Boiling your bass string?

bassmasta94 · #1 02-01-2011, 06:12 PM

Hey guys, my bass teacher told me this tip, im not sure i believe it. But it was that if you notice your strings are starting to sound dead, instead of going out and buying another set, you can put them in boiling water, and itll bring the brightness right back. I was going to try this myself, but i wanted to check with some of you guys first to see if youve tried and succeeded.

OleJohnnyMac · #2 02-01-2011, 06:19 PM

I used to boil my strings but now I just change them regularly. It'll make them sound brighter but it'll also shorten their life a bit. I wouldn't try to gig on a boiled set of strings--I've found they break easier.

3506string · #3 02-01-2011, 06:28 PM

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=allintitle%3A+b...3Atalkbass.com

CGramazio · #4 02-01-2011, 06:28 PM

I tried this on a gig many moons ago, 80's. Had the cook throw them in a pot of boiling water early in the day before we went on. Really had no impact. Funny memory though.

Just buy a new set.

Rad01516 · #5 02-01-2011, 06:30 PM

I used to boil the strings to brighten them up a bit many years back. Now just replace them. Never had an issue with breakage just time consuming.

groovaholic · #6 02-01-2011, 07:12 PM

Denatured or 90% rubbing alcohol work better and are less detrimental to the strings than water.

I have a 40" length of 1" PVC capped on one end; I fill it with the alcohol then soak the strings overnight.

It doesn't address the mechanical fatigue in the metal, but it gets rid of the oils and gunk that clog up and deaden the strings.

I can get over a year of lively use on a set, which helps due to the scarcity of Dingwall strings...

s_mcsleazy · #7 02-01-2011, 07:19 PM

washing up liquid in a pot adds about 2 months extra life on them. as for braking mine havent. plus it makes my hands soft and silky

HertzWhenIPlay · #8 02-01-2011, 07:19 PM

I have done this only to old strings when I couldn't afford new ones. I look at boiling strings as a last resort if you have a gig and some old strings.

**TXLawDawg** · #9 02-01-2011, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3506string

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=allintitle%3A+b...3Atalkbass.com

Yeah, that's crazy the search works for me too. Must've been a site outage as I'm sure the OP would've undoubtedly searched for this topic considering the many threads that can be found.

Kabal · #10 02-01-2011, 09:06 PM

Do it for the sake of saving $25 for a brand new set.

Though I learned it slightly differently, the boiling is more for cleaning I think, but also leave them off your bass for a while and get a rotation going. Have one set off for at least a month before putting them back on

BillyIVbass · #11 02-01-2011, 09:20 PM

I did it and also wrote a blog about it: http://guitarvideochannel.com/blogs/...g-bass-strings

To save you the reading, I bought a $1 pot at a Thrift Shop and boiled a couple sets for 15 min. with a little bit of vinegar in there. You get back some of the initial brightness or "zing" but your strings are still stretched and possibly dented from frets.

I successfully got 3-4 extra weeks out of a set on my practice bass. If you have multiple basses this is definitely a way to stretch your dollar, but it isn't as nice as a new set of strings.

Right now I'm experimenting with the String Cleaner http://www.thestringcleaner.com/

I hear good thing about using alcohol and a tube, but with curious pets, I'm a bit hesitant.

Darylw425 · #12 02-11-2011, 08:54 AM

Hey BillyIVBass - How do you like "The String Cleaner" for bass? I've heard that it doesn't really work that well - that it still leaves grime on there, and can't really keep the strings sounding new. How has it worked for you?

(I'm actually working on developing a string cleaning wipe that can solve this problem better than these solutions....more to come on that soon...)

slipitin · #13 02-11-2011, 09:03 AM

The best practice, an old indian trick: You de-string your bass very slowly and then boil the whole set in a quart of your own urine, hang them to dry in a westerly directed wind for 24 hrs and re-string your bass as fast as you can wind to correct pitch, you WILL notice the difference.

ModulusQ5-122 · #14 02-11-2011, 08:39 PM

I used to do it and i found it worked but not to the point of them feeling or sounding new again, just a bit brighter. Thank God i dont have to buy my strings anymore. I get them free now so i just change them. But for someone on a budget i think you will be fine boiling them.

spigmu · #15 02-11-2011, 11:28 PM

****ed up my Ashbory strings something terrible. I think maybe the battery in the timer was low.

Toptube · #16 02-12-2011, 08:20 AM

depending on the way your strings attach to the bass, you may have trouble taking your strings off and re-using them at all. If they go through the body or through holes in the bridge (rather than dropping in to a 3/4 hole) you will probably have to straighten the ends to get the strings out and back in. This can weaken them a lot and when you go to re-wind them around the turners, they may break.

reedo35 · #17 02-12-2011, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassmasta94

Hey guys, my bass teacher told me this tip, im not sure i believe it. But it was that if you notice your strings are starting to sound dead, instead of going out and buying another set, you can put them in boiling water, and itll bring the brightness right back.

I've done this, and they do sound brighter after you do this. For about 12 minutes.

Then they sound pretty much like they did before.

jgroh · #18 02-12-2011, 08:32 AM

Build the string cleaning tube with denatured alcohol. Much easier. I used to boil my strings (then put them right into the freezer for a while...why? I dont know lol) and it does work. However, I feel the string tube with alcohol is less detrimental to the strings from all the expansion and contraction from the boiling and they last longer. YMMV.

Art Araya · #19 02-12-2011, 08:38 AM

Used to boil my strings in distilled water years ago. This works. Now I use a tube filled with denatured alcohol. It's faster, easier, works better, lasts longer, and is better for your strings. Do yourself a favor - go with denatured alcohol and then tell your teacher about this too.

Here's some instructions on how to make a tube to do this. I made a variation of this:

http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/ba...ning_tube.html

jgroh · #20 02-12-2011, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Araya

Used to boil my strings in distilled water years ago. This works. Now I use a tube filled with denatured alcohol. It's faster, easier, works better, lasts longer, and is better for your strings. Do yourself a favor - go with denatured alcohol and then tell your teacher about this too.

Here's some instructions on how to make a tube to do this. I made a variation of this:

http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/ba...ning_tube.html

This is exactly what I built. Works great.