I put them in a tub of isopropyl alcohol (99%) for a few days. Sound like new, and no stress.

I've never tried to clean a set of string in my 11 years playing. I just leave them on until I don't like the way they sound of one of them breaks (must be on the bass for at least a month or I'll just replace the one string).

GHS Fast Fret before and after playing. Helps
prolong string tone considerably, plus you don't
have to remove the strings from your bass, which
means you won't be stretching your strings.
Detuning a string and then bringing it back
up to pitch is the worst thing that can be
done to a string.

GHS Fast Fret works for me too.

I dont really clean them/ Occasionally ill just wipe em down with a wet rag.

I voted other. I usually wipe them with a good polish cloth before and after playing, does the job well.

Originally posted by Airsick Pilot
I voted other. I usually wipe them with a good polish cloth before and after playing, does the job well.

I do the same and I also purchase strings by the case, so I always have a new set when they lose their tone!

;) Treena

Originally posted by slugworth

Detuning a string and then bringing it back
up to pitch is the worst thing that can be
done to a string.
Why is that? Does it affect the sound? :confused:

Originally posted by carl-anton

Why is that? Does it affect the sound? :confused:

I think doing that loses the brightness of the strings. I've never actually done that before but stretching a string, detuning it again and then stretching it back again, the strings are bound to lose its tone. I'm just speculating though.

Originally posted by Masamax
I put them in a tub of isopropyl alcohol (99%) for a few days. Sound like new, and no stress.

Except I do it just over night.

Hey, never hurts to be safe. Not like I am gonna be using them any time soon anyways. ;)

Can I put the strings in ethanol? and If I do it overnight , what should I do to the neck? its not good to a neck being without strings...:cool:

I have 2 sets of EB 5 strings that I rotate on and off my SR5. I take one off, string the other, and ussually right after that put the dirty ones in the alcohol. I don't think there should be any problem with ethanol, however you have to remember that it has to be the highest percentage of alcohol you can get. Water+metal=rust. I just use Isopropyl cause it's the first one I found.

ok , tkx m8 :cool: :bassist:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by carl-anton
[B]
Why is that? Does it affect the sound?


>>>> The core wire begins to stretch and change
it's shape, and the wrap wire starts
shifting on the core. Once that happens
air pockets can begin to form speeding
up the corrosion process; plus the
more a string is stretched, the faster
metal fatigue begins to occur, changing
the way a string vibrates along it's length.
You can actually see the result of metal
fatigue by taking some old strings, plucking
them and watching the string as it vibrates:
It wobbles and waivers, and your pickups
will sense this; your tone will be altered.
This happens differently to different
types of strings, it depends on their
construction type and metallurgy as well.
The reasons why strings die are combinations
of stretching through normal and abnormal
use, exposure to the environment such as
humidity, pollutants in the air, etc,
and direct contamination through contact
through our hands, everyone's body chemistry
is different, which explains why different
people can get drastically different results
from the same brand of strings. I've learned
a lot of this over many years and hundreds
of sets of strings, I'm sure someone here
can probably shed a bit more technical light
on the subject, I'm not a metallurgist or
scientist; those guys would know a lot
more.

Hi,

I boil my strings. Put them in water, add dish washing liquid and let boil for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Drawback: Some strings tend to break.

My schedule is about 4 month on a fresh string, cleaning with Fast Frest occasionally.

After boiling I have another month.

Wolfram

Thanks slugworth! :) Scientist or not, you obviously know more about than me. I'll keep it in mind as long as my wallet allows it :D

Originally posted by Nino-Brown
I've never tried to clean a set of string in my 11 years playing. I just leave them on until I don't like the way they sound of one of them breaks (must be on the bass for at least a month or I'll just replace the one string). I'll second that!

I never have strings around long enough to need to clean em :D . They always break.

