Does boiling your bass strings work?

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by 51m0n

I love the smell of meths

Touche

[Would'e?]

I can understand hjow denatured alcohol can clean the strings, but now how it can restore the temper which is the primary effect (cleaning them is incidental) of boiling them.

[jgroh]

Originally Posted by Would'e?

I can understand hjow denatured alcohol can clean the strings, but now how it can restore the temper which is the primary effect (cleaning them is incidental) of boiling them.

Not sure what you mean here? You mean, the boiling expands them and then cooling down they contract again into a tight wound string? At least, that was my impression back when I boiled them (being a dumb 16 year old 20 years ago). But, the alcohol seems to work better for me. My cleaned strings sound great for a while longer IMO than when I was boiling.

[Would'e?]

Exactly. The strings get brighter after boiling because heating them and cooling them restores some of the temper the strings lose after being stretched and played for a time. Of course they also get a nice cleaning, but most of that "like new" brightness comes from retempering the metal. Boiling will make the strings more brittle though. Not such a big deal on big thick bass strings, but guitarists often find that boiled strings, while nice for studio work, are unreliable for gigs: they break way easily.

[lamarjones]

I really don't think the loosening of the string over time is what kills the tone/brightness. I woujld say dirt, sweat and dead skin 100 more times than the loosening.

And YES I think the boiling process makes the string a little more fragile over time, which is another reason I use alcohol.

[SpectorBass308]

+1 Denatured alc

[maconbass]

Originally Posted by lamarjones

I really don't think the loosening of the string over time is what kills the tone/brightness. I woujld say dirt, sweat and dead skin 100 more times than the loosening.

And YES I think the boiling process makes the string a little more fragile over time, which is another reason I use alcohol.

+1000! Brand new strings last 2-3 gig's before they go dead for me. After I soak them in denatured alcohol, they last the same amount of time. I've got strings that are several months old and have been soaked/cleaned numerous times that still sound like brand new after cleaning. The boiling in water didn't work so well for me however.

[Madcity Fats]

I tried boiling strings long ago when my budget was tight(er) and I gotta say I didn't see much benefit. Maybe I had unreasonable expectations.

Call me crazy, but these days I just replace the damn things. Some of you have claimed that boiling or alcohol will make them "like new," but I have to ask if you're all playing fretless. Because my stings show fret marks after a bit of use.

Rejuvenated, I'll buy. But like new? C'mon ...

[lamarjones]

I'll go one step less than brand new and say they sounds like new string do after two days

But seriously, ime there is no comparison between boiling and soaking in denatured alcohol, alcohol all the way. That is IF you are even trying to reuse strings, which no one can argue that a fresh set of strings every time is a nice thing. This is a not so distant second in my opinion.

Actually, there are times where I have strings that have been soaked and a new set, and I'll just use the strings that have been soaked. Not really missing anything, and who knows when I'll get a new bass

[Blueszilla]

+1 on the denatured alcohol, better than boiling (which I did a bunch, but didn't get the same results as alcohol).

BTW, tempering is something usually done at much higher temperatures than boiling water. The brittleness of the strings is most likely due to microscopic corrosion, as hot water will speed up the process, making the steel weaker, and weaker again if do it more often.


Edit: a search about tempering: http://www.azom.com/details.asp?articleid=1141

[Would'e?]

FWIW the strings sit on the bottom of the pan which is much hotter than the boiling point of water.

[Ozonbass]

Probably just cleans the schmaltz off of them....more than likely just one of those musical wives tales. I did it 30 years ago when I was poor, now it seems like it would be more of a pita than it's worth.

[Blueszilla]

Originally Posted by Would'e?

FWIW the strings sit on the bottom of the pan which is much hotter than the boiling point of water.

Don't disagree that it may be hotter, but tempering happens at much higher temps than home appliances are designed to deliver. The provided link explains it in detail.

In any case, after boiling strings for a long time (I was poor!), I've found the alcohol method to work much better for me. FWIW, I can afford new strings these days, and that's usually the route I go now!

[NKUSigEp]

I boil them for about 15 minutes in water and a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Makes the house smell but dirt and oils come right off and they're good for about 3 more weeks.

[Dogbertday]

I'm just cheap and lazy so i'll leave them on my bass uncleaned and worn in forever. I changed strings (EB Hybrid Slinkys) pretty recently and realized how much I love the dead roundwound sound. I might actually try replacing some flats with the really dead ones and see if I like the tone even better.

but back to the topic.... If I ever tried anything I'd probably put them in Coca-cola. Have you seen what that stuff does to pennies??!?

[frankenp]

Originally Posted by Madcity Fats

I tried boiling strings long ago when my budget was tight(er) and I gotta say I didn't see much benefit. Maybe I had unreasonable expectations.

Call me crazy, but these days I just replace the damn things. Some of you have claimed that boiling or alcohol will make them "like new," but I have to ask if you're all playing fretless. Because my stings show fret marks after a bit of use.

Rejuvenated, I'll buy. But like new? C'mon ...

Exactly. That's what I'm saying!