Strings

EB beefy slinky 11-54 tuned to E standard. Yes, they are tight, but it has helped my intonation and sustain. Sometimes I get the Cobalts, and other times just the normal yellow pack.

In my opinion, a set of 9's or 10's never gave my truss rod anything to pull against, and the 11's do, consequently, for me anyhoo, I'm getting the right balance of push and pull, and the greatest stability overall.

I made the switch almost 2 years ago to the week, and it has really helped my hand strength.

I just had to play acoustic last weekend, and I purchased 13's Elixirs for that. 13's would have made me cry 2 years ago, and my hand didn't even hurt after 3 hours of playing, because of the stamina I've built up with the 11-54's on my electrics.

I had to giggle when I read EJ's "EVH boil phase" - Didn't we all do that? The only thing I didn't have the guts to try was wax-potting my humbucker in a mason jar myself!

As far as string and guitar neck care, I used to remove my strings, and use #0000 steel wool and rub the fretboard WITH THE GRAIN - that is long-ways from fret 1 to fret 22, never across the grain. Then wipe it down with lemon oil. Sometimes, I'd rinse and repeat. Never came up with a system of string maintenance - I'd just change them when they got crusty.
 
mesaboog said:
Are you referring to an unfinished maple fretboard? If so, more important than strings is keeping your hands clean. I carry towlettes in my gig bag and give my hands a good wipedown before playing. Makes a big difference. EBMM wonder wipes with lemon oil are good to keep fretboard conditioned and clean between cleanings/string changes.

Also, if not using your own vocal mic, always a good idea make sure to clean it with alcohol swab before using. Especially during cold and flu season.
Click to expand...

Hey, Cheers!
I am talking about unfinished fretboard, this is why I am loathe to put any sort of 'product' on it...
Does lemon oil cause any sort of discoloration or any other wear on the maple?
Also...... love the Python quote!!!!

"I mean, if I went 'round, saying I was an emperor, just because some
moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!"
 
squidz66 said:
Hey, Cheers!
I am talking about unfinished fretboard, this is why I am loathe to put any sort of 'product' on it...
Does lemon oil cause any sort of discoloration or any other wear on the maple?
Also...... love the Python quote!!!!

"I mean, if I went 'round, saying I was an emperor, just because some
moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!"
Click to expand...

Lol!! I soiled my Armor!!

No, lemon oil will not discolor it. There is really no lemon in the lemon oil (primarily mineral oil). You can use mineral oil as well. This is between cleanings.

For cleaning every few months I use:

Diluted Murphy's Oil Soap w/ warm water. Use as needed combination of toothbrush, scrape gunk off (with grain) with a credit card, scotch brite pads and 0000 Steel Wool. Using the same solution, scrub the back of neck bending/curve the credit card to scrape the gunk off. Keep at it until happy with the cleanliness.
After clean and dry, I use Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil (several applications & buff with steel wool between).
Optional - Top coat with Birchwood Casey's Gun Stock Wax or high quality natural beeswax or carnuba wax.
 
mesaboog said:
Lol!! I soiled my Armor!!

No, lemon oil will not discolor it. There is really no lemon in the lemon oil (primarily mineral oil). You can use mineral oil as well. This is between cleanings.

For cleaning every few months I use:

Diluted Murphy's Oil Soap w/ warm water. Use as needed combination of toothbrush, scrape gunk off (with grain) with a credit card, scotch brite pads and 0000 Steel Wool. Using the same solution, scrub the back of neck bending/curve the credit card to scrape the gunk off. Keep at it until happy with the cleanliness.
After clean and dry, I use Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil (several applications & buff with steel wool between).
Optional - Top coat with Birchwood Casey's Gun Stock Wax or high quality natural beeswax or carnuba wax.
Click to expand...

Cheers dude!!
My beautiful fretboards will thank you for many a year..
Do you recommend a particular string??
As I said earlier...I have bought strings which deteriorate rather quickly...
And I certainly don't want them.

"Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products"
 
I use the DM Blue Steels, but it is all personal taste. The original post of this thread, if I read it correctly indicated that the OP hated the Blue Steels. I also like GHS Boomers. I use a product called Brasso to clean my strings when they have gotten really corroded. But prevention is the best cure. Wipe down with a dry cloth after playing. Saves hardware too. Here's a picture of my #1 after a good cleaning:

 
Played DR for about 15 yrs. Switched to EB m steels when they came out. Sticking with the m steels. They hold intonation much better.
 
GHS Burnished Nickel for me. I use GHS because Big City Strings will customize the plain strings and I prefer some odd gauges. Kind of the opposite end of the spectrum from Blue Steel, though.
 
squidz66 said:
To tell the honest truth, I personally can't perceive much, if any, difference between string brands.
They always sound and feel better when fresh!
So every new set is better...
Having said that, I did once have a set of cheap as strings that just corroded and f*#ed out within days...so there can be issues with longevity.
But I always buy decent sets like Blue Steels, Rotosound, Slinky's...etc.
And all seem pretty good to me

One question I would like to ask people with maple fretboards...

Is there any string that would help keep my beautiful maple fretboards cleaner??
I'm supposing some sort of Elixr or something????
Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

Check out my thread about this matter !

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/lounge/90857-recommendation-electric-guitar-string-brand-recording-prog-metal-album-2.html
 
GHS Boomers for as long as I can remember... Started using 11s when I started tuning down 1/2 step, and have kept with them since switching back to standard. I've never seen a reason to change.
 
Elixirs on all guitar for the last 8+ years and very satisfied - change them 2-4 times per year - strings - lots of choices today and many opinions so I cannot say there is one that anyone could say is the ultimate due to varying opinions.
 
I used to use Cobalts for the last couple of years and recently went through a test of various strings and ended up with Elixirs on top so now I use Elixirs on all my guitars and I'm really happy with them.
 
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