Rusty Strings?

The strings on my electric guitar, (ghs boomers), are rusting pretty bad. They don't last near as longs as they should. My room isnt that damp although i do live down in the basement. My guitar instructor said i might be the kind of person that has oily fingers (gross) :o and that corrodes the strings. Is there any type of string that is more durable and what can I do to keep them from rusting that ? It is only on the top three strings by the way.

Do you wash your hands before you play?

If not, then you probably should.


If you're already doing that and/or it doesn't do the job, you can try Elixirs, which though I'm not a fan of, I know a lot of people who swear by them.

Wash your hands before you play and wipe down the strings and fretboard afterwards.
Buy a temperature/humidity guage and see what the readings are for your house.
If it's over 50% humidity for an extended period of time, get a humidifier.
Generally during winter it should be about 25 - 30% (more like 20 - 25 if you have electric heat) During summer it'll probably be in the 40 - 50% range.
Try to keep the heat at 72 - 75 deg.

Clean your guitar after each use. I use WD 40. Keeps the strings from rusting and allows me to play super fast solos........... I wish. :p

it's also flammable.... so don't go past 180bpm!

Originally Posted by: schmangeWash your hands before you play and wipe down the strings and fretboard afterwards.
Buy a temperature/humidity guage and see what the readings are for your house.
If it's over 50% humidity for an extended period of time, get a humidifier.
Generally during winter it should be about 25 - 30% (more like 20 - 25 if you have electric heat) During summer it'll probably be in the 40 - 50% range.
Try to keep the heat at 72 - 75 deg.

what about if you live in california, and in the summer, the humidity is next to nothing? though we do have the air conditioner on all day, so it does stay in a pretty constant 75 degrees.

If it's constantly below 20%, you might want to get a humidifier cause it definitely affects a guitar over time.
In winter, the humidity here goes down to about 17% (ie, your lips hurt and your voice gets so scratchy you can't stop coughing.
When I clean the fretboard on my 75 Gibson now, the neck dries out so much it almost turns white.
I've got electric heat so I've got humidifiers going all winter.

I gotta admit I don't always wash my hands before I play. I do try to remember to wipe the fretboard down after I play, although sometimes I just pick it up and play for a while then not think about it. I have WD 40 so maybe I should try that, The temp is always around 72-75 if not cooler. Also right now there is a heat wave going through and the temp outside is 105 with a heat index of 110-115, so I am trying not to leave the house during the day. But I might want to try checking the humidity and what not. Also I don't guess I have heard of fast fret.... Any idea on how much a humidifier would cost me? And thanks for the advice.

ah, TRY USING FINGEREASE guitarstring lube. Trust me, this thing works. My strings are super slinkies and they corrodes really fast. Put a coat of fingerease and you won't feel as much 'rust stops' when soloing or whatever.

I recommend fingerease.

Personally I woudn't use wd 40 or any kind of lubricant but I guess it's up to you.
As far as humidifiers go, you can probably buy cheap ones for about $15 at Walmart. All it is is basically a kettle that boils water.
It's de-humidifiers that cost more. Just Google around some store sites.

Fingerease only cost about 4 bucks. W-40 wouldn't be so smart to put on your strings, you may accidentely rub your eyes, or even put it in your mouth.

true, i was thinking and thought wd 40 probably wouldnt be too good for the finish on the guitar either, maybe i should check into the finger grease.

right now it's 77% humidity... but it just rained today (which is extremely abnormal, I don't think that it has rained in california during the summer for a VERY long time... not since I moved here when I was 4... almost 16 now... but the maximum humidity tomorrow is supposed to be 49% and tomorrow night the max is supposed to be 65% but then it goes down again on sunday... it's supposed to be maximum of 40% during the day, and 46% during the night. so, I guess it's in the right range... if I ever get a guitar that I'll want to baby (such as a gibson) then I'll probably end up getting a humidifier...

also, one thing I forgot to say before... I also use GHS strings, and I rarely wash my hands before playing and never wipe the strings down afterwards... and strings can last me a few months... and that's with me playing 30 minutes to 2 hours a day! I must have some kind of magic touch too, cause I only need to tune it once a week or so too... and that's with me doing string bends and using the tremolo too....

***fingerease

Originally Posted by: yngwievai***fingerease

try clicking the edit button next time... it's just easier for everyone

Originally Posted by: Danny C.it. I have WD 40 so maybe I should try that.

Hopefully you didn't go with the WD 40. It was supposed to be a joke :p That's why I put a smilies at the end of that sentence. :p

nooo, I didn't try the wd 40, when i first read it i thought you were serious, but i am not gonna try that. ;)

Snap i had the same problem with my strings rusting and fret wire, but not anymore since finding the string protector.

Try the String protector from rustyfingers RustyFingers.co.uk
If you havent as yet solved your problem with your rusty strings then try the string protector from above, dont use WD 40 as this could damage your fretboard by swelling the wood.

The string protector comes with a microfibre wipe,for you to wipe your strings before applying the protector.
This has protected my strings and my fret wire from corrosion, and has prolonged the life of my strings.

I swear by elixers.