings. I do wipe the body and neck. But I'll do this from now on. :)
I wipe the body and neck too, I should have mentioned that in the video but forgot. I think you'll find you'll get a lot longer life out of the strings. Thanks for viewing! :)
I think I'm lucky, but using regular daddarios and wiping each time, I can make them last months and months. I have several guitars that have reached the year mark. I also wash my hands before playing, as Randy's asked you guys to always do, and it seems to make a huge difference. Everynow and then an alcohol rub just to be extra sure. Thx as always, Randy!
I forgot about using alcohol sometimes to clean them, I sometimes hit them with a little W40 too, sprayed onto the cloth and lightly rub them with it, especially non-coated or non-treated strings. It's pretty amazing just how much longer they can last if all of this stuff is done. Thanks for tuning in Bobby!
Thanks Randy,Tips are great,you only find it here.
Thank you George that is very much appreciated!
Your room gives me of a Thompson’es vibe !
Thanks
Thank you man for this video I really learned from it :D
thank you my friend for checking it out! :)
awesome video brother. really helpful.
thank you for checking it out Stuart!
Good video Randy🎸🎸🎸👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😊
Many thanks Steve! Hold on! :)
Is that a D18? That top on that one looks awesome. I like the deep yellow. Good vid as always Randy!
I would love to own a D18! This one is a custom Martin MMV, Martin only made 2000 or so of these guitars. The top has gotten a lot more yellow in just the past 2 or 4 years. Thanks for watching Adam!
Oh thank you!! Imma use your tip,,, hope it works^^
thanks for checking it out and commenting!
Hey brother. Great content BTW. I’ve been playing for 42 years, and I still haven’t come up with a way to cut the excess string and leave it where it doesn’t stick me. I use to file the end of the wound wound strings, but the unwound ones, are too small to make a difference. Any ideas?
Cheers!
I haven't came up with a way either and hate it when it happens! one of my Telecaster has a hole that runs down in the center of the peg, I determine how much string I need to wrap around the peg, clip it off and stick the end of the string down in that hole, they should put keys/pegs like that on every guitar because it works and there is no way to get stuck by them then. I guess if worse came to worse you could drill a tiny hole in the tip of each peg and make it work. thanks for watching my videos! cheers!
Hi there. I hope you are doing well. I just wanna ask a quick question. I play around 1-2 hours per day, I have an acoustic steel string with extra light strings. How often should someone change their strings, in my case? Or is it just a matter of listening to the tone it makes? Great video brother this helps a lot
Bruno
Playing that much per day you probably would notice your guitar losing sustain and clarity in a week if you play every day, depending on the type of strings you use (coated like Elixor and/or treated such as Martin MSP strings) this could vary from a week to three weeks or a month even. Best advice I can give you is listen to your guitar, and when it;s tones become less than you remember enjoying then it's probably time to change strings. Keep in mind this is a subtle change and probably by the time you notice it, it's way past time to change them. Thanks for watching my friend! Hope this helps.
Hey thanks man!
Good tip for bass players too - we get a lot of sweat and goo into the big windings on those bass strings which does dull the sound. thanks Randy.
..btw - time to shave? or at least trim the hedge?
Exactly! And this is a nice quick way of wiped them all pretty much at the same time. Not sure about the trimming, been thinking for about a week now whether to see how long it;ll get ot cutting it off, still not decided but leaning toward cutting off. Thanks for watching!
I haven't played out in 20 years so I never wiped my strings off anymore....but I still play! so I started wiping them off probably the last 5 years! It helps! ;-0....Da!!...sometimes common sense....isn't all that common! cheers beers & rears is way more easier to say than quick....ccc clip tips! lmao!!
I stopped playing for over 20 years and when I started back again in 2009 I never wiped my strings off, man I was going thru them fast, so started keeping them clean and get waay better mileage out of them now. I don't know why I didn't keep them wiped off when I first started back I must have forgot lol thanks for tuning in!
Ok what about the side of the strings that gets dirty too?
I was wondering if you have any advise for reinstalling/setting Under saddle integrated pickups by Takamine? Basically the pickup and saddle are all one unit. Horrible Idea and a pain in the A!!! Does sound pretty good though so I want to fix it. I noticed a crackling or almost a distortion noise recently when plugged in. Its defiantly the way they are seated because I've purchased new set and they still do the same thing. I've looked it over for loose braces ect, and all seems to be intact. Its driving me nuts Randy, Please tell me you have a tip for this. Its a G series with split saddle pickups. 4 tops and 2 bottoms.
