talc? long term issues?

[pasta4lnch]

One of the things I hate the most about long gigs, old strings and especially outdoor gigs is my right hand gets a little moisture on it making fast fingering near impossible. fortunately my hands dont get too sweaty normally but this is an issue. I'm incredibly neurotic about the cleanliness of my hands when I play. I usually wash them at the beginning and end of every set break ...

I'm practicing right now for an outdoor show tomorrow and my fingers are sticking. new strings too - so I just tried a little talc. works great! but even w/ the little I put on I can see it getting all over my bass - will this have any long term effects on the pups, electronics, finish, wood (I wanna try it w/ my right hand too)? has anyone been doing this for a long time? is there a better solution?

I read a couple of old threads that recommended alcohol or gloves - neither appeal too much. rather use the talc if it's harmless to my bass...

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by pasta4lnch

but even w/ the little I put on I can see it getting all over my bass - will this have any long term effects on the pups, electronics, finish, wood (I wanna try it w/ my right hand too)?

No. Use it and don't worry about it. And try to relax a bit about cleaning your hands. It's OK......

[pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

No. Use it and don't worry about it. And try to relax a bit about cleaning your hands. It's OK......

everyone makes fun of me. I used to go from eating a cheese burger to picking up my guitar. now, especially playing bass, i just find the "condition" of my fingers really changes my ability to play. talc seems to be a "how did I live w/o it" cure so far...

[ReMmy]

i, too, hate sticky, sweaty hands. but after i wash them i will lube up my strings and fretboard w/ Fast Fret or a similar lubricant, and use it liberally so as to get some on my hands. it cleans your strings and fretboard from gummy residues and keeps my strings sounding brighter longer. Then i don't notice my balmy hands. i'm sure there are other sprays and stuff available... probably silicone based materials (slick but not greasy). i love this stuff and my guitars do too... they told me.

[pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by ReMmy

i, too, hate sticky, sweaty hands. but after i wash them i will lube up my strings and fretboard w/ Fast Fret or a similar lubricant, and use it liberally so as to get some on my hands. it cleans your strings and fretboard from gummy residues and keeps my strings sounding brighter longer. Then i don't notice my balmy hands. i'm sure there are other sprays and stuff available... probably silicone based materials (slick but not greasy). i love this stuff and my guitars do too... they told me.

hhmm fast fret looks interesting - I'll def try it. thanx!

[bass-shy]

I sometimes play with a guitar player who owns a '70's Gibson Les Paul Custom. Sometime in the mid "80's, he heard that talc was a good solution to playing with sweaty hands. Now, there is no finish left on the back of the neck and the area of the top just above the pickups. Apparently, talc + sweat + repetitive motion = finish damage. His guitar still plays and sounds awesome, but it's resale value is trashed.

Stick with Finger Ease or Fast Fret.

[Jim Carr]

Talc may actually build up and trap moisture around the base of the frets, on the strings, and in other crevasses. A very good wipe down may help. As noted above, talc is abrasive.

Moisture will always be imparted from our hands/bodies to our instruments--and that is OK--but you will probably notice that on older maple neck basses there are ribbons of discoloration on the fingerboards (see below). That is the effect of the moisture which performance leaves behind--with or without talc. N.B., talc may absorb moisture, but it doesn't remove it, it just holds it.

Use talc or fast fret if it helps you make music. I wouldn't worry too much about the side effects, but I do wipe down my instruments after a performance--knowing that all things are transitory--even vintage basses.

You can see corrosion stains around the 14th and 15th fret under the D and G strings on the fingerboard of this '55 P-bass. Sweat is the culprit.

[pasta4lnch]

well talc was great, but after playing for over an hour I had the same sticky problem. i'm going to try to pick up fast fret before my gig tomorrow . . .

its more my right hand then left. . .

[Jjango]

Originally Posted by pasta4lnch

talc? long term issues?

Talc is similar to asbestos, and is reputed to be carcinogenic:

http://www.preventcancer.com/consume...etics/talc.htm

A natural alternative for those with babies is cornstarch.

Disclaimer: I'm certainly not a doctor, and am just passing along what I have read.

[ReMmy]

look... have a towel handy between songs for when your hands sweat... then get back to playing your set of strings that are conditioned with something. You'll love these slick products. It's the salt of your sweat that makes your fingers want to stick... and it's extremely corrosive to your strings and fretboard, and will make you grow hair on your palms and will make you go blind. Sheesh, i'm not trying to sell the stuff, i just know there is NO GREASY, GUMMY BUILDUP, as with talc (not to mention the abrasive properties). After wiping your hands between songs, you'll go back to smoothe, slick strings for the rest of your gig.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Jim Carr

As noted above, talc is abrasive.

However, talc is, by definition, the softest mineral on the Mohs scale. There's not much it will abrade.