Originally posted by carl-anton
Why is that? Does it affect the sound? :confused:


I had done it becuase there had to be a truss rod adjustment. I turned it slowly up making sure winds were going down, and i hear a crack and i twist it a bit more and it snaped all of the way off. Ah well, it was on my 20 year old bass with 20 year old strings- i think it was in need of some TLC

Originally posted by TheBassmeister
I never have strings around long enough to need to clean em :D . They always break.


i think youre playing too hard! take it easy ;)

I've had lengthy chats about fast fret with a luthier friend of mine;

He said the stuff is very bad for fingerboards, + somehow rots them. As he'd just made me a fretless, I was inclined to take his advice.

take caution putting stuff on your strings.

Originally posted by ogwa
I've had lengthy chats about fast fret with a luthier friend of mine;

He said the stuff is very bad for fingerboards, + somehow rots them. As he'd just made me a fretless, I was inclined to take his advice.

take caution putting stuff on your strings.

A friend of mine has been applying fast fret on his strings for a few years now and the last time I saw his BB1500A, it had these greyish white stains on the fretboard. He told me that he had tried everything to get them off but he couldn't.

I never clean my strings. But I do make sure to wash my hands before playing or practicing.

I've never cleaned a set of strings in my 3.5 years of playing. I've never broken a string either. I just usually play dead strings until I get a wild hair to get the zing back. I'm thinking that tomorow I may clean my string by soaking in alcohol for the first time ever. I don't think I'll ever boil any strings, unless somebody that I really don't like is coming over for tea. ;)

Why is that? Does it affect the sound? :confused:

I believe it has something to do with the core. When it gets twisted it sounds like your playing an old donkey. I did this once with a 20 year old string. I then tuned it back up and ping snap crach bang wallop. String breaking sound everywhere, so i just said oh what the heck i deserve some strings that arent older than me!

I never clean my strings. But I do make sure to wash my hands before playing or practicing.

Same here. I always hate it when these guys on their gigs take a break, go eat some pizza and popcorn, maybe wipe their hands on a napkin and go back up there and play their bass. Personally, I can't stand getting grease and dirt on my strings.

I keep my hands clean and my bass clean. I don't sweat profusely. I buy good quality flatwounds and leave them on for years and years, and have never broken a bass string. Oh well, i'm weird.

I agree with the philosophy that it's not really a good thing to detune a string, take it off, then tune it back later.

I agree with the philosophy that it's not really a good thing to detune a string, take it off, then tune it back later.

It's funny. I asked D'addario if it would hurt the string to be removed and put back on, and they said it would be ok for a couple of times. The construction of the string shouldn't be affected by this and neither should tone. I then took of my 2 week old XL's to a/b them with DR Sunbeams. When I put the XL's back on (they had been stored in alcohol in the meantime) the b, e and a strings were almost completely dead! The DR's on the other hand seems to be unafected by this procedure (I've done it lots of times with up 1½ year old strings). And mind you that the DR's I use is roundcores, which in theory should be the most fragile as to the wrap slipping from the core goes. I some strings can take being removed, and some can't.

i agree w/ stingraymund,keep your hands clean. i use flatwounds that don't grab the dirt like roundwounds
i wipe them off occasionally (like once a year maybe) w/
a dry rag

Maybe I'm one of the fortunate few, but for some reason, my skin oils don't kill strings! I can leave a set on for a year, with heavey playing even and they'll be nearly as bright as the day i first strung them. Sadly, my neighbor has the opposite problem as I found out when I let him borrow my bass a few months back... after one night of him playing it, my strings were DEAD.

I have also heard that boiling strings may cause some rust since it involves water. A freind told me that to avoid this you can bake them in the oven and them beat them on the floor and it does the same thing.

I boil them right on the stove. It's always worked for me. Really cleans up the sound too. :bassist:

I use a 35" piece of 1" i.d. pvc pipe. Capped off on one end and screw capped on the other..filled with alcohol. shake it and let it sit for 1-2 hrs. shake and dry.