• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Anyone ever try one of these string cleaner tools?

Marko 1

Supporting Member
Mar 9, 2009
9,762
13,743
69
Ohio, beeeautiful Youngstown Area
Anyone ever try one of these string cleaner tools?

ToneGear The String Cleaner Tool for Bass: Shop Accessories & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend

DV019_Jpg_Regular_621029_on_bass_open.jpg
 
Yes. I use it dry after a gig - once up and down. Works great to get your perspiration off the strings to prevent corrosion from starting. Once a month or so I clean my strings using some spray on string/fret/fretboard cleaner. I then run that tool up and down the strings once to soak up the excess.

By the way, the yellow stuff is terry cloth, not a sponge.
 
Yes. I use it dry after a gig - once up and down. Works great to get your perspiration off the strings to prevent corrosion from starting. Once a month or so I clean my strings using some spray on string/fret/fretboard cleaner. I then run that tool up and down the strings once to soak up the excess.

By the way, the yellow stuff is terry cloth, not a sponge.

Wow, it looks just like a sponge in the picture. Thanks for the clarification.
 
I dunno, I don't need an apparatus to get between me and a string wipedown. Looks like another "solution" looking for a problem.

I bought a 5 pack of shamwows for a dollar. Cut them in fours. That and a squirt from a visene bottle filled with 95% Isopropanol in my gig bag takes me a minute to wipe and clean my strings after play. Don't think I'll be running out, ever.
 
Be careful using isopropanol. That can really dry out the fretboard and cause some damage.

I have a bass string cleaner, and I like it because it works without solution. Better at preventing dirt build up than getting rid of major deposits, but if you use it after each time you play, it does a good job
 
Indeed. I only squirt it on the sammy, so it rarely hits the board, but yes, as it is anhydrous, it could pull moisture.

Occasionally, I "fast fret" the strings to keep them smooth and that provides a bit of a barrier too, both for the string's core and the fretboard.

Ron