• Join the A7X Discord!

    We're updating the community and moving all social content from the community to the Discord. All lessons related conversations will still take place here though! Join the Discord below and view the full announcement for more details

    JOIN THE DISCORD VIEW THREAD

Sticky strings

Alicia Willis

Moderator
Legend+
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,152
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
  • #1
    Hey y’all !
    So, I’ve not played my beloved “go to” guitar in about a month now. I just picked her up just now and found the strings to be incredibly sticky feeling. They are new strings, she just hasn’t been played. So, is this just from it sitting around not being used or what ?
    also, since this guitar does have brand new strings on it how can I get that “stickiness” off of them?!
     
    Reactions: Donovan Etue

    Donovan Etue

    Campfire Attention Holder
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    437
    682
    Washington State
    2
  • #2
    Could be that the sweat from your last time playing may have given a sticky feeling after sitting for a month or so. If you have a soft cloth on hand, give the strings a good wipe down on top and under the strings if you can. I'm not familiar with the brand themselves but aren't Elixir strings known for having a coating to protect against dirt and debris from coating your strings. Are the strings on your guitar elixirs by chance? I don't know if Elixir's would leave a sticky feeling on the strings over time without use though. Anyway take a soft cloth and wipe down the strings a bit and see how they feel afterwards. Some folks recommend wiping down your guitar after each playing session to keep the guitar pristine and to help make the strings last longer. Seems reasonable that a quick wipe down after a longer play session could help keep them "bright" sounding longer.
     
    Reactions: shejokes, Alicia Willis, Jamie London and 1 other person

    Rad Synner

    Sold-out Crowd Surfer
    Staff member
    Legend+
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    1,416
    4
    4,357
    Montreal
    8
  • #4
    I have Elixirs on my acoustic and they dont really feel sticky. But hey alicia, I actually encountered the same thing (on my side its because I have too many guitars and cant play them all ) Point is, its normal. What I do to freshen the guitar up is clean the body with guitar polish and then clean the string with strings cleaner and conditionner! I use the dunlop 65 for both and it works great. Your guitar should find its shine back with that!
     
    Reactions: Alicia Willis, Jamie London and Donovan Etue

    Alicia Willis

    Moderator
    Legend+
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,152
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
  • #6
    So I do use Elixirs and I’ve never noticed them to be sticky, I’ve also never left a guitar for that long without picking it up. I tried a microfiber cloth but definitely still sticky. It’s just weird lol.
     
    Reactions: Donovan Etue

    Alicia Willis

    Moderator
    Legend+
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,152
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
  • #7
    Ahhh I’ve never used strong cleaner before since I usually change frequently, definitely going to look into that ! Thank you !!!
     
    Reactions: Rad Synner

    Andy Schultz

    Garage band Groupie
    Nov 11, 2019
    17
    52
    47
    Whidbey Island, Wa, US
    www.youtube.com
    25
  • #9
    I've had this same problem before. What you can do is get string cleaner, or isopropyl alcohol, and put some on a cotton ball. Wrap the cotton around each string and wipe it from end to end. Be warned, it'll sometimes make a really high pitch ringing. That should get your strings back to normal without having to replace them.
     
    Reactions: Lindsey

    Similar threads

    Guitar 7 string now or later on?
    Replies
    2
    Views
    1K
    Lessons, Studying, & Practicing
    kapy bara
    K
    T
    Hello!
    Replies
    7
    Views
    843
    Introduce Yourself!
    Ali S.
    • Question
    Guitar Best way to clean your fretboard?
    Replies
    4
    Views
    1K
    Instruments, Hardware and Setup, & Troubleshooting
    Rad Synner
    J
    • Question
    Trying to diagnose the buzz/hum/ground noise
    Replies
    18
    Views
    3K
    Instruments, Hardware and Setup, & Troubleshooting
    jimmyjamesmuzik
    J
    New to the community
    Replies
    6
    Views
    1K
    Introduce Yourself!
    Ali S.
    Menu
    Log in
    Register