Cure for naturally greasy hands ?

[dexter3d]

Tried to do a search for older threads, but it seems that people here have more problems with sweating hands, and I believe that's a different thing. My problem is exactly as mentioned by one guy here:

A friend of mine is like this. I can put new strings on my bass, play them for a few days, and they still sound bright. He picks up my bass for 15 minutes and they'll be dead as a door nail. He even washes his hands good first. Doesn't help. What we've both noticed about HIS hands isn't so much high PH that would be called "acid" but more of an oily residue that gets down between the windings and kills the strings. On his personal basses there is always a lot of gunk building up against the frets, and the necks on his basses get really sticky and dirty fast, so he's always polishing them down with steel wool.

He finally just quit trying to play any other string except Elixir.

I wash my hands before every playing, but they are never dry.
Anyone suffering from the same problem? Has anyone tried using special degreasers (like WD-40 Lava soap) or other stuff? I want to make my hands as dry as possible.

Thanks for your ideas!

[N8116B]

I think the real issue here is that the oily residue from your hands kills the strings pretty fast. keep washing your hands but also wipe down you strings real well when you are done playing.

[ctufankjian]

Generally, I'll wash my filthy Armenian hands with really hot water, and dish soap prior to digging into a clean set of strings. I find this helps with the longevity of the set.

[excane]

Just play with these:





Seriously though, I usually just continue to wipe my hands and strings with a cloth between songs and breaks to help with the moisture and sweat.

[Diego]

Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with you. These are ethanol-based gels, and using these often will effectively dry your skin.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by dexter3d

Tried to do a search for older threads, but it seems that people here have more problems with sweating hands, and I believe that's a different thing. My problem is exactly as mentioned by one guy here:



I wash my hands before every playing, but they are never dry.
Anyone suffering from the same problem? Has anyone tried using special degreasers (like WD-40 Lava soap) or other stuff? I want to make my hands as dry as possible.

Thanks for your ideas!

Use soap. That's all I can think of.

[dexter3d]

Originally Posted by Diego

Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer with you. These are ethanol-based gels, and using these often will effectively dry your skin.

I have a bottle of Purell hand sanitizer (alcohol based) on my table. I use it, but it doesn't make my hands dry

[dexter3d]

Originally Posted by cnltb

Use soap. That's all I can think of.

Regular soap doesn't work.

[santucci218]

get coated strings and use non moisturizing soap.

[Absentia]

talc powder?

but yeah find a good grease cutting soap that will dry your hands up.
and keep a bandanna or something in your back pocket to wipe in between songs or pauses
and it'll look cool.

[Sundogue]

Wash your hands with Dawn detergent.

Wipe on some Apple cider vinegar before you play. The acid in that will remove the oils from your skin.

Keep a towel handy.

[dean owens]

i think you just have to get over it. i have the acid touch. my hands are always moist. when i change guitar strings i don't even get a chance to play with fresh strings. by the time i put them on and get them stretched they already have dark spots on them from my oils. i wash and it doesn't matter.

the only thing i've found to help with my guitar is to get some lighter fluid (naphtha). before i even put the strings on i let them soak in the naphtha for an hour or so. then unwrap them, wipe off the naphtha with a clean rag and put them on the guitar (obviously with clean hands). then every time i'm finished playing i put some naphtha on a rag and clean my strings off with it. this prolongs the life of the strings for a little while... but not much. and honestly, it's so much work that i quit doing it. i just change them regularly.

bass strings... they sound good for the first time. next time i bring my bass out of the case they are dead. it's just my lot in life... and i guess it's my tone. seriously, i've just learned to live with it and get a sound i like with dead strings. i don't have the money to replace my bass strings when they start loosing that sparkle.

if you find something that works, let me know.

[bassman314]

It's actually less the greasiness of your hands, and more the pH-level of your sweat.

I have sweaty hands, they don't burn through the strings all that quickly.

Purell/hand sanitizer can help, as it can cut the acid content of the surface of your skin. Other than that, you're pretty much stuck.

You might try using either coated or stainless steel strings. You could also consider boiling your strings between gigs to re-brighten the sound up.

[Ric5]

Cure for naturally greasy hands ?

Soap

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Cure for naturally greasy hands ?

Soap

been there, done that...

[Reynolds 101]

Try rubbing a salt water paste on your hands. Take a bowl and fill it with a bunch of salt. Keep adding a couple drops of water in at a time and mix it with your fingers. When it gets to a paste, start rubbing it on and in between your hands. I use to do this to help my calluses harden up. Just sit there doing it while watching tv or something and it helps tremendously with drying your hands.

[ThunderSix66]

that one African guy (name?) plays with silk gloves or something. That would only be a good solution if you have a really serious problem

edit: good ole' google: Etienne Mbappe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_9jj9ib6rE