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Topic: when you get down and low and start fiddlin' with your... |
J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 11 Oct 2021 5:49 am |
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A couple of weeks ago, just before a trip abroad, I just slowly walked right into "it" again.
It all started to just fall apart, I couldn't seem to be able to dial in my amp (which, mind you, usually stays on ONE setting "et voilá"), my picks felt wrong, my fingers lousy... MY GUITAR GARBAGE... tone, intonation... ALL GONE!
I left for Colombia for 3 weeks with a practice board "under my arm" and just kept wondering if I had lost "it" or just am gettin' too old for this crap or just my ears were growing three fungus or my brain going a bit too mushy on mad cow's desease... SOMETHING...
I came back a few days ago and put the practice board next to my PSG and couldn't help but notice that the wound strings on the PSG just looked DEAD like made of pewter. Well sure, DEAD they were.
I don't know how many times this has happened to me to the point I'd get depressed. And here I was, walked right into it again... forgot to remember...
When you get down and low and start fiddlin' with your... settings and doubting your instrument... CHANGE yer darn strings! (on C6th, at least the wound ones!)
We all seem to HATE the exercise, but once it's done, it's like night and day; "Buddy Emmons and Jerry Byrd, step aside 'cause here comes "ToneMonsta" again!"... well, in my dreams, but still... it IS like night and day!
The problem with string aging... it sneaks up on us slowly, like a snake on a prowl...
and unlike their slinky plain cousins they don't take care of themselves and just just take the "ejection seat".
... J-D.
_________________
__________________________________________________________
Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it. |
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Chris Templeton
From:
The Green Mountain State
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Posted 11 Oct 2021 2:15 pm
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I'm curious how coated strings, like Elixers, would sound on a steel. Minimal friction and last longer.
I have them on my electric guitar and they feel and sound great.
_________________
Excel 3/4 Pedal With An 8 String Hawaiian Neck, Sierra Tapper (10 string with a raised fretboard to fret with fingers), Single neck Fessenden 3/5
"The Tapper" : https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.com/album/the-tapper
Soundcloud Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/bluespruce8: |
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J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 11 Oct 2021 2:39 pm
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| Chris Templeton wrote: |
I'm curious how coated strings, like Elixers, would sound on a steel. Minimal friction and last longer.
I have them on my electric guitar and they feel and sound great.
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I remember "black" strings and also "Gold" plated strings come and go decades ago.
The matter of the fact is, fingers are a "wee bit" softer on guitar strings than our good ol' steel "finger".
I would theorize that most of us want as clear and lively wound strings as possible.
Some may prefer softer or warmer (less shrill thin plain strings.
Stainless seems a bit more "sparklier" than nickel plated... for a while, but they also have considerably more drag on the bar and really seems to eat up my "black" or "red" and now even "white" bars. I just restrung in nickel plated and think I might settle with that, for now.
J-D.
_________________
__________________________________________________________
Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 11 Oct 2021 3:24 pm
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One of the best skills a musician can possess is knowing when it's you and when it's the instrument.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2021 7:23 pm
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I have used stainless steel strings over 20 years. One thing I have learned with stainless steel strings is, Grab the wound strings by the core wire and wrap some 0000 steel wool around the string winding and pull toward the ball end, Wrap and pull the steel wool about 4 times. This smooths the stainless steel winding surface, This allows the bar to slide a lot smoother on stainless steel strings.
I would be a afraid to use coated strings on a steel, The bar wear could go through the coating and it may start to flaking loose from the string. Would the coating split where the strings bends over the changer finger. Just something that would need approved or disproven. |
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J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 12 Oct 2021 5:15 am
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| Bobby D. Jones wrote: |
| I have used stainless steel strings over 20 years. One thing I have learned with stainless steel strings is, Grab the wound strings by the core wire and wrap some 0000 steel wool around the string winding and pull toward the ball end, Wrap and pull the steel wool about 4 times. This smooths the stainless steel winding surface, This allows the bar to slide a lot smoother on stainless steel strings. ... . |
That seems like a great idea!... J-D
_________________
__________________________________________________________
Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 12 Oct 2021 5:22 am
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Wound strings can be cleaned by boiling them in vinegar (which is not the same as saying that they should be).
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Justin Emmert
From:
Greensboro, NC
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Posted 12 Oct 2021 6:27 am
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| If Elixir made steel guitar strings, I would readily buy them. I’m a big fan for both bass and guitar. |
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Benjamin Davidson
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Posted 12 Oct 2021 7:04 am
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On the side topic of Elixir stings on steel, I've run both the Optiwebs and Nanowebs on my Justice. Purchased as singles in bulk packs, so not the most economical steel strings out there.
Two things about coated strings on steel. 1) The bar will rapidly wear a track across the top of these strings coating, 2) You'll see similar coating wear pretty quickly on the picking area as well.
Of the various sets I've used, I like the Nanoweb Elixiers. Is it worth the cost compared to competitors sets, I doubt it. But I run a non-traditional set of gauges, so I'm stuck buying singles anyway.
_________________
Justice Pro-Lite (9p9k) 10 String D13th Universal Tuning |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 12 Oct 2021 9:16 am
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I really dislike changing strings on my guitars.
I really like fresh strings on my guitars.