Love the episodes, I've been clicking on the adds for you trying to do my part for your time.
Thanks.
Justin
Restore All LLC
Very good quick Clip Tips...and beyond!!good advice I do but dont know about Elixers! Apparently you are suppost to pluke the string and it fly's off!!Say hi to the bird dog !!!Cheeres
I was experimenting with wiping Elixors and it don't take very many wipes to burn thru the coating, a good pluck they say does the trick. Thanks for viewing brother cheers back atcha! Hold on! :D
Thanks for this one
You're welcome brother thank you for viewing.
You're welcome brother thank you for viewing.
Guitarists have called me crazy before but I've been telling people of my theory. Imagine if a string was flat as a ribbon. And you held one end tight into the pin or metal hole - gromet thingy on electrics. It will not spin freely. Then you take this flat ribbon and tie it up around a vertical pole (tuner) and keep winding. What you end up is a twisted ribbon that is now weaker. The more turns around the pole the more twists. If you can actually twist countering this direction when you hook the string into the tuner then it becomes flat again (the imaginary ribbon). Under tension it does matter to the material whether it is precompressed/twisted or relaxed and straight.
Some of those hexagonal strings that are meant to need less pressure to fret right don't even work if they are twisted. I did try what I preach and it feels better playing.
Try it on a garden hose, same thing, it is round but not for long :)
IN WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU TWIST STRINGS BEFORE PUTTING THEM ON TUNER PEGS?
should you put some cleaner on there? my problem is the guitar sits out and gets dusty... and i can't get rid of the dust...
I have that same problem, my guitars usually are out of the case more than they are in. I hardly ever use any cleaner, once in a while a little wd40 on the cloth helps, it dries pretty quick so it doesn't attract dust. thanks for viewing!
What I do is what you did just past 3 minute mark, putting cloth under strings n wrap it around top of strings n go full length of strings.
That's about the best way I've found to get them clean without rubbing off the coating. The treated Martin strings I use are not coated but if I wipe them too hard they become really hard to slide on, almost sticky!
Randy Schartiger Yeah, myself I've used a set of the Polywebs on 1 of my electrics for 20 months or so before I replaced them. wiped them but no other stuff put on nor did any of those pick scraping techniques n they lasted long time before the unwound strings started to go. Sometime I should get 2-3 more sets but for the moment I gotta bunch of the more standard type of strings to go through.
randy I need help.i have a old guitar and ive been trying everything you said but it did improve a bit but still sounds very dead. am I doing it wrong or do I just need new strings??!!
Blitz cloth
great job :)
Thanks my friend for viewing! :)
3:33 😂
I said it ten times and now I'm tongue tied, 🤓 here's an extra tip, don't go too far to where the string twists on itself on an electric as the cloth picks up fluff, I know cus I did it. No problem on an acoustic though. Cheers.
Good point thanks for adding it in the comments.
I get tongue tied trying to say it just once! lol Thanks again mate! :)
I’ve been having problems with sliding it hurts my fingers sometimes and I was wondering if it was because of the frets or the strings I use coated elixirs will it help if I clean my strings this way???
it's always good to wipe them off, maybe your action is too high. that will make fingers hurt a lot. thanks for watching!
Good job, kinda like Charmin for guitars! lol
lol never thought of that but yes! lol thanks Jerry!
go to 6:16 i dare you!
KnownBarkerT lol
What the fuck
Does it matter wat kind of cloth u use
not really, so long as it's clean. thanks for watching!
can you do the same for an electric
Yes it works well on electric guitars too.
Thanks
and every once in a while - put new strings on. It's like buying a new guitar. One that's already broken in.
6:18
Is that simple? I thought you were supposed to remove the strings to clean it lol
nice animal mounts
When you wipe a string it squeals like a pig!
My dog runs away when he sees the Fast Fret kit come out!
lol my dog does too, I thought it was the smell of fast fret but I think it's more the squealing like a pig that scares her.
Randy 😂😂😅😅😅😁😁😆😆😆😂😂😂