Is it normal for nickel roundwounds to leave you with black fingertips? Always used stainless steel before, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed this when using nickel strings.
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Black Finger Tips?
- Thread starter Fretless55
- Start date
I actually only experienced this for the first time going from nickel to SS. I figured it was just dirt/anti-corrosion/leftover from manufacturing. It only happened during break in, and I always wash my hands after playing anyway so. *shrug*
- Sep 16, 2008
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- Master Luthier: Ironclad Bass Guitars
I've had it with Ernie Ball slinky guitar strings, and with Hartke Bass strings...actually I didn't have it with the Hartkes the first couple of sets, but I really think they changed something because later sets made my fingers black, had at least one dead string in every pack and sounded different...
-John
-John
I've only seen this with "pure nickel" strings, which are nickel-iron alloy. I think it's iron. Never seen it with SS or NPS.
Au contraire, mon ami ~
Every set of the Fender 7250 NPS strings do that to me - constantly. I just put up with it on my VM-Jag, as I like the sound they produce.
My ROTO 77s do it somewhat - but the Elixir NANOs haven't made a mark on my fingers yet.
Nickel won't hurt you if you don't lick your fingers and the taste will be terrible. There can be some discomfort if you get the oxide in your eyes - but nothing permanent as far as I know.
I did some research, made a few phone calls and e-mails, and generally will now proceed to bore you with what I think is very interesting information.
Some fascinating folk lore about nickel::
Early alchemists thought there was copper in the ore and tried to extract it, unsuccessfully.
The name 'nickel' is a transliteration from the German myth that there was a somewhat malevolent evil spirit (eg: Old Nick) residing in the mining area, possibly living in the ore, and he forbid extracting the copper from this metal with sorcery and magic.
The Chinese and early Teutonic tribes used nickel and believed to be 'white copper'. Many times it was thought to be used as a silver substitute, since it polishes very nicely and actually looks a lot like silver to untrained eyes. It found it's way into art work and jewelry by this same accidental misunderstanding too.
Nickel is 'ferromagnetic' {It is one of the four elements that are ferromagnetic around room temperature, the other three being iron, cobalt and gadolinium.} - in that it is attracted to a magnet like iron and steel, although at a lower rate of attraction. This is why it is used in guitar strings and magnetic devices.
Strange - the alloys in a US 'Nickel" or 5¢ coin, is worth 9.6¢ in 2003-2006, and it is possibly the only coin that the US Federal Gummermint has set a law about to make it illegal to extract the alloy from it. The value of nickle has fallen much lower than that at the mo.
The name 'nickel' is a transliteration from the German myth that there was a somewhat malevolent evil spirit (eg: Old Nick) residing in the mining area, possibly living in the ore, and he forbid extracting the copper from this metal with sorcery and magic.
The Chinese and early Teutonic tribes used nickel and believed to be 'white copper'. Many times it was thought to be used as a silver substitute, since it polishes very nicely and actually looks a lot like silver to untrained eyes. It found it's way into art work and jewelry by this same accidental misunderstanding too.
Nickel is 'ferromagnetic' {It is one of the four elements that are ferromagnetic around room temperature, the other three being iron, cobalt and gadolinium.} - in that it is attracted to a magnet like iron and steel, although at a lower rate of attraction. This is why it is used in guitar strings and magnetic devices.
Strange - the alloys in a US 'Nickel" or 5¢ coin, is worth 9.6¢ in 2003-2006, and it is possibly the only coin that the US Federal Gummermint has set a law about to make it illegal to extract the alloy from it. The value of nickle has fallen much lower than that at the mo.
About the toxicity of nickel from Wikipedia::
I don't have any idea of the amount of nickel a bass player is exposed to with this metal in the strings - but hand-washing is certainly indicated.
I wonder why there's no MSD on guitar strings?
Well - anyway - I guess I've told you 'way too much info, but I had all this free time and I did some research.
I called ROTOSOUND in Temecula, California a few minutes ago and talked to someone who actually gave me the e-mail address of their representative in The UK.
I have now fired off an inquiring e-mail to ROTOSOUND in the UK about the nickel and string-to-human-contact criteria.
More information to come.
I'm going to revive this thread.
I've been using Daddario XL Nickels for 15-20 years and recently switched to DR Pure Blues nickel strings and for the first time I noticed that the tip of my fingers on both hands were black after playing with a new set of DR Pure Blues installed. At first I though that it was the oil that I used to oil my finger board but then it happened with one of my other fretted basses that I had also recently installed a new set of DR Pure Blues strings on (and hadn't recently oiled the finger board).
It appears to be getting better but I wiped the strings with a white rag and it literally turned the rag black (in the area that I used to wipe the strings).
Strange!
I've been using Daddario XL Nickels for 15-20 years and recently switched to DR Pure Blues nickel strings and for the first time I noticed that the tip of my fingers on both hands were black after playing with a new set of DR Pure Blues installed. At first I though that it was the oil that I used to oil my finger board but then it happened with one of my other fretted basses that I had also recently installed a new set of DR Pure Blues strings on (and hadn't recently oiled the finger board).
It appears to be getting better but I wiped the strings with a white rag and it literally turned the rag black (in the area that I used to wipe the strings).
Strange!
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I am gonna go out on a limb here and say that some players have a reaction to nickel (truly allergic for some) that can cause this. I would not be so quick to blame "dirty strings" or some manufacturing fault. This is a reaction of certain people's skin chemistry combined with the nickel alloy producing the residue.
I've had it happen with rounds and flats. On both hands, fretting fingers and finger picking fingers. Usually the first hour or 2 of playing them. Then, it never happens again. The desert air is dry, and I can leave instruments out of their case/bag, without any residue building up on the strings.
If that were the case then I would think that it would have happened with the Daddario XL Nickels that I used for the past 20 years. It's got to be some type of chemical residue left on the strings after manufacturing.
I don't remember it ever happening to me with nickel strings, but back in the '80s when D'Addario came out with their copper XL Reds, there was so much gunk build-up not only on my fingers but in the windings of the strings that I thought someone else in the house, a auto mechanic, was playing my bass without having washed his hands.
Interestingly, when I found an NOS set of XL Reds a few years ago, I didn't have the problem any more. I guess my body chemistry has changed from when I was in my early twenties.
Interestingly, when I found an NOS set of XL Reds a few years ago, I didn't have the problem any more. I guess my body chemistry has changed from when I was in my early twenties.
I've had it happen many times with new NPS strings. XL's, Boomers, and Slinkys are what I normally use. I've always thought it had something to do with the nickel plating, because I get the same thing when I've played slot machines. In fact, Casinos have complimentary mini-packs of wipes to clean it off.
You may be right. I had a fellow musician tell me that it's from some kind of lubricant used in the manufacturing process.
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One more thing of interest. I installed a set of the DR Pure Blues on my Ibanez SR5006 a few weeks ago and I didn't have any issues from those strings. They were purchased from Bass Strings Online a couple of months ago. Both sets that I'm having the issue with were purchased recently from the local Guitar Center.
Uhmmmm ..... Different batch? ........ Manufacturing process change?
Uhmmmm ..... Different batch? ........ Manufacturing process change?
No, they don't leave me with black fingers. I've been using nickel, and nickel-plated things, most of my life, and that's never happened. But it does happen to some people; depends on their body chemistry. The only time I get black fingers (unless I'm working on a dirty motorcycle engine) is if there's manufacturing residue left on the strings that wiping them off failed to get...
I do get black fingers, especially with older phosphor bronze, but uncoated nickle does it too. I always blamed my sweat for causing corosion, maybe I was wrong.
Dunlop Nickels do it to me. Regular and Superbrights. No other nickel string I've used has done that.
The Ernie Ball Slinky strings that came on my Schecter gave me black fingers...I ordered some DR Nickel Lo-Riders. Let's see how it goes! 
