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Acidic hands......what to do about this problem.


jlrush

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I was reading in biguglyman's post about strings where davio commented on his problem with acidic hands and how fast they wore out his strings. I know a kid with this problem and it not only wears his strings out fast but his frets look corroded after a short period of time too.

So I'm wondering, is there anything that can be done about this problem? Frequent hand washing? Lotions? I'd like to give this kid some sort of advice.

Thanks.

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Try spraying "Finger Ease" on a rag and rubbing it on the strings. Give them a thorough coat. It'll put a mositure barrier between those acidic fingers and the strings. As to the frets, it's always good to wipe the entire instrument with a soft, dry rag when you're done playing.
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Try wiping down the neck after each set. Probably avoid nickel wound strings and use stainless or coated strings.

My hands can get kind of sweatty, mostly in the summer. I can at times kill strings pretty quickly. these are some of the things I'm trying to do to get some longevity out of my strings.

Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it.

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I agree OldTuna. Don't know if this teenager will go through all that trouble though. Is Finger Ease flammable? Flammable solvents saturated on a rag can self combust. I haven't used Finger Ease in so long I've forgotten.

Visit my band's new web site.

 

www.themojoroots.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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"Finger Ease" is a silicone product so, I'm not sure about any fire issues. One important note about that stuff, though....since it is silicone based, don't get any on the finish or the fretboard. That's why I suggest using a rag to coat the strings and only the strings. Silicone can play havoc with guitar finishes but it can help those strings to last longer. The fret corrosion will probably disappear if he wipes the guitar down after each use.
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"Finger Ease" is a silicone product so, I'm not sure about any fire issues. One important note about that stuff, though....since it is silicone based, don't get any on the finish or the fretboard. That's why I suggest using a rag to coat the strings and only the strings. Silicone can play havoc with guitar finishes but it can help those strings to last longer. The fret corrosion will probably disappear if he wipes the guitar down after each use.

Cool. When I used the stuff a long time ago I used to spray it right on the strings. Of course some of it always got on the neck. One day someone told me what you just did and I started using the Fast Fret instead. Thanks.

Visit my band's new web site.

 

www.themojoroots.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Do these products actually work? I've seen finger ease and some other ones for years, and people I've seen using them have also spent a long time without using them, so it made me think it would probably not make a big difference...

 

Besides, I watched yesterday the "Principles of Bass" video of Jeff Berlin, and he talks pretty bad (as in "telling the dirty truth") about certain things as those "finger strengthening devices" and rock schools and such, I wouldn't wonder if he got asked maybe he'd say the same about these kind of products...

 

So, anybody with experience... rather, with LONG experience with-and-without these products... Are those really worth a try?

 

TIA!

 

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Yep! Elixirs for one. Salts from the sweat won't clog the wrap. I like them except my local MI store no longer carry the extra B string. I'm bummed. However I'm using HiBeams now and I sort of like them but I'm still testing.

Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it.

http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband

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Coated strings may help the strings last longer.

He has to get in the habit of wiping the fingerboard very often.

 

I wonder what it would be like to play wearing medical gloves.

(I just spent the weekend taking lifesaving, first aid and cpr and was putting on and taking off gloves constantly.)

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Honestly, (short of changing diet...I ate a LOT of fast food back when I was changing strings every week) wiping the bass down frequently is the best thing I've found so far. I usually try to polish my frets at least every other time I change strings. The pickguard screw heads are all rusted.

 

I should try to eat healthy for a while to see if it makes a difference. I don't know if my will power is strong enough for something like that though. ;)

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I wonder what it would be like to play wearing medical gloves.

(I just spent the weekend taking lifesaving, first aid and cpr and was putting on and taking off gloves constantly.)

 

Believe it or not I have tried this--when I was in college as a bio/chem double major I was always having to bring my Jazz Bass to the lab because I didn't have a locker and didn't want to store it in the music building (the reason I had it was for my jazz band/pep band scholarship). One day the professor for Organic II Lab asked me to demonstrate some walking bass--I was the assistant teacher, not a student at that point, and we were all in the middle of an hour-long reflux reaction. I forgot to take off my nitrile gloves because after a certain point you just get used to them, and just went to playing. I quickly remembered that I was wearing them because every string I plucked caught the glove material on the string and got the glove stuck! It's no way to play bass. I looked like a huge dork, but that's what being assistant lab teacher is all about.

 

Actually there are a lot of chemicals that people wear gloves to protect themselves from, that would damage a finish on a bass.

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Diet is a great suggestion picker. I will suggest all the things that everyone has mentioned, that he wipe the fretboard often, and use a product to coat the strings. I'll also suggest coated strings or flatwound stainless.

I sorta feel a little responsible since this is the kid whose parents want me to help them find him a bass and amp. They are long time friends from church.

Juancarlin, the Fast Fret and Fingerease help to lubricate the strings and your hands for those times when you need a little mojo to get going. I usually only use the Fast Fret when my hands are extra dry or rough. It cuts down on string noise from roundwounds too.

Thanks for the help guys. :thu:

Visit my band's new web site.

 

www.themojoroots.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Juancarlin, the Fast Fret and Fingerease help to lubricate the strings and your hands for those times when you need a little mojo to get going. I usually only use the Fast Fret when my hands are extra dry or rough. It cuts down on string noise from roundwounds too.

I took a tip from Rocco several year back when I bought his instructional VHS (haven't typed those letters in a while)...hand lotion.

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This is definitely about body chemistry, and diet is a big factor there. I think stainless steel strings would definitely help things. They're more resilient than nickel. But I think also wiping the strings and fingerboard down after playing will help, too. Another thing that could help? Keep some kind of a rag or towel nearby for wiping your hands off between songs.

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