Tonefiend Forum

I got some of the D'Addario/Planet Waves brand stuff, XLR8, as a freebie. Wipe-on string cleaner/lubricant stuff. I'm a bit hesitant to try it. Never used string lubricants before. The only guy I knew who ever did was a friend who used Fast Fret on his shredder guitar after that era had been a couple years dead, so I assumed it wasn't for me. But It's just sitting there now.

So have you used, liked, not liked, liked with reservations?

Well, I would suggest just giving it a go one day practicing at home. Worst case: you restring the guitar. I highly doubt you will feel such a drastic and undesirable change, though. Our natural skin oils can be pretty corrosive, and giving them a wipe down with cleaner makes strings last a little bit longer. Some brands have additives for lubrication, but most of them all sit on a light solvent base that helps lift some of your oils off. the difference in feel comes from lubricants that some companies put in theirs.

Quote from bear on December 13, 2012, 06:07
GrapTech is apparently giving away free samples of their PrePlay product, which Oinkus mentioned above. They're sending some to me along with some Tusq picks I mentioned in the Picks thread. Email your mailing info to them at sales@graphtech.com by 12/31 and you get to decide whether it's for you.

Ooh, I want to try that too.

I usually just use GHS Fast Fret because . . . well, just because. Though the truth is, I usually forget to use it. It's a really good idea to wipe down the strings after a session or gig, because a) they'll last longer, and b) the guitar is less likely to feel like a crud-encrusted barbed-wire fence the next time you pick it up. But I almost never do.

I have the same problem with those expensive new-school razor blades. They say they'll last longer if you dry ’em off after each use. But I never remember that either. I shave my skull every day, so it gets expensive!