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Originally Posted by bassplayer2106 This is a complete waste of time - don't try it.This myth has been circulating for years, it probably used to work with old fashioned flat wound strings where tone just wasn't an issue because it didn't exist, but in modern roundwound strings what damages them and reduces the tone is playing ie physical damage.The build up of sweat and grease from your fingers, and outside influences such as moisture from the air and pollution.Boiling your strings will not remove these and it certainly won't repair any wear in the strings.It will only add to the damage by soaking the strings - you will never completely dry them.I have tried it some years ago.You are better off by LOOKING AFTER your strings.Wash your hands before you play wipe your strings off with a dry cloth after playing/gigging.  |
Ahem....
the above post is erroneous. Boiling your ROUNDWOUND strings will bring a little high end back to them. Not all the way to new, but fairly close. Might work on flats, I haven't tried them. Boiling does remove the crud that builds up on your strings, try it. The scum that forms floating at the top of pot is the stuff gunking up your deadened strings. Boiling will reduce the overall lifespan of strings in the sense that they will tend to break more quickly. That has never bothered me as dead strings will get taken off my bass long before they break. They can be almost completely dried out if you are thorough, but it is a PITA. Oh, and of course you should take care of your strings.
A few people have posted about using some type of spirits to remove the gunk more gingerly than boiling. Haven't tried this yet but, assuming it works, it sounds like a better method than boiling. I keep meaning to get around to trying that.