[Munjibunga]

Also, over time I'd think that either talc or cornstarch, as it absorbed moisture, would create a kind of mud that would accumulate in the strings and in crevices and adjacent to frets, eventually turning into gunk.

[Jim Carr]

I defer to you on that one (Mohs scale), Munji.

[doktorfeelgood]

I mentioned this before on TB but I'll say it again...I once saw Tab Benoit's bass player, who was a real monster, fog the whole fretboard and strings of his Geddy Lee Jazz bass with WD-40 before every set. I have never tried that, and probably never will, but it worked for him. He had a small spray can of it on his amp all night. I did an outdoor gig last night and my fingers were sticky all night. I'm also am very anal about washing my hands, when I can, before I start and between sets. On these outdoor gigs that's not usually possible. And a little hint here...NEVER use any of those hand sanitizers to clean your hands before a gig. They'll be REALLY sticky and you'll never get that crap off your fingers untill you actually wash them with soap and water. I always keep a clean cotton print handkercheif in my gig bag and always wipe my hands between tunes if I get a chance and always wipe the strings down after every set. I have never tried Fast Fret but when I was at GC today buying new strings, I was leaning on the counter checking out a can out Fast Fret and remembering how my little brother used to always spray that on the neck of his Strat before a gig and he swore by it. I might try a can of it. I'd just hate to have anything cause a build-up that would just be something else to make my fingers sticky.
Peace )-(

[John Wentzien]

Keep your hands DRY..
Washing them every set will draw moisture into your skin.
Keep a towel handy between songs to wipe them down.
I clean the strings with Zippo lighter fluid if they start getting gummy.

[sixway]

I used to use a product called Stringlife, which I can't find in Hawaii (where the humidity and mugginess makes strings very sticky). Here's a link for it...

http://www.music123.com/DR-Strings-S...14703.Music123

I'm using FastFret at the moment, and though it works OK, it feels like a machine oil to me, and dissipates fairly quickly. The Stringlife always felt slick, and seemed to last longer. It's my lube of choice...

As for the WD-40 option, although I've used it once or twice myself out of desperation, (it also works as a mosquito repellent in a pinch) it is carcinogenic in your system, and gets soaked up through your skin. Not a long-term solution for finger lube. And, if you've seen the occasional email chain letter that says WD-40 is OK to use around cooking utensils etc. because it's made from fish oil.... DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT! It's a petroleum based product, and that's why it shoudn't be sprayed on, or be allowed to soak into your skin.

Stringlife, FastFret, Finger Ease, Dr Duck's.... just Google string lube and you'll find something that works for you...

[pasta4lnch]

great info - thanx guys! Especially about the talc being close to asbestos . . . scary!

[doktorfeelgood]

Originally Posted by doktorfeelgood

I mentioned this before on TB but I'll say it again...I once saw Tab Benoit's bass player, who was a real monster, fog the whole fretboard and strings of his Geddy Lee Jazz bass with WD-40 before every set. I have never tried that, and probably never will, but it worked for him. He had a small spray can of it on his amp all night. I did an outdoor gig last night and my fingers were sticky all night. I'm also am very anal about washing my hands, when I can, before I start and between sets. On these outdoor gigs that's not usually possible. And a little hint here...NEVER use any of those hand sanitizers to clean your hands before a gig. They'll be REALLY sticky and you'll never get that crap off your fingers untill you actually wash them with soap and water. I always keep a clean cotton print handkercheif in my gig bag and always wipe my hands between tunes if I get a chance and always wipe the strings down after every set. I have never tried Fast Fret but when I was at GC today buying new strings, I was leaning on the counter checking out a can out Fast Fret and remembering how my little brother used to always spray that on the neck of his Strat before a gig and he swore by it. I might try a can of it. I'd just hate to have anything cause a build-up that would just be something else to make my fingers sticky.
Peace )-(

I need to edit this... I have tried "Fast Fret" and actually own a small container of it. And it's OK... My brother used "Finger-Ease"... Hey, it was very early in the AM when I wrote this so I apologize for the mis-information. )-(

[ggunn]

The back of a guitar neck is very much like a pool cue; talc works well for both. I carry a couple of travel-sized baby powder thingies in my gig bag. I have been using talc for many years with no ill effects to me or my guitars/basses.

I also use FastFret on the string side of the neck.

+1 to washing hands before playing.

[inazone]

Originally Posted by Jjango

Talc is similar to asbestos, and is reputed to be carcinogenic:

http://www.preventcancer.com/consume...etics/talc.htm

A natural alternative for those with babies is cornstarch.

Disclaimer: I'm certainly not a doctor, and am just passing along what I have read.

Just so we dont scare everyone, for talc to be dangerous, you would have to eat lots of bottles of the stuff every day of your life for it to do the damage that the link says it will.

disclaimer: Im not a doctor but I do work in a lab that tests talc and different minerals.