Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Review
General Information
Original Author: Steiner666
Weapon: Fretboard conditioner
Make: Ernie Ball
Model: Wonder Wipes
Price: $10
A few months ago, I purchased a new ESP LTD MH-400NT off of musiciansfriend.com. Along with the guitar, I added a couple packs of D'Addario thin-top thick-bottom type strings as well as a large container of Ernie Ball disposable string cleaner wipes and a small container of their fretboard conditioner wipes.
Soon after the new guitar showed up (which is an awesome axe, btw!) I busted out the D'Addarios and threw them on the guitar (and it really did feel like i just threw them on it because the string-through design of this guitar makes it such a breeze to re-string compared to my floating-bridge B.C.). I immediately fell in love with the way the strings played and was only concerned with how they would hold up against rusting/eroding, so I opened up the Ernie Ball wipes.
The big containers of the string wipes cost about $10, but once you open the container up and look at how many wipes are in there and realize that it will more than likely easily last you a year, that price seems minuscule. The wipes themselves are large enough to clean two guitars, or if you only have one guitar and want to be stingy with them, you could use the same wipe twice if you kept it sealed in the container. The application is far from rocket science, you just rub the cloth down the stings and then feed it underneath each string separately to apply to the undersides of each strings individually. As far as how frequently you should use them, that depends on how often you play and how much oil is on your fingers, which will also vary depending on temperature and humidity. I practice a couple hours per day, and I wash my hands before I do, and I use a string wipes every day, sometimes every other day.
So, how well do they work? Well, I've been using the same set of strings for about 3-4 months now, and they're still smooth and shiney! Since these are the first D'Addario strings I've used, I'm not sure how much is due to the wipes and how much is due to the quality of the strings, but they have held up longer then any other set of strings I've ever had... even strings that were on my guitar back when I didn't play anywhere near as much as I do now.
On to the fretboard conditioner. I bought these in hopes of keeping my pretty new ESP's nice rosewood fretboard grime-free and beautiful. Frequency of application with these is nowhere near that of the string wipes... I'd say close to once a week. The fretboard wipes are smaller than the string wipes, which I'm assuming is just because I bought a smaller container of them, but still these wipes are more than enough to wipe down two guitars! There's a nice lemon scent to them, and they're very moist and theres some foam when you're rubbing them on the neck. Once again, I'm not sure how much of these good results i should chalk up to ESPs nice rosewood selection and manufacturing and how much credit actually goes to the conditioner wipes, but the fretboard is looking great. No dirt or grime around the frets as was present on my other guitar prior to these wipes.
I DEFINITELY recommend that everyone pick up a container of both of these wipes. I believe the string-wipes have already paid for themselves in making this set of strings last so long, with little to no sign of wear still! I'm anxious to see how much more time will pass before I even consider re-stringing my guitar. The fretboard conditioner has kept the grime off and makes my guitar smell almost as good as it looks... and I imagine that they will really help keep the wood pristine in the long run. I also see that Ernie Ball makes instrument polish wipes, and I think I might just have to give those a try as well.
