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ANYONE BOIL STRINGS?

#63
Denatured alcohol works a lot better... but one of the things that causes strings to go dead, is simple metal fatigue. You're only cleaning the strings, not restoring the tensile strength. In addition, you will likely have some flat/ shiny spots on the strings from repeatedly pushing them against the frets. Cleaning won't fix that, either.
All you will really do- is make your cleaned set useful for maybe one or two gigs. P.S., The first time I soaked a set of Rotosounds in Denatured alcohol, was about 1973. My Dad worked in a metal finishing plant, and we talked of how to clean my strings. He recommended trying the alcohol. I was amazed that it actually worked at all.
 
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#64
tercesyrev said:
Back in the day when I was a poor college student our band used to boil our worn strings. They sounded almost brand new afterward and their life was extend a bit longer. Obvious only roundwounds.

Just did it recently with same result.
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I did it a few times back in the day, they lasted about one or two days and never sounded good, wasn't worth the hassle.
 
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#65
Gilmourisgod said:
I used to do it with Roto Swing 66 on my Ric, same deal, poor college student trying to stretch a buck. It worked for a few days, maybe one gig, and then right back to dead. That was always my beef with Rotos: short life. The other problem was that it would loosen the silk windings.
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They last a long time now and sound just as good.
 
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#76
dbsfgyd1 said:
The other problem is once strings wear flat spots on the bottom, they are pretty much toast. Might not notice it playing live, but you will notice it in the studio.
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LHbassist said:
In addition, you will likely have some flat/ shiny spots on the strings from repeatedly pushing them against the frets. Cleaning won't fix that, either.
Click to expand...
This. I wash my hands regularly, and use products like FastFret and FingerEase on my strings to keep them clean. But nothing will help a set of strings once the underside is worn.
 
#78
i used to all the time. I was a broke kid and couldnt afford strings very often. I would boil them, then put them right into the freezer for a bit. Dont remember how or why i got the freezer idea, but i figured it would contract the metal again after being in the hot water. I dont know...seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I have a bass cleaner tub i built and fill in with denatured alcohol. Much easier.
 

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