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Cleaning and reusing strings?

Dropkickyourgrandmother

Dropkickyourgrandmother

Guest
Jul 24, 2015
10
1
34
Lorette, Manitoba
#1
So, stupid question, but my friend told me that you were never supposed to take the strings off your bass, because they would not be reusable. I took the strings off my bass and have left them to soak in 99% isopropyl alcohol for 24 hours, because they were sounding a bit dim. They are roundwound, not sure what metal they are made of, and have metal tips at the end, as opposed to the colored ones you see on some strings. I was wondering if he was right, in which case I will need new strings. So, are bass strings reusable? Any help is appreciated.
 
#4
Ha! You're in MB too! Yeah we can't get that (moonshine) very easily. Frankly, I don't do it. I think you might ask the paint store for it.

Although, you may know someone that makes shine. You can also brew it yourself legally now. Wine stores sell kits. Get advice there.

Oh well if you ever gig at the casino in Carberry, pm me and I'll come meet you!
 
#7
@walterw I turned the strings over so the dents were over the frets.

To the OP, not worth it. Strings aren't that expensive and unless you are slapping like Jack hitting Faye Dunaway in Chinatown, they won't wear out that fast. You hear tales around here of players blowing out a new set in one set.
 
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#8
StyleOverShow said:
@walterw I turned the strings over so the dents were over the frets.

To the OP, not worth it. Strings aren't that expensive and unless you are slapping like Jack hitting Faye Dunaway in Chinatown, they won't wear out that fast.
Click to expand...

They may not be all that expensive but over here in Oz i'm paying more than $50 for a 4 string set and more for flats. What with starting on round wounds (plus a spare set) then going to half rounds (plus a spare set.......plus another when I ordered the wrong length :banghead:) i've spent almost as much on strings in less than two years than my Jag Short Scale cost me. Having now used flats on my Godin i'd really like to get some for the Jag but i'm holding off a bit as $120 for two sets of flats (spares are a must) is hard to quantify.

Back to the topic. I've cleaned the round wounds a couple of times in denatured alcohol (methylated spirits as it is known here) and it really brought the brightness back with no obvious drawbacks.
 
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#11
Oz is a wonderful place, yeah.

It's so American to think that access and costs are the same worldwide.

Makes perfect sense to make your strings last as long as possible.

The only wear is fret contact and it tends to make little shiny flat spots on the bottom side of the strings, facing the frets.
After cleaning you can rotate the string by turning the ball on the end of the slightly hand tensed string and reverse the string's point of contact. You should see the flat shiny parts of each string, in the heavily used areas, facing out towards you.

May make a difference, maybe not. You know us bass players like to tinker.
 
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#13
Dropkickyourgrandmother said:
So, stupid question, but my friend told me that you were never supposed to take the strings off your bass, because they would not be reusable. I took the strings off my bass and have left them to soak in 99% isopropyl alcohol for 24 hours, because they were sounding a bit dim. They are roundwound, not sure what metal they are made of, and have metal tips at the end, as opposed to the colored ones you see on some strings. I was wondering if he was right, in which case I will need new strings. So, are bass strings reusable? Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Buncha silly here - why not just try them instead of relying on some bozo's opinion ;) ? And "denatured" means "poisoned" - nothing to do with the purity beyond that. Just another example of your government trying to kill you to protect you from yourself :vomit: . AFAIK you can only get denatured ethyl alcohol (AKA ethanol), not isopropyl:
Denatured alcohol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And unless you're a bedroom slappida poppida wankida player string wear isn't much of an issue.
 
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#14
In the old days, I used to boil strings. It would add a little brightness back to an old set. At the very least, they were not any worse, much less "unreusable," once I put them back on my bass. Your friend is making stuff up.
 
#16
Dropkickyourgrandmother said:
So, stupid question, but my friend told me that you were never supposed to take the strings off your bass, because they would not be reusable. I took the strings off my bass and have left them to soak in 99% isopropyl alcohol for 24 hours, because they were sounding a bit dim. They are roundwound, not sure what metal they are made of, and have metal tips at the end, as opposed to the colored ones you see on some strings. I was wondering if he was right, in which case I will need new strings. So, are bass strings reusable? Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Bass strings certainly are reusable as long as care is taken to not rebend them back and forth at the same place too much. Some basses require the whole neck to be removed for a truss rod adjustment, so they don't replace strings each adjustment until it's right. If a set of strings doesn't 'do it' on a particular bass that I try them on, they come off and are tried on another until I find (hopefully) something they 'fit'. The silks can get a bit fuzzy if they are moved around much, but that's usually only on basses that require string trees to have a good break angle.

Since string manufacturers don't soak or boil their strings before packaging, there's a little lube from the winding processes that is between the core, wraps, and windings. This can help keep the strings from wearing too fast, and boiling or using a solvent like alcohol will remove the lube, allowing them to wear faster. However, if the windings are full of crud and salts from sweating, it may be best to soak that out and liven them up. Letting them dry first from an alcohol bath, them re-lubing them with a penetrating lube (then wiping down the outer wrap with a rag dampened with alcohol) should extend their life some.
 
#17
If you're using the 99% isoprop you'll be fine. Just be diligent in your removal and reinstallation technique. Reinstall with the bends and coils in the same positions as when you took them off.

If they've got objectionable fret wear divots then they're worn too much and should be replaced. Also, turning them so the wear is on top can cut your fingers...especially if there's a lot of wear.
 
#18
the only type of string you might wanna leave ON for a long time would be ' Flats ' ... many age well and sound/feel better ...

with round wounds ... i just wipe them down after playing ... there's various products for that ... lubes , sprays , string cleaners , etc ( fast fret type stuff ) i currently have 3 different kinds , trying to figure out which works best for me ... being mindful that some products could hurt/dry out your fret board .. !
and wash/rinse your hands off before playing ...

the acid from your hands and dead skin cells are what you're cleaning off ... but , the damage from them being "used" is not going away ...! things you probably can't see or feel , ... but under magnification , you'd be surprised ...

when i change strings ... at that time i'll clean/protect the fret board ( 'F-one' cleaner-conditioner ) and polish the frets ... then check setup with new strings ..
 
#19
boiling and cleaning with alcohol worked for me to a certain degree in the past. But you're only cleaning the dirt that builds up on the sting. Any deformation would remain still, and might mess up your intonation etc.

For practicing and jamming purposes that might be fine but I'd never use old strings for recording.
 
#20
I've been using the denatured alcohol soak for a couple years, now. I get three passes (new, soaked once, soaked again) out of a set of stainless roundwounds. At that point the wear on the wrap has gotten noticeable, so I junk them.
 

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