New treatment for strings

Jan Dunn · From: Union, NJ USA

As a total amateur, I must have a lot of balls giving out advice about the PSG but I did stumble on a product that seems to work really well(http://www.stringlife.com/). I happened to have polished my bar with simichrome at the same time and the combination makes my strings feel like velvet. Of course my playing sounds like corduroy but that's a story for another day. This stuff doesn't seem to leave any residue for the bar to accumulate. Have no idea how widely its available.

Wayne Cox · From: Chatham, Louisiana, USA * R.I.P.

This is not a joke. Simichrome is most often used for polishing end-plates,pedal-
racks,etc.,that is, amongst steel players.
For those who would like to try some, I
usually find it in motorcycle shops,and
occasionally at truck stops. Harley owners
usually like shiny chrome, so there is a
possible source of info for your area.
As far as using it on strings, I'm not
so sure of the wisdom therein, but it sure
is a good polish for most metals.
W.C.

Bob Knight · From: Bowling Green KY

I've been using Simichrome for over 30yrs. to polish the metal parts on steel guitars.
I WOULD NOT recommend putting it or anything else on strings.Wipe your strings often with a clean cloth(between songs

) and change your strings regularly.

Bob

[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 09 September 2002 at 08:47 AM.]

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

I've always just used a clean cloth to wipe my strings. The first time I saw Buddy Emmons back in the 70's, he loosened his wound strings, snapped them a few times, then tuned them back up. He said it forces the dirt out from between the windings and makes them sound good longer.

This year at the ISGC I bought a Blitz cloth, designed to clean copper, from Paul Franklin Sr. I forget who he said Paul Jr. got the idea from, but it's supposedly the holy grail for cleaning strings and removing tarnish.

John Hawkins · From: Onalaska, Tx. on Lake Livingston * R.I.P.

Jim ,
I sure hope you have better luck with the Blitz than I did ! It deadened every string I had !!! I found it good in the Army to polish your brass but I will never try it again on steel guitar strings .

Just my personal experience -- you might have a different result . I would suggest trying it on just one or two strings and not all of them on both necks at one time like I did .It caused me an immediate 20 string change of practically new strings on both necks!!!! All dead as a hammer !!!

John

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

Thanks for the heads up John, I shall proceed with caution. Does anyone else have any Blitz stories?

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I use Blitz cloth on my strings. Its really great for those hot humid gigs. I just rub my strings down after I put them on to get the manufacturer crud off and then wipe them down when they start to feel like wires. Some guys only wipe down the plain strings.

I keep a blitz cloth around all the time. It comes in very handy.

Bob

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

I've used the Blitz cloth for years but it's not that easy to find. I used to get them for about a buck. They don't last that long but are great to bring back the life of strings.

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

Paul Sr. was selling the cloths for $4. According to him, they don't wear out, even when completely black with crud, they still work.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Blitz cloth is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I use one every day for a couple of months then usually throw it away. They cost about $3.50 and we have a local Army/Navy store that always has them. Been using them almost 30 years for guitar, Dobro, and steel.

I usually wipe off each string individually with the cleanest section of the cloth I can find, then follow with a clean cloth like an undershirt. Strings last 2x-3x as long. Never made my strings sound dead (unless they WERE dead -- it won't revive totally dead strings but can even make rusty ones almost playable by removing most of the rust and lubricating the surface slightly). ONE WARNING: once the cloth gets old it tends to leave behind little bits of itself, wrapped around the strings -- just little balls of fluff. Be sure to pick those off the string or it WILL sound dead. Then get a new cloth and use it until it starts to break down. I have used some cloths more than a year and they still work.

Another tip: Once they have gotten totally black, use them to polish your pedalbar and endplates -- or any other polished metal parts. Less abrasive than Simichrome -- really adds that last touch of shine to aluminum.

------------------
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I use a product called Fast Fret on my strings. There is a applicator that you rub on the strings and then a cloth to use afterwards. It removes the crud from the strings and then applies some kind of stuff to smooth up the strings. I can even tell it on my bar after I play a while, it also slides over the strings better. If I drag out an old steel I haven't fooled with in years, I've even used Brasso on the strings to give them some life.
Erv

[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 09 September 2002 at 07:15 AM.]