_________________
Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
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Tommy Mc
From:
Middlesex VT
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Posted 12 Oct 2021 9:20 am
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FWIW, here's my take on Elixer strings. There are multiple reasons that strings degrade over time. (metal fatigue, fret/bar wear, stretching, corrosion, etc) Elixer (and other coated strings) only address one of those causes: corrosion. In many cases, if the strings see frequent use, they'll die of other causes before corrosion becomes a factor. IMO, Elixers are best suited for instruments that are played less frequently. For instance, I use them on my 6-string travel guitar.
With the risk of wearing through the coating, and considering the other factors that cause pedal steel strings to degrade, I don't see any advantage to using Elixers on steel. |
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Al Evans
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 13 Oct 2021 5:24 am
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| Lee Baucum wrote: |
I really dislike changing strings on my guitars.
I really like fresh strings on my guitars.
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I agree with this, except I'd change "really dislike" to "positively detest".
Meanwhile, though, I'll just drop this here, though it may be somewhat off topic. My friend John Holbrook back in 2004 put these words to a song you'll easily recognize...
Come pickers and strummers wherever you are
And heed what I'm saying about your guitar
If its tone and sustain are just not up to par
and your songs seem to need rearranging
Then it's time to get busy and take care of things
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
There's no indicators to tell you they're shot
You'll just start to notice they don't sound so hot
And you just can't decide: Should you change 'em or not?
So you keep on procrastinating........
Your Martin will sound like it's stuffed full of socks
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
The wound strings get grungy, the plain ones will rust
And if you change tunings a lot, they will bust
And they'll drop out of tune, so you'll have to adjust
and their tone starts to suck as they're aging
So get out your pin puller, and your wire cutters, too
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
There's Martins, D'Addarios, your choices are wide,
EXP's and Elixirs with coatings outside
There's so many choices waiting to be tried
You could wear out your tuners exchanging
So it's off with the old ones, and on with the new
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
When your new strings are on and tuned up to pitch
You'll enjoy the new sound that's so full and so rich
And you'll quickly forget that the job was a bitch
And that poked finger that's still a-bleeding
Keep your tuner nearby, 'cause they'll stretch for a while
Cause your strings, they just got a-changing.
(C) 2004 by John Holbrook
I think it ends up taking me one day per neck, because I've got to go in with Q-tips and get everything sparkly clean. A personal obsession, I guess.
--Al Evans
_________________
2018 MSA Legend, 2018 ZumSteel Encore, 2015 Mullen G2, G&L S-500, G&L ASAT, G&L LB-100, Godin A4 Fretless, Kinscherff High Noon |
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Dale Rivard
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 13 Oct 2021 6:42 am
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| I didn't read all of the replies and someone may have suggested this but something I do when I don't have time to change strings: Loosen the wound strings a little and pull them up like you're stretching them, then let them go slapping them against the fretboard. Gets some of the gunk out between the windings and brings some of the life back. It's not like putting on new strings and of course, only works on the wound strings but it will help bring back a little clarity and sustain. |
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J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 13 Oct 2021 7:48 am
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| Dale Rivard wrote: |
| I didn't read all of the replies and someone may have suggested this but something I do when I don't have time to change strings: Loosen the wound strings a little and pull them up like you're stretching them, then let them go slapping them against the fretboard. Gets some of the gunk out between the windings and brings some of the life back. It's not like putting on new strings and of course, only works on the wound strings but it will help bring back a little clarity and sustain. |
You forgot to add the dusting off the fretboard after that routine! 
You do that ever 10 or 12 years?
I'm jokin'... just picturing the lost picks and all the gunk and rust flakes falling to a heep on the fretboard!
It's an idea thou... J-D.
_________________
__________________________________________________________
Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it. |
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J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
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Posted 13 Oct 2021 7:49 am
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| Al Evans wrote: |
| Lee Baucum wrote: |
I really dislike changing strings on my guitars.
I really like fresh strings on my guitars.
|
I agree with this, except I'd change "really dislike" to "positively detest".
Meanwhile, though, I'll just drop this here, though it may be somewhat off topic. My friend John Holbrook back in 2004 put these words to a song you'll easily recognize...
Come pickers and strummers wherever you are
And heed what I'm saying about your guitar
If its tone and sustain are just not up to par
and your songs seem to need rearranging
Then it's time to get busy and take care of things
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
There's no indicators to tell you they're shot
You'll just start to notice they don't sound so hot
And you just can't decide: Should you change 'em or not?
So you keep on procrastinating........
Your Martin will sound like it's stuffed full of socks
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
The wound strings get grungy, the plain ones will rust
And if you change tunings a lot, they will bust
And they'll drop out of tune, so you'll have to adjust
and their tone starts to suck as they're aging
So get out your pin puller, and your wire cutters, too
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
There's Martins, D'Addarios, your choices are wide,
EXP's and Elixirs with coatings outside
There's so many choices waiting to be tried
You could wear out your tuners exchanging
So it's off with the old ones, and on with the new
Cause your strings, they need a-changing
When your new strings are on and tuned up to pitch
You'll enjoy the new sound that's so full and so rich
And you'll quickly forget that the job was a bitch
And that poked finger that's still a-bleeding
Keep your tuner nearby, 'cause they'll stretch for a while
Cause your strings, they just got a-changing.
(C) 2004 by John Holbrook
I think it ends up taking me one day per neck, because I've got to go in with Q-tips and get everything sparkly clean. A personal obsession, I guess.
--Al Evans |
and I thought I was the only Rapper on the Forum.
Lets get some chicks twerkin' to it!
... J-D.
_________________
__________________________________________________________
Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it. |
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