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Bathing your strings
- Thread starter Drop1
- Start date
Do you guys clean your strings?...........No.
But do you guys submerge them?.........No.
Have you found a best way or best solution to out them in?............I play flat wounds and don't clean them.
Avoid the hassle. Just buy new strings! IMHO
I’m sure this won’t be popular….
The “gunk” on the strings is unlikely to be a significant factor for the reason that strings “go dead.”
The increased vibrational damping that happens is more likely the result of the metallurgical damage that occurs to the core at the bend at the bridge. Taking the strings off for whatever reason and slightly relocating that witness point will have a far greater impact on the vibrational loss characteristics of the string than removing “gunk.”
Minimizing the bend at the bridge saddle by setup will do far more to extend the life of the strings than anything else. But, of course, there can be trade-offs, depending on playing style.
For those who sweat a lot during performance, a good cleaning would make the strings feel better. I don’t believe that boiling is required for that maintenance. Boiling does zero to repair any metallurgical damage accumulated in the core.
The “gunk” on the strings is unlikely to be a significant factor for the reason that strings “go dead.”
The increased vibrational damping that happens is more likely the result of the metallurgical damage that occurs to the core at the bend at the bridge. Taking the strings off for whatever reason and slightly relocating that witness point will have a far greater impact on the vibrational loss characteristics of the string than removing “gunk.”
Minimizing the bend at the bridge saddle by setup will do far more to extend the life of the strings than anything else. But, of course, there can be trade-offs, depending on playing style.
For those who sweat a lot during performance, a good cleaning would make the strings feel better. I don’t believe that boiling is required for that maintenance. Boiling does zero to repair any metallurgical damage accumulated in the core.
Actually, yes there is. A set of new strings - and this time, keep them - and your hands - a little cleaner.
OK, mini-rant over. Seriously;
- This subject seems to come up every couple of months, and the answers are always the same. Boil them in water/a mix of water and something else. Soak them in various kinds of alcohol - which generates long discussions on it's own, every so often. Slap the snot out of them. Sacrifice something to the String Gods in the dark of the moon, at midnight...
- Personally? Since I've never been in such dire financial straits that I couldn't afford a new set of strings, I've never had to try this kind of thing. Although, the sacrifice thing sounds kind of... interesting...
- Out of 28 basses in my "Herd", only one wears rounds; TI JR324s. I wouldn't want to boil a set of TI's, anyway. It would certainly ruin the silk windings inside them - never mind the outer silks; and they cost too much to replace just because of a fool thing like that. Same goes for flats and tapes; BIIG no-no...
- And, finally; same thing I always say. I'm not going to labor over a hot stove, boiling something that I can't eat...
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Ol' Mike probably ate a string or two. After all, he did tuck into an aeroplane- And, finally; same thing I always say. I'm not going to labor over a hot stove, boiling something that I can't eat...
Took him 2 years to eat a Cessna. You read that right. The dude ate a freakin' plane lol.
Probably could have eaten some boiled strings in a pinch and gone for multiple helpings he he
Probably could have eaten some boiled strings in a pinch and gone for multiple helpings he he
