Finger-Ease, Talcum Powder, or...

[Anderton]

The main reason I'm asking is for dealing with acoustic guitar squeaks, but sometimes I run into this problem with electrics as well.

 

So...what does this forum's collective wisdom say on this matter?

[Winston Psmith]

I have some vague, not especially pleasant memories of Finger Ease from long ago, like early 1970's? The phrase "Greasy Kid's Stuff . . ." comes to mind.

 

I try not to put anything on my fretboards except a good lemon oil conditioner, not those myriad petroleum-based "lemon oils." For finger noise, especially on my Hex PU-equipped Guitars, I use flat wounds.

[desertbluesman]

I just wash my hands before playing each session, and since I was a bricklayer by trade, most of my fingerprints are gone, and my fingers are all smooth.

[Larryz]

@Anderton, I'm not a fan of Finger Ease and definitely not a fan of talcom powder.  My last use of Finger Ease was to spray it on a cloth and wipe the surrace of the strings and metal parts after playing each time to keep my acid hands from wearing them (especially gold plated pups, tuners, bridges, etc.).  I found a better product called Music Nomad Premium String Care Kit.  One swipe up and down the strings and comes with a wipe of rag that I use to wipe of metal parts.  It doesn't stop string squeak but neither does Finger Ease and talcom powder...

 

Elixir Nanoweb and Polyweb strings will reduce string squeak a little.  Flatwound strings will reduce all string squeak but they are stiff and dull the sound IMHO.  Magma Flats strings made in Argentina will remove all string squeak both on electric and acoustic.  They are just like flat wounds but sound much brighter.  They use a different polishing process winding hex cores with round wounds and then polish them down to flat.  I find them a little to stiff and not as easy to bend just like regular flatwounds.  Regular flatswound are usually stainless steel and can cause a little fret wear if bending a lot.

 

I have decided to use @Caevan O’Shite's, recommended DR Pure Blues strings with an unwound 3rd string and I'm experimenting with DR Sunbeams and/or Veritas acoustic strings.  Yes, I have to put up with a little squeak but I like the bright sound along with round wound on round cores instead of hex cores which reduce tension and make stings more comforable and easier bends.  You can reduce string squeak by lifting and moving your fretting hand to avoid sliding when it's not needed...just a few thoughts.  I mostly play for myself now days and can put up with a little squeak in order to have brighter for longer strings with less tension.  Have fun with it!  😎

 

[KuruPrionz]

If one plays the same guitar at least once a day, your natural oils on your fingers will keep it easy to play. If the strings get kind of "sticky", clean them with 99% denatured alcohol (Kroger stores carry in the medical supplies, right next to 70% rubbing alcohol). Then, rub the tips of your fingers on your nose and inside your ears and you will have a small amount of natural lubricant to slick them back up a bit. 

 

I don't like talcum powder or Finger-Ease at all. Ugh. 

[surfergirl]

I just wipe my strings down with a microfiber cloth every time I play. I clean my fretboard with MusicNomad F-One oil. Right now I'm auditioning a set D'addario NYXL's and haven't had any problems with string squeak. They're a little expensive for me, but I really like them.

[KuruPrionz]

9 minutes ago, surfergirl said:

I just wipe my strings down with a microfiber cloth every time I play. I clean my fretboard with MusicNomad F-One oil. Right now I'm auditioning a set D'addario NYXL's and haven't had any problems with string squeak. They're a little expensive for me, but I really like them.

Those are good strings and they will last a long time. Be sure to join Players Circle and start sending them the code on the plastic bag the strings came in. 

Eventually you'll be able to get some cool stuff with Players Points!

[Scott Fraser]

Long ago I read that Robbie Basho would rub his fingers on the bridge of his nose before going on stage. That has worked fine for me for the last 40 or more years. After seeing Jeff Beck dip his hands in talc I tried that. Didn't really do anything for me.

[Anderton]

So basically...no magic bullet, except use different strings, and maybe take advantage of natural body secretions

[Caevan O’Shite]

9 hours ago, Anderton said:

So basically...no magic bullet, except use different strings, and maybe take advantage of natural body secretions

Years ago, I spent a LOT of time playing flat-top acoustic, with heavy .014" - .059" strings. I paid attention to where, when and how I made such squeaks, and did my best to alleviate them just a little by subtly adjusting the pressure of my fingers pressing down against the strings as I moved from position to position.

