jonhy_greenwood Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hi! I wish to know yours opinions about cleaning the strings and ferrules with alcohol after every sesion of practice. My guitar is a Gibson Les Paul Clasic Standart Satin Ebony Chrome Hardware: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 Hey Johnny,, I think a lot depends on how dry or oily your hands are. My hands are pretty dry, but I know a few people that will kill a set of strings in a few hours tho.. so depends on the player mostly. I just use a dry cloth, and maybe once every two months, I'll use some alcohol. (keep in mind, I have a bunch of guitars I play all the time, so strings for me just last a long time anyway, I keep my guitars cased when not playing, and that makes a difference in string life too.) Personally I'd say not to over do it w/the alcohol, over time it's going to dry out areas of your fretboard where it rubs off on to the wood and of course you don't want anything to start to break down any of the glue the frets are secured with. While alcohol does evaporate quickly, I think using it daily may be over kill. Maybe once a week or so, if you have a tendency to have an oily skin issue, and don't use water unless you like rust! Maybe one option would be to look at a String Cleaner product.. probably the "safest" option all around for you. Check the reviews on the MF web site if you get chance, some were not happy with it but it may work for you, They're around 10 bucks, so not a major expense. http://www.thestringcleaner.com/ http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/tonegear-the-string-cleaner-cleaning-tool?src=3WWRWXGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtim Posted December 16, 2012 Share Posted December 16, 2012 I would never use alcohol on a guitar of mine. If it is becomming a problem I would suggest one of the new string cleaners by ernie ball. They come individually wrapped and are made for guitar strings. I would be afraid of damaging a finish if there would be a mishap as I have seen alcohol on finished wood when it gets spilled on it and it leaves a very nasty scar. Good luck, Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Pete Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I would not use alcohol, it can damaged the nitro finish. I have been using body powder on my hands and fretboards for over 20 years. It keeps the strings and board clean, shiny and dry. Gunk never gets a chance to build up. VP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustache Guitar Repairs Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I wouldn't use alcohol on guitars, if you do it too often the guitar will become dependent on it and can start getting really lazy and borrow money from you that you'll never get back. These guys are right that it could ruin the finish and will dry out the fretboard which are both no good. If you want to keep your strings lasting longer just wash your hands before you play each time, and keep the guitar in its case when not being played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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