Question

I found the sweats from my hands seem to be very acidic as I tend to wear out guitar strings rather quickly. I put on a new set of strings and play my guitar for about 2 hours. I can see rust forming and strings started to discoloring. This is very annoying. Is there any way to make it a little more manageable?

 
Answer

Everybody has different body chemistry. Some people has sweaty palm and their hand will corrode a set of strings within a week of playing. This is because they having the so called ‘Acid Hand’. You may try the below tricks:

1. Use coated strings. Most acid hands kill un-coated string pretty fast if compare to coated one. You may try Elixir Polyweb Coating which has been highly recommended to guitarist who has acid hand.
2. Wash your hands with soap before you play.
3. Use guitar string lubricant to prolong your strings life. Spray it on clean cloth and rub the strings down before and after you play.

I had been told by one of an experience guitar player I shall not remove all guitar strings at once. I should remove one string at a time and replace each as I go. The reason is by removing all strings at once, I will affect the tension and create harm to the guitar neck. Is it true?

Answer

Yes, I heard about this as well but personally I do not agree with it because there’s no documented negative effect of removing all strings. I don’t think doing this will damage your guitar neck.

I always remove all strings from the guitar so that I could easily clean and wipe down the fingerboard with micro fiber, follow by putting on the new set. This had actually save lot of my time and effort.

Wipe your guitar strings

This is very important for maintenance. Wipe down your guitar strings with a soft and dry cloth each time you finish your practicing. What you need to do is simply put the cloth in between the strings and the fingerboard. Run it all the way down the length of the neck of the guitar. Get rid of all the perspiration and rust.

Use string cleaner

There’s a great product called String Cleaner. Just glide it on with the applicator and wipe it off with the provided lint-free cloth. It will keep your guitar strings clean and allow you to play faster. It also reduces excessive finger noise. You can use it on strings, the fretboard, and back of the guitar neck.

Use quality strings

There are various types of guitar strings on the market. Each product is not created with equal quality. You may opt for a good-quality brand of strings such as D’Addario or Elixir. These strings are very consistent and last longer.

Whether you are a guitar beginner or professional guitarist, taking good care of your guitar strings is always essential.