I also embraced some squeaking as being part of the sound of guitar- a sort of an occasional rhythmic accent. Sometimes I deliberately tried to make them. Ever listen to Bobby "Blue" Bland? The odd little snorty noises he'd sometimes make between phrases as he sang?

As for sprays and powders other than cleaning with a clean dry 100% all-cotton cloth- always a hard no.

[CEB]

I use talc for open air gigs to combat serious stickiness from hot humid situations.  But there is nothing I do for string squeak in acoustic recording.  I never did much of that.  My calls were usually to play keys, electric guitars or maybe steel.   When I did record acoustic stuff I was usually just  laying down light rhythm parts on  Nashville tuning or I was playing nylon string parts.  I was educated as a classical guitarist in college.   Maybe it is the string sets, but squeaks were never a huge problem. 

 

I have a Martin at home I play around on.  It squeaks and isn't the easiest action to play on either. But it sounds good.

[o0Ampy0o]

A different solution:

 

 

[desertbluesman]

I wash my hands very thoroughly before I play guitar. That does the trick for me.

[KuruPrionz]

10 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

A different solution:

 

 

This does sound good, if you are a keyboard player. It is more or less a "one trick pony".

If you are a guitarist then you will notice limitations. A guitarist can play harmonics using either the left or the right hand, depending on what is needed. Guitarists can stretch a single string in a double or triple stop run, and/or add vibrato or pitch shift to one string when multiple notes are playing. Guitarists can subtly or grossly mute one or more strings, or strike a muted string and lift the hand so the string can sustain.

Yes, some keyboards can create pitch shifting or vibrato but typically not both simultaneously and instant changes from pitch shifting (stretching or un-stretching strings) with or without vibrato while popping harmonics is not easy if even possible. Having one's hand on the actual tone generator instead of pushing a button and/or tweaking a knob is a different way of playing that keyboards can only emulate up to a point. 

[o0Ampy0o]

10 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

This does sound good, if you are a keyboard player. It is more or less a "one trick pony".

If you are a guitarist then you will notice limitations. A guitarist can play harmonics using either the left or the right hand, depending on what is needed. Guitarists can stretch a single string in a double or triple stop run, and/or add vibrato or pitch shift to one string when multiple notes are playing. Guitarists can subtly or grossly mute one or more strings, or strike a muted string and lift the hand so the string can sustain.

Yes, some keyboards can create pitch shifting or vibrato but typically not both simultaneously and instant changes from pitch shifting (stretching or un-stretching strings) with or without vibrato while popping harmonics is not easy if even possible. Having one's hand on the actual tone generator instead of pushing a button and/or tweaking a knob is a different way of playing that keyboards can only emulate up to a point. 

 

Sometimes having a guitarist is more important than having the greatest guitarist. By the same token, using a plug-in with limitations doesn't necessarily matter.

[KuruPrionz]

We will agree to disagree, bearing in mind that at 68 years old, I've been playing guitar for 55 years, both acoustic and electric guitars, 12 strings, bottleneck, basses, ukulele, etc. 

I mention a few things in my post above that a plugin may or may not be able to do but the real issue is the ability to spontaneously and briefly use a variety of techniques to create tension and release in the music. I'll add to that list now. 

One can use a thin pick, a medium pick, a heavy pick or fingers and those will all sound different. Sometimes I use a pick and fingers just for the tonal differences. Which pick I use is based on the tones I want for that piece. Thin picks and heavy picks sound very different. 

Picking on the string up near the neck sounds very different than playing down by the bridge. 

Holding the pick so fingers are close to the tip of the pick allows one to "pop" harmonics at will if you pick in the correct location. Pick strikes the string and finger "pops" the harmonics. ZZ Top records will have lots of that but they were not the only ones who use that technique. 

Regarding fingers, playing downstrokes with the thumb and upstrokes with the fingers sounds different than playing upstrokes with the thumb and downstrokes with the fingers and those techniques are used to create different sounds and styles, that is at least two different sounds. 

One can fret a note and then pluck it, one can do a hammer on and/or a pull off, that's three different sounds. 

The hand that is used for picking can also be used for fretting with hammer-ons and pull offs and often fingers on both hands are used to fret the strings. More sounds. 

