Slippery Strings.

seany65

Changed my treble strings yesterday, as the previous ones had been on nearly a year. I like old strings and I'm preparing to have a few things done to the guitar which will entail new strings anyway, so I didn't want to put a set on for just a few weeks. Anyway, the old ones started to sound 'odd', so I changed the trebles. The new ones had been in my case nearly a year and when I put them on they sounded less trebly than I expected. Which was good. However, they seemed so slippery that they felt like they had a bit of oil on or something. I suddenly couldn't hold some of the new first position chords I'd just learnt.

I've 'cured' this problem by putting a cloth under the treble strings (but over everything else) and rubbing over them with a bit of sandpaper. This may seem mad but I only went lightly. The strings now feel 'normal' to me and I can hold those new chords again.

I  did this after wiping the srtrings with a soft cloth to try and 'dry them' in case theywere indeed somehow 'wet'.

These strings are the same make and 'model' of strings I've been using aince I got this guitar.

How slippery are new strings supposed to be? How could these strings be more slippery than any other new strings of the same make that I've had?

bingefeller

What brand did you use?   

seany65

Rotosound pure nickel 10's.  I've used them before, so I ddin't expect the slippy-ness or the slightly lower treble.

Jeremiah

Pure nickel will generally sound less trebly than nickel plated or stainless steel, don't know about the feel though.

seany65

@Jeremiah. Yup, that's why I use them. But even they usually sound rather bright to me when I first put them on, but these didn't.
:-S

Jeremiah

Some people might also say that Rotosound sound dull and dead even when new; I haven't tried their pure nickel, but I certainly found that was the case with the nickel plated.