Steve Stallings · From: Houston/Cypress, Texas

Yo folks! Read the mans post again. He is NOT advocating the use of simichrome on strings. He is telling you about a product called "Stringlife". If you go to the webpage he posted, you can read about it. It does sound kind of interesting.
http://www.stringlife.com

Jan Dunn · From: Union, NJ USA

just for clarification, I never thought of using simichrome on my strings. I was referring to StringLife as the product that made my strings and bar movement silky smooth. Their website describes it in detail.

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

The Oakland Raiders do a lot of "Blitzing" when they really want to get in and get that quaterback; but they don't shine every time.

Oh,___anyone happen to know what's in Stringlife?

It seems that after cleaning everything off the strings with a Blitz cloth, that it would be a good idea to clean off what the Blitz left with alcohol;___but I don't know what alcohol will do to the strings either.

Rick

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

I knew a guitar player that had two sets of strings. Every night he removed one set and put them in a jar of alcohol, and put on the other set. He said his strings were several years old. I didn't care for his tone so I can't really say if his method worked or not.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

It sounds like he's trying to pickle his strings. I've heard of guitar players getting pickled, but never the strings!

Uff'Da!

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Rick,
What the Blitz cloth leaves behind is a PROTECTIVE COATING, but it does have what must be chemically a reducing agent that removes oxidation. I have never seen any sign of buildup or nasty, tarry stuff on the strings. As the cloth gets older and dirtier, the residue also becomes dark and can get on your fingers, but I've never seen any sign of the ingredient(s) causing any degradation of the string.

StringLife is a coating (a fluoropolymer) that gets between the metal and the corrosive chemicals on the skin and in sweat (like salt) that will corrode untreated strings. A very accomplished acoustic guitarist friend used to use coconut oil on new strings for the same purpose. Problem is that the oil is actually a solid at room temperature so he had to play for a minute or two to warm up the oil -- after that they sounded great and seemed to make expensive bronze strings last a bit longer. The StringLife works on the same principle.

Bottom line: some people have sweat that's more corrosive than others. It's probably most important for them to use something to prevent the sweat from contacting the strings. Most people will do fine by ensuring the strings are cleaned after each use. I prefer to use a Blitz Cloth, but an old diaper or undershirt will work just fine. What a Blitz can do that neither the StringLife or just cleaning with a cloth can do is REMOVE TARNISH AND CORROSION. If you forget to wipe down your strings it can give you a reprieve.

My take on it, FWIW

------------------
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro

Rob Hamilton · From: Acton, MA, USA

I used to work with a bass player who would occasionally boil his bass strings in a pan of hot water. The idea was to remove hand oil and dirt. It really would bring the bass strings back to life, at least for a while. He was a big fan of a very trebly bass with lots of harmonic overtones. But dealing with four bass strings is not quite the same as 10 or 20 guitar strings.

jim milewski · From: stowe, vermont

jim smith, I put the alcohol in me, that helped the strings sound better, hic

jim milewski · From: stowe, vermont

try this for quick cleaning of strings, lay about 4 sheets thick of newspaper between strings and pickup and fretboard, (entire length of string) get a clean small rag or gauze pad and saturate it with brake drum cleaner (CRC etc.) and wipe your strings really good, especialy the wound ones, takes 2 minutes max, really gets the oil out of the windings,YOU WILL HEAR THE HIGHS AND THE BRIGHTNESS RETURN, don't get the stuff on the guitar, it's strong stuff, thats why it works, I did order the Stringlife though, any ideas on keeping finger picks on?

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Blitz Cloth.

Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

This stinglife is the same type of stuff they use on Elixir strings. Its a poly coating that protects the strings from body oils. I tried some of the Elixir stings on my Martin and they do keep more of the high ringing sound longer on the low strings but they also seem to deaden the bass response. I dont know how it would sound on a steel, but I didn't like them on my acoustic.

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Maybe we could eliminate all of this, if we would wipe down the bar and picks with alcohol before touching them to the strings and learn to play wearing surgical gloves.

Maybe not, if we begin to look too much like the medical profession we might get sued for "malpractice"

Rick

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