This is to say nothing of the ability to play every and any frequency by simply stretching the string. The layout of the guitar is close to the European tempered scale but the music played on the guitar is often not as close to the tempered scale - blues, Middle Eastern and Indian music all have inflections that are not on the tempered scale and are part and parcel of a melody or chord. 

Using all of those techniques fluidly and with purpose can make the difference between a relatively mundane sounding melody or strum and something that keeps people's attention with the variations. 

[o0Ampy0o]

3 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

...the real issue is....

 

...squeaking strings.

 

 

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

6 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

 

...squeaking strings.

 

 

 

 

Or more to the point, poor technique. One can lift one's fingers, move to the new position and place fingers accordingly. 

Sliding your fingers on the strings is easily avoided. 

[o0Ampy0o]

3 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

Or more to the point, poor technique. One can lift one's fingers, move to the new position and place fingers accordingly. 

Sliding your fingers on the strings is easily avoided. 

 

Sliding up or down the fretboard is considered a desirable technique, especially tasty in the blues, making you limited if you don't do it.

[desertbluesman]

14 minutes ago, o0Ampy0o said:

 

Sliding up or down the fretboard is considered a desirable technique, especially tasty in the blues, making you limited if you don't do it.

Yep it makes the lick sound more human to have those bends and slides. I use slides and band quite a lot, never lifting my fingers off the strings unless I am doing full chords on the clean channel.

[KuruPrionz]

4 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

 

Sliding up or down the fretboard is considered a desirable technique, especially tasty in the blues, making you limited if you don't do it.

I slide on the unwound strings all the time. I do slide on the wrapped strings still sometimes, habits are difficult to change. I'm using light gauge strings - .010 to .47 on acoustic guitar. 

I can pull 2 steps from anywhere on the neck if I need to. If I do that with my first finger then I can reach up higher and fret again without sliding my hand on the lower strings. 

The wound third doesn't make much of a "slide" tone at all so I don't worry about it either. Squeaks are never in correct pitch and undesirable, especially obnoxious in the blues, making your sound unpleasant if you do it. 

You can do whatever you like. I will do what I like. How's that?

 

[p90jr]

On 12/27/2023 at 8:00 AM, desertbluesman said:

I just wash my hands before playing each session, and since I was a bricklayer by trade, most of my fingerprints are gone, and my fingers are all smooth.

I'm glad you have good moral character and never decided on a hobby of crime!

[p90jr]

On 12/27/2023 at 9:02 PM, Scott Fraser said:

Long ago I read that Robbie Basho would rub his fingers on the bridge of his nose before going on stage. That has worked fine for me for the last 40 or more years. After seeing Jeff Beck dip his hands in talc I tried that. Didn't really do anything for me.

This is also an old bass player thing for the picking hand, too... I used to steal a bit of the horn players' valve grease and dab it by my bridge so I could get some on my fingers when needed during long gigs with a jazz band, but an older bassist saw me once and said "you just use the oil from the skin on your nose, my man..."

[p90jr]

A guy I play with a bit at the moment... he has a couple of Teles with maple necks... he sprays the strings with WD40 before he plays... the first time I saw him do that I must've had a horrific look on my face because he laughed and said "works for me... what do you use?" and I showed him I was wiping my strings with Ernie Ball string wipes to clean and lubricate them right before we play. But also in about a year and a ha;f of playing gigs with him he asked how often I've changed strings... and the answer is "0," except for breaking a couple of high E strings and a B on the B-bender Tele. "I go through strings like crazy!!!" I don't know if spraying industrial lubricant on them might be a reason...

[Larryz]

I use a product by Music Nomad called the Premium String Care Kit.  It comes with an apllicater and a wipe off rag and a little bottle of String Fuel Refill.  You just glide the applicator up and down once and wipe off.  Super fast and easy.  The rag stores inside the applicator which has a felt that holds the refill oil.  When it gets too dry, you just put a few drops from the refill bottle (which can be ordered seperately).  After a few times wiping with the rag there is enough left on it to wipe off metal parts like the bridge, pickups and tuners.  Any metal that comes in contact with my acidic hands gets a little wipe.  I do this each time I put the guitar back in the case and it's always ready to go when I pick it up and start playing it again.  Music Nomad makes some great products IMHO!  😎