I have developed a rash on my index finger, possibly due to a nickel allergy. I am now ordering ‘Elixir Polyweb’ strings to try them out.
Are there any nickel allergy sufferers here who would like to share their experiences and tips?
I don’t have a nickel allergy thankfully. Hopefully the new strings fix your problem. In case you aren’t aware though, fret wire is usually made from nickel silver. So the non-nickel strings might not completely solve your problem. Good luck.
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the Brian May strings were created specifically for people who suffers from allergy
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I have suffered from nickel allergies since my late teens / early twenties. Started with rashes from jeans buttons and fashion jewellery. As most allergies it comes and goes and for long periods I don’t notice it, but during more acute periods guitar strings make it worse. I don’t get the rashes on the fingers (because of the callusses?), but on any bit of skin the fingers touch after practise if I forget to wash hands and apply lotion straightaway. Strings for electric guitars are worse. I reached a point earlier this year where I just had enough, and now I am experimenting through coated strings (d’Addario XS series at the moment) to see if it makes a difference. No final conclusion yet. Thank’s for you tip Deborah @MacOneill I’ll check those ones out, too.
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I have a slight allergy to nickel. It can’t be too bad in my case as I have a tele with tone knobs and bridge made of nickel. However, I thought that contact with nickel strings would be problematic so I bought Rotosound British steel strings. They have worked well for me on my tele.
p.s. The Rotosound strings are quite cheap but seem to be good quality.
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Thanks for all the advice. I’ll experiment with the coated strings from Elixir first. When they are used up I change to Optima - it’s not cheap, but I like the idea of playing on gold. The tip about the nickel frets is also important, if changing the strings doesn’t help completely I will have to change the guitar and take that into consideration. Are there any acoustic and electric guitars with nickel-free frets?
The Ernie Ball stainless steel strings (link) are completely (meaning, both core wire and windings) stainless steel. I don’t have nickel allergy though, so I can’t vouch for them.
Yes, the more expensive guitars typically come with stainless steel frets. If they do, they would very likely advertise that fact, so just look out for it.
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Unfortunately stainless steel usually gives me a rash, stainless steel is an alloy and usually contains nickel, but thanks for your advice.
Oh wow that’s really serious then. The people I know who are allergic to nickel are fine with stainless steel (which as you say contains some nickel, but it’s a small amount). Hope you find something that helps!
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