String Trick

[militiabass]

Has anyone ever heard of using WD-40 on strings to give them that bright new sound after they have lost them?

[lowendgenerator]

Use denatured alcohol.







And the search function.

[John Wentzien]

Zippo lighter fluid gets the grease off .

[nubs]

what do you do with this stuff, wipe 'em down, take 'em off and soak them in it, boil them.....whats the process?

[lowendgenerator]

Soak the strings overnight in denatured alcohol. I'm going on 4 months with the same 2 sets in a rotation. Get a length of PVC pipe with some screw on ends. Instant cash saver.

[John Wentzien]

For quick cleaning without removing the strings--apply a small amount of Zippo fluid to the corner of a wash cloth, wrap it around the string and run it up and down the length of the string a few times, try not to get any on the bass...

[militiabass]

Alright so will that give me the bright, crisp ring that the strings started with?

[nubs]

Originally Posted by militiabass

Alright so will that give me the bright, crisp ring that the strings started with?

a new set!

[DavePlaysBass]

Strings get stretched, fatigued, and worn where the make contact with the frets. Cleaning them does not fix this. But it will brighten them up. But they will not last as long or play exactly like a brand new set. But if the pennies are tight you can get some time. Back in the day we used to boil them in a pot of hot water. But the denatured alcohol works great as well.

[Hamrhed]

Here's a link that describes how to build what lowend is talking about: String cleaning tube