My guitar strings are starting to turn a nice blood red colour around the top few frets and and i cant seem to get it off , any help?

Uhh... get new strings?

or new fingers

In case you didn't know, guitar strings aren't permanent and CAN be changed. :p

i know but these are like, a week old

Don't by cheap-o's.

The rule of thumb is; If you've never heard of the brand, neither has anyone else.

Thats kind of ****ty reasoning.

What if you are new to guitar?

Then it doesn't matter if you buy a piece of ****.

Because you don't want to drop three grand on something you might suck at or hate, and it would be a waste of time.

Strings however, even BRAND NAME, PREMIUM STRINGS are cheap. Especially when you buy alot at one time. (a full six string set, for example)

Also, keep in mind.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ****ING STRINGS. STRRRRRRINGS. COILED METAL. NOT A GUITAR.

Even then, its not hard to ASK THE MAN AT THE STORE A QUESTION.

Note, I use caps only so you can't miss the important parts.

I think drizzt2k2 was referring to "If you've never heard of the brand, neither has anyone else." If you are new to guitar then you probably haven't heard of many string brands thereby making your reasoning flawed.

Also, he could have good strings but acidic sweat. The most common frets for a beginner to use are those nearest the nut and they may just be rusting.

There are guitarists with hands that are so acidic that the paint actually corrodes after just a few weeks so rusty strings is a possibility.

<---- I change my tune-o-matic bridge every year because of corrosion. strings every two weeks.

it's possible.

So all in all im sweaty git and theres nowt i can do about it! Damn

buy a new pack. wipe the strings when you're done playing. will lenghten string life.

buy better strings. i like d'addario and elixirs when i'm feeling frisky.

I covered the possiblity of someone being new in my post.

Elixirs are good for people with sweaty hands. They're more expensive but it's worth it for the extra string life.

Also, Seb's right, you should be wiping your strings down after playing. Use a cloth slightly dampened with rubbing alcohol, but be careful not to get any on your fretboard.

Or if you don't have sweaty hands, they're just good.

aiiie. i wouldn't get anywhere near my guitar with alchool (if you forget booze). the risk isn't worth it.

I use Black Diamonds, so I only have to change every 3 months, when they finally decide to break. If you're sweaty and break strings because of corrosion from skin oils, these puppies are coated with a black substance to keep skin oil off the strings. Any other brand I've tried breaks at least once a month. There was a while there where I was breaking a string every single week. I don't really think I play all that hard, so whatever.

forgot to mention. i don't change because the strings break. most of my strings are still in shape by the time i change them. I just get sick of the mid deprived old string tone.

and of course, playing mostly legato will save a lot of string life. but it all comes down to how you play. abuse your strings and they'll die. take care of them and play with caution but ferocity (it's possible) and your strings will last forever. especially if you play with several guitars. i use my 9-42 godin for mean dirty blues styles attack. i use my 10-46 custom LTD esp guitar for mean, loud, nasty but precise playing that relies on pick attack.

it's all a matter of feeling. i've known guitar players that are extremely comfy playing 11-49 gauges on 24¾ 22 frets guitar that literally own me.

but then. they've been perfecting their jobs for at least a decade.

I love my 13 guages. Beutiful.

i've never broken a string

That's because you play like an old lady. :p


Black Diamonds usually loose bass and treble instead of middle. I like it that way with clean tones and with leads that have distortion. Distortion rhythm might not be good that way. But that might depend on your pickups and/or their configuration.

You've got to be kidding! I broke my first within my first 7 months of playing.

oh well. **** happens.

I broke strings alot at first, because I would play way to hard.. now I rarely break any strings, though I replace them every month or two.