Um. Why are my nice shiny strings going black.

[NewbieEddy]

I've had my pacifica for about a month and the strings are beginning to go a little bit black where I've been fretting. Anyone got any ideas for what I should use to clean this crap off my strings? I was thinking WD40, but I think that might damage something.. Or is it normal for the strings to get tarnished? (It's not dirt.. It's like the strings are oxidising or something)

[Pezcore]

strings get like that after a while.

i know alot of people who clean their strings, usually with string cleaner available from most music shops. also ive heard of people boilling their strings, although ive never tried it.

personally i just give em a bit of a rub down, but then i change them once every 3 weeks - 1 month.

[slaughteredsoul]

I think it's time for new strings..they'll sound way better than your 'oxidising' ones..even after cleaning.

[Levinson Blade]

If you give your strings a wipe over after each session playing your strings will last a little longer Dont use WD 40 though you want to use a string cleaner / Lub like Fast Fret , but I always change strings every couple of weeks

[eische]

hahahahahaha......don't care about the colour of the strings, take care about the sound.......

and by the way (as I lost my thumb-nail and have got to play with the tip now (sounds so cheesy)): Why does my beautiful white finger get black............????????

[Problem Child]

OK, don't worry bout the colour. My strings get black after two or three days after putting them on the guitar (my sweat is kinda toxic, I guess :) ), but they still sound good. I think that changing strings every month is a good idea, althought I do not actually do it (I'm too lazy to go every 4 weeks to the guitar store :p ). But after putting new strings on the guitar it sounds soooo good. And eische, mein Freund, my fingers (all 4) have got metallic black every time I played my guitar for longer than 15 minutes (and I always play with a pick) for about one 1.5 month after putting the strings on the guitar. This phenomenon stopped about one week ago (I guess I have to buy new ones :)). And yea, I'm using Ernie Ball. I also tried Dean Markley, but it was even worse. I'm too toxic...

[eische]

well, so we both seem to be problem childs in this case:D (außerdem bin ich'ne sie)

[smfulla]

well if you wiped your strings after every play, this would reduce the amount of time in which the strings start to corrode.
myself, I'm too lazy so my strings go black after like one week,
and I can't be bothered to get new strings every 4 weeks either =]
You could try getting stainless steel strings, but I think the tone would be.... less, and I think they would dig into the frets more.

[Krieselman13]

I havent changed my strings since I got my guitar, which was in November. The strings arent black, they work just as good as when I first got them.