It’s a clean machine … [or is it?]

[Nick Wilkins]

I was watching a bluegrass fiddler yesterday when all of a sudden I noticed that his violin was covered [and yes, I do mean covered, at least, from the bridge to a couple of inches up the fingerboard] with rosin dust. Let me say that again: covered in it. That had me confused as I know that rosin eats away the varnish on a violin over time.

I clean my fiddle and my strings every time I finish practising, and I’m wondering, what does anybody else do?

I use a dry Jim Dunlop cloth [a bit like a synthetic chamois] which previously kept my guitars looking rather lovely to wipe the violin itself, and I use Larsen’s ‘Royal Oak’ string cleaner [“Royal Oak, a new string cleaner by Larsen Strings. This is unique in being a solvent free product, and can be shipped in the mail. Use a little of this on a cloth to clean your strings of rosin and dirt and they will sound bright and new again. Price – £4.86 Delivery – £3.90”]. It cleans rosin residue off my strings in seconds [I don’t put it on my violin]. I give the wood of my bow a wipe with Jim too, now and again.

What does anyone else do?

[cbFidHed2020]

Nick, wiping down your violin and strings after every session is the age old standard of violin care. I was taught to do this at my very first lesson. I’ve never used— or been told to use— a string cleaning product, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good thing. Larsen is a very reputable brand of strings so I would trust that it’s a good product.

The question with the bluegrass fiddler isn’t really about how much rosin dust is seen on the fiddle while he’s playing, but rather, does he clean it off afterwards? I’ve seen plenty of bluegrass fiddlers and Cape Breton fiddlers who put crazy amounts of rosin on the bow and then send duststorms of rosin flying all over the instruments as they play lightening fast through long, intense sessions.

No matter what anyone else does, personally I always wipe down my fiddle and strings at the end of every practice.

[Nick Wilkins]

Hey, cb, that’s a good point about those fast players, and I’m definitely with you on cleaning at the end of session.

[Jim Guinn]

As far as a lot of rosin, I have read everything from “laziness” to “reverse snobbery” to “custom, style and the wish for a certain sound.”

Early on, I found a very helpful little tool that cleans the strings and fingerboard at the same time. It’s called simply “The String Cleaner”. I bought at the Fiddlershop, but I imagine it is available elsewhere as well. I have had it for 2 years. Periodically, I clean it with warm water and a mild dish soap, let it dry thoroughly, and it’s like new again.

For around the bridge and the rest of my fiddle, I use a standard microfiber cleaning cloth.

[Nick Wilkins]

Thanks, Jim. That looks like a nice piece of kit. I’ve found one over here but it’s £17, so I think I’ll keep using my cloth!

BTW, how did you add those images?

[Jim Guinn]

Hi Nick. That’s the first thing I thought when I first found it…such a big price tag for such a small tool. I paid $20 USD for mine, but I have had it almost 2 years and it should last 2 more, at least, so it’s been worth it, and it clans the strings better than just using a cloth.

To add an image, you have to find the image you want online. Right click and copy the image link. Then, click IMG in the menu above in the box you are responding in. A box will pop up and ask you for the image link and an image name (you can choose anything as a name). Once you click OK, the code will be written automatically in your response, and the image will appear once you submit your post. In the case of my Tabs sheet I shared, I have my own website, so I uploaded it there and copied the image link. Hope this helps.

[Nick Wilkins]

Thanks, Jim. $20 but good value, by the sound of it.

Yes, that explains about the image issue. I was trying to add a screenshot of some guitar tab from my hard drive, so obviously I couldn’t quote a URL for the image.

Take care.

[Jim Guinn]

Some WordPress forum plugins allow you to directly upload images, but not this one. Not sure if allowing it would just be an addon or not.

[Mel Newton]

I clean my fiddles after I play – just a quick wipe down of the string and the instrument bridge area with a dry cloth. It’s what I was taught to do at my very first school lesson so I just continued. *shrug*? That being said, I see a lot of bluegrass and old time fiddlers that have rosin everywhere and I’m not convinced it’s from the session. It seemed to be a point of pride to let it build up? I dunno…..

The biggest thing I’ve learned is to wipe down the strings where my left fingers are. I sweat a lot and have really corrosive sweat so I’ll see wear on my strings pretty quickly unless I make sure i get the oil and sweat off in that location.

[Carolyn]

Some people just don’t know. They didn’t learn from an instructor who helped with the small stuff. I was in a music camp class when the instructor told the class why they should clean it off. You could see some uncomfortable “what? really?” looks, and the next day you could see they had made an effort. But the build-up needed more than a wipe by then. There is also a kind of pride some people have in it, I’ve seen. Maybe, “Look how much I play! Look how I only care how great I sound, not what my fiddle looks like!”

[cbFidHed2020]

Thank you, Nick!!!! I tried the Larsen’s Royal Oak string cleaner that you mentioned above. It worked great and it is going to save me a ton of money!

The other day, I noticed that the tone of my G and D strings had suddenly gone dead. Unfortunately, I’ve become addicted to some pretty pricey strings for the G and D, and the ones I’m playing are only three months old. I was working those strings intensely, however, practicing my double stops, so I figured maybe I wore them out. Since I’ve just started playing with a jam group and want to sound my best, I ordered new strings right away… then I got to thinking about your post. Decided to give Larsen’s Royal Oak a try before putting on the new strings.

I bought the Larsen’s Royal Oak string cleaner in the U.S. from Amazon for $10.97. Seemed like a lot of money for a tiny bottle, but it will a last very, very long time. I put a thick envelope under the strings to cover and protect my fingerboard. I used a lint-free Handi Wipe and put just a couple drops of string cleaner on it before rubbing each string. This was amazing! The clean strings immediately sounded clear and resonant, like a nice solid throw-away bow. I won’t say they sound brand new, but they sound good enough to get a lot more mileage out of them. This is a real find.

I’ve always cleaned off my violin and strings with a soft cloth after each session, but this string cleaner takes it to a different level. I’ll probably do this once a week going forward.

[Nick Wilkins]

Hi Carolyn, I’m so pleased that this has worked for you.I use it after every couple of hours playing, or when I can see rosin on my strings down by the bridge, and I love hearing that that squeaky/scratchy noise disappearing as the cloth does its work and wipes off the accumulated muck on the strings. I use it mainly on the bridge area but also give the strings a wipe right up to the nut to get rid of oil and so on from my fingers.
When can we see a video of you playing with your jam group?!

[cbFidHed2020]

Nick, there won’t be a video anytime soon! I think of it as “their” jam, not mine, and I’m very (frighteningly) fortunate to have been invited to play and invited back. I sure won’t be starting out by posting videos of my new friends on the internet right away! 🙂

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