Cleaning flats

[opivy3056]

Hey!

Im using TI jazz flats, have been for 3 months or so now, and they still feel/sound great, but they have all these gray spots that you can only see from a certain angle. Is this natural?

Or should I wipe them down with some majik solution?

How do you clean your flatwound strings? (please dont tell me to boil them )

-thanks!

 

[Sir Edward V]

i was just looking online for how to clean strings, I think i read somewhere once that you can make the strings sound and look like new if you boil them for a while, then put them in the oven to dry or something like that

I'm trying to find where i read that before i try anything

sounds like you may have heard of that before though, any insight?

 

[vcs700s]

Do you wipe down your strings with a clean cloth, like a t-shirt, after you play? If you do, it will help.

 

[zachbass02]

DON'T CLEAN THEM.....THE DIRT KEEPS THE FUNK!!!!!!

 

[opivy3056]

Do you wipe down your strings with a clean cloth, like a t-shirt, after you play? If you do, it will help.

Already do.

 

[62bass]

Hey!

Im using TI jazz flats, have been for 3 months or so now, and they still feel/sound great, but they have all these gray spots that you can only see from a certain angle. Is this natural?

Or should I wipe them down with some majik solution?

How do you clean your flatwound strings? (please dont tell me to boil them )

-thanks!

I've been using TI jazz flats for over 6 years now on all my basses. The oldest set still is on the bass and has been played a lot, live and at home. I wipe the strings down with a clean cotton cloth after playing. Usually before playing I used to use a product called Finger Ease and applied a little to the strings and wiped it off. On the flats it didn't seem to do much. It worked better on rounds. Once in a while, if my TIs seemed dirty, like from somebody with greasy hands trying the bass, I used some alcohol on a clean cloth and wiped them down. That's over 6 years on that bass and they still sound good.

I don't have any spots appearing on the strings, so I don't know what could be causing that. Maybe something environmental, or your body chemistry and perspiration from your hands. Try keeping your hands as clean as possible and wipe the strings before and after playing is all I can suggest. If your strings still sound good I wouldn't worry much about it. I haven't heard of any problems like yours (the ugly spots) on other strings either.

I don't know what majik solution is so I can't advise you there.

No, don't take them off and boil them.

 

[Gorn]

Reviving a necro thread....
I bought a set of six month old pyramids and they're great. They're obviously not very bright, but a little more high end would be nice. Any new developments in cleaning flats? Denatured alcohol soak? Anything else?

 

[Arvin]

I've never cleaned my flats, other than a quick wipedown with a dry cloth, but I've done the denatured alcohol soak on rounds and pressure wounds many times. They always come out a little brighter sounding and crisper. I don't see why it wouldn't work with flats. The only caution I'd offer would be if the Pyramids have any materials in them that wouldn't withstand the alcohol soak. I'm not familiar with how they're made.

 

[Mystic Michael]

i was just looking online for how to clean strings, I think i read somewhere once that you can make the strings sound and look like new if you boil them for a while, then put them in the oven to dry or something like that

I'm trying to find where i read that before i try anything

sounds like you may have heard of that before though, any insight?

Thus demonstrating, once again, that you sure can find some goofy advice on the Internet...

MM

 

[Mystic Michael]

Do not boil. Do not bake. Do not saute. Do not stir fry.

Simply wash your hands before playing, and wipe down the strings with a soft, clean cloth after every use. For occasional cleaning, there's a product called "Bass Brites" that is reputed to be very good. I haven't tried it myself, just passing along the info for the sake of our collective enlightenment:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

MM

 

[kasbrey]

I've soaked flats in denatured alcohol (meths in UK) when they've become too "soft" sounding and it takes them back to "just broken in". I do this with rounds also because it takes me a very long time to break them in (I assume because of body chemistry).

 

[Oneirogenic]

I had some pretty broken in sounding chromes that I wiped down with a soft cloth and denatured alcohol and it brought back some high end content. Close to freshly broken in sound.

 

[Randyt]

I use the little alcohol swabs ...pack of a 100 for $5.00...I just wipe down after playing...I bought mine from walmart.

 

[jessicabass]

DON'T CLEAN THEM.....THE DIRT KEEPS THE FUNK!!