The Smell of Strings

[skeletonsmith]

Does anybody know this?

I wash my Hands before playing Guitar, wipe the Strings when i stop and even use String Cleaners. (Fast Fret for Years, now Dunlop Ultraglide)
Still, i have a Problem with smelly Strings. That strange, disgusting (?rusty?) metallic smell that drives me insane. They still play well, it's just the smell. (Oh, that was a great Rhyme)
It happens on some Guitars more, on some lesser.

I change them regularely, it's not that i play a Guitar with half-year old Strings on it.
Do you have any Experience or Solutions?

[sal paradise]

I rarely change strings at home. Some has got a bit of rust from being left out. None of them smell metallic, beyond how a string should smell.

What strings do you use?

[skeletonsmith]

I use D'Addarios since i can think. 10s and 11s.
Maybe i just don't know how a String should smell? When used, it's definitely different than a fresh Pack.

[jakeisjake]

I also hate the smell of old strings.

[Embenny]

Fun fact - it's not the strings that make the smell. It's you. Here's a great video on1-octen-3-one.

The only way to prevent it is to prevent your skin oil from touching metal, so maybe try coated strings? I've used Elixir strings for over a decade and have never noticed a smell now that I think about it. I guess my string condoms never broke

[skeletonsmith]

That was educational, thanks.
Damn, if Elixir's weren't so damn expensive.

[jakeisjake]

That was educational, thanks.
Damn, if Elixir's weren't so damn expensive.

They are. But they last so much longer than regular strings. I don't like Elixers for electric. But I use them on my acoustics. with regular strings, I change them once a month (I'd rather change them once a week...); but with Elixers, I can go 6 months without feeling the need to change them. They sound bright and lively for a long time.

[Embenny]

That was educational, thanks.
Damn, if Elixir's weren't so damn expensive.

They are. But they last so much longer than regular strings. I don't like Elixers for electric. But I use them on my acoustics. with regular strings, I change them once a month (I'd rather change them once a week...); but with Elixers, I can go 6 months without feeling the need to change them. They sound bright and lively for a long time.

Agreed. And for me at least, they work out to actually be cheaper. My frequently-played guitars can get six months out of them, and infrequently-played ones get well over a year. I guess the only caveat there is that they're cheaper as long as you don't break a lot of strings - and I basically never break strings. I take a lot of care to eliminate saddle burrs, sharp edges on nuts, etc, on my guitars, so the rare broken string usually comes down to something like a break at the ball end from a defective string. I've read that Elixir will actually send you a replacement if you experience something like that, but it's happened so rarely (maybe twice in ten years?) that I've never bothered trying.

Also, keep in mind that they have continually refined their formulas, even within the same product range. The first Polyweb acoustic strings I tried (2004 maybe?) felt and sounded nothing like the Polywebs of 2009 or 2014.

I preferred the Nanoweb line as soon as it came out (thinner, less obtrusive and less slippery coating), and even that one has improved by leaps and bounds.

And now, they have Optiweb electric strings. Have you ever tried those? Because I never liked Elixirs on my electrics until they came out with those. They feel and sound even closer to uncoated strings without giving up any of their longevity. Now, they're the only strings I'll use, unless I'm still in the process of modifying a guitar/trying out different pickups, etc.

I basically stock two types of strings in each of my gauges. New guitars get nickel plated D'Addarios, which sound great and are cheap when bought in bulk, while I get a feel for whether I want to keep and/or mod them. Then, if I'm swapping pickguards and pickups or debating letting it go, I keep restringing with D'Addarios until they either reach their "final form," or get sold/traded. Once I'm sure it's a keeper and that I won't want to do any more mods, it gets Elixir Optiwebs, and I know I won't have to touch them for 6-12 months.

It works out cheaper compared to a year of changing D'Addarios, and it saves me from constantly changing strings on my (too large) collection. I own two 12-strings, and I've often thought to myself that I wouldn't even own one if I had to change and tune all those strings every month.

But maybe I'm weird like that. Many people deride locking tuners and coated strings, but anything that reduces the amount of time I spend changing strings on a guitar gets a thumbs up in my books!

[JSett]

I wish D'addario would make their long-life strings in more sizes. They're the only brand I can't seem to break but my hand pH kills normal strings in about a week. I've managed to extend that to around 14-20 days if I'm militant about washing my hands before playing and wiping the strings down afterwards but I have a running subscription with an online retailer for 10 sets per month regardless.

If they'd just do a heavy gauge set (12-54) in the long life ones I'd be a much happier, and well-off, person. I've moaned about it before, and I know there's a couple of companies that do sets close to the right gauges, but I like what I like.

[jakeisjake]

Agreed. And for me at least, they work out to actually be cheaper. My frequently-played guitars can get six months out of them, and infrequently-played ones get well over a year. I guess the only caveat there is that they're cheaper as long as you don't break a lot of strings - and I basically never break strings. I take a lot of care to eliminate saddle burrs, sharp edges on nuts, etc, on my guitars, so the rare broken string usually comes down to something like a break at the ball end from a defective string. I've read that Elixir will actually send you a replacement if you experience something like that, but it's happened so rarely (maybe twice in ten years?) that I've never bothered trying.

Also, keep in mind that they have continually refined their formulas, even within the same product range. The first Polyweb acoustic strings I tried (2004 maybe?) felt and sounded nothing like the Polywebs of 2009 or 2014.

I preferred the Nanoweb line as soon as it came out (thinner, less obtrusive and less slippery coating), and even that one has improved by leaps and bounds.

That's one area where I sometimes overspend. I buy them so infrequently (bc I'll buy the 3 or 5 packs) that I forget which I like (I think it's nano) and dislike (poly?).

I'm not a string breaker either...I once was, but...I think it was the strings I was using at the time.

And now, they have Optiweb electric strings. Have you ever tried those? Because I never liked Elixirs on my electrics until they came out with those. They feel and sound even closer to uncoated strings without giving up any of their longevity. Now, they're the only strings I'll use, unless I'm still in the process of modifying a guitar/trying out different pickups, etc.

I'm going to try them out.

But maybe I'm weird like that. Many people deride locking tuners and coated strings, but anything that reduces the amount of time I spend changing strings on a guitar gets a thumbs up in my books!

Def. One reason I don't change strings much on electrics is I use flats or half rounds.

[Biloxide]

Funny history like me because with a set of 10/46 d'addario xl nickel wound, my fingers stinking like a Garlic smell and oxide copper , i don't sweat a lot of course and i wash my hands at each time i played this tele, i can't stay with this stinky smell.
.. beuurkk!!!

[marqueemoon]

I’ve known nylon and acoustic steel strings to get a little funky, but not electric.