Do you wipe down new flats before installing?

[woodyng2]

You know why strings come with environmental warnings? I used to get warts on my hands (shut up),and black streaks on my fingers from playing new strings. I started wiping each string with isopropyl alcohol to remove said factory gunk. It may not be anything,
but seeing the black residue on the wiping cloth makes me feel better.
It’s been my new strings ritual for decades, regardless of what type string it is.

 

[Bodeeni]

Chromes used to always be a bit sticky. Rubbing alcohol did the trick. Though, the latest sets I have gotten seemed to have corrected that. Nothing for me after the initial install.

 

[halloweenfiend]

I use those little alcohol prep pads (for like ppl who take shots) and periodically wipe down my labellas. My hands sweat a lot so I like to get the gunk off them every now and then. Btw said labellas are ~8 years old.

 

[JRA]

No and it's fine!

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Never thought about it. I guess next time I change strings I’ll give it a shot.

 

[thmsjordan]

Why are you removing it? That's "the funk" baby!

Kidding aside though:

Charles Mingus used to eat fried chicken before playing at times just to keep the strings lubricated. So, I suppose it depends on your taste, preferences. I am sure you can find great players who are extremely careful about keeping their strings super clean as well as players like the aforementioned Mr. Mingus.

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Pyramid Gold Flats are always like that. Always have been.
It's polishing compound and metal oxides. I use a cotton cloth and either alcohol or lighter fluid and keep cleaning until the black goes away.