Corrosion of A and E strings

[TLB]

Merry Christmas everybody

I have a problem with a Gibson F5 i bought a couple of years ago. It is a 1974 model that sounds and plays wonderfully, but I experience that the A and E strings starts to corrode almost immidiately after mounting. ½ to 1 day after mounting they are getting markedly rugged. I have tried several brands with same result. The funny thing is that it is only in the area of picking, that is just below the lowest part of the fretboard
The mentioned part of the frets in that area also shows some sign of corrosion and I wondered if that is the root-cause.
Anybody with the same experience and more important anybody that knows how to fix it?

BR
Torben

PS the upperpart of the strings are not affected at all and I don't have particularly sweaty hands, on the contrary.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Looking at the enlarged photo.,i notice quite a bit of 'crud' sticking to the underside of the strings in the area that you mention,so what make of strings & picks are you using, & is the pick showing any signs of wear ?. If the corrosion was caused by anything 'atmospheric',i'd expect it to affect the whole string length,so it's something 'local' to that area. I've never heard of strings especially the stainless steel ones used for instrument strings, being adversely affected by pick material.

I know that some of the old style Gibson scratch plates were made of a material that ''gassed out'' due to deterioration over time,so could the scratchplate be made from a similar material on your Gibson which is causing the problem ?. I somehow doubt it,but it's the only other thing 'local' to the corrosion area that i can think of - although ?.

Does that part of the string length actually touch the inside of the case ?. If it does,could the adhesive used to fix the lining material be having an adverse effect on the strings / frets just in that area ?. Maybe try leaving the mandolin out of the case for a few days the next time you re-string & see what happens - very puzzling !!,
Ivan

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Never put a freshly played mandolin in its case.

[Paul Busman]

Never put a freshly played mandolin in its case.

Why not? That's good advice for wooden wind instruments which have accumulated breath moisture but why should it make a difference for a mandolin?

[UsuallyPickin]

Hmmm ... the 70's pickguards will degenerate and eventually fail. I have not heard of that effecting the strings. Crud / corrosion travels so cleaning up those frets with some 0000 steel wool is needed. I had a 74' master Model F5 for several years and had no such problems with it. Have you tried a coated string? Luck... R/

[Ray(T)]

Could be a "gassing" pickguard given the brown staining adjacent to it. (Not all celluloid guards gas or deteriorate - I have ones from 1914, 1924 and 1976 which are fine.) They usually mark the top so I'd suggest you take it off to find out. You may like to leave it off for a while to see if it makes any difference.

[George R. Lane]

It also looks like the binding on the fret board is starting to deteriorate also.

[Jim1hays]

The problem being caused by the case could be a combination of the humidity in your area and the humidifier in your case, if you use one. I was advised to keep the humidity in my home where I have my instruments around 34% here in Colorado or use the humidifier in the case. Which will add a percentage of humidity to it. Just a thought!

[Rick Lindstrom]

Frets under the two strings in question appear to have corrsion or rust on them as well. More pictures of the fingerboard might be in order- maybe from the twelfth fret to the end of the extension.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Why not? That's good advice for wooden wind instruments which have accumulated breath moisture but why should it make a difference for a mandolin?

My experience (over here in Northern Germany not far from the sea shore) is that the moisture on the fingerboard and neck will cause a damp climate in the case - ideal for corroding strings. Wooden wind instruments work with air columns and follow different rules in many aspects. Cracked wood is a different story and doesn't apply in these parts.

[TLB]

Thanks for all your suggestions.
The problem appeared to be the pickguard.
The celluluid was starting to dissolve and the gases were causing the corrosion of the strings and the frets.
It has been removed and packed away in airtight plastic bag. I hope that removal was in time and that no more corrosion or deterioration will occur.
A rather scary experience, but it still sounds and plays wonderfully. I hope it stays that way

[TLB]

Ray(T) You were right it appeared. My mandolin doctor arrived at the same conclusion and the pickguard has now been removed.

[Ray(T)]

If you intend to keep it in an airtight bag, you may as well throw it away. It'll either rot away, destroy the bag, or worse, set fire to itself. If you want to keep it for posterity, it needs air to enable the gasses produced to dissipate.

[Willie Poole]

Just maybe that is the reason us bluegrass pickers do not keep the pick guards on our mandolins...VERY INTERESTING...

Willie

[Ray(T)]

Who am I to talk !!!!!!!!

I've just dug my old Ibanez out to try the case to see if it will fit someone else's mandolin and the Ibanez is displaying exactly the same symptoms as TLB is experiencing! It's not been out of the case in years.

There is no evidence of degradation in the guard itself and I'm hoping the celluloid on the headstock isn't going to do the same thing. I think we've got ourselves a wall hanger.

[Ivan Kelsall]

So - my point in post #2 was correct ?. Gassing out !!. Was that found to be the actual cause ?. I thought that all such materials were long gone ,
Ivan