Fret rust!!!

[lutehole]

Help. I bought my taylor about 12months ago and have never changed the strings. There is rust on the frets and the strings are corroding a little (they're elixir stock). I play it once every 2/3 weeks.
Why are the frets rusting? Is it caused by the strings and can i leave the strings on? I dont want to replace the frets!!!

[S MS Picker]

To remove the rust, remove strings, cover your soundhole(to keep debris out), and lightly go up and down the finger board w/0000 steel wool until the tarnish is gone.(be careful : don't let the steel wool contact anything except the fretboard)
Replace the strings after applying some fingerboard conditioner.(follow pkg directions)
Before you replace the guitar, use a hair dryer to insure there is no excess moisture inside.
 A Humidipak will regulate the humidity in the case and guitar.
 Hope this helps.
Steve
 

[cigarfan]

Are you keeping the guitar in the case between playing sessions? And what is the humidity level?

If your hands sweat and you don't wipe down the strings/fret board before storing the guitar, rust and corrosion are definitely possible.

Would suggest the following:

• Get yourself some 0000 steel wool and a new set of strings.
• Remove the old strings and gently rub down the fret board with the steel wool. This should remove any grunge from the fret board and rust from the frets themselves.
• When your done with the steel wool, take a "little" linseed oil on a soft cloth and go over the fret board.
• Re-string and you should be good as new.

For the future, change your strings a little more often. You probably won't run into this situation again.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it turns out.

[Toondog]

Quick question for you, do you lay anything on top of the guitar in the case? I used to lay a cloth over the neck of my 314 around the twelfth fret and after not playing it for a month or so noticed a bit of oxidisation on the higher frets directly under the steel e and b strings. I came to the conclusion that the cloth pushed the strings on to the frets when the case closed. I stopped doing it and it's never happened again. A bit of lemon oil and a plastic scrubber got the marks off for me.

Chris

[zeebow]

same thing happened to me.

like everyone else said,
remove strings
cover sound hole with painters tape
I use megauirs quick wax on the top,sides and back of neck (spray onto a microfiber towel, not guitar)
use 0000 steel wool ALONG the of the neck (safe even for inlays- I called Taylor and asked them)
brush off all excess wool
apply SMALL amount of boiled linseed oil on towel and rub along neck (u can find at loews near paint thinner area)
restring

voila!

there is a video on YouTube from Taylor on how to do this, if you're a visually learner (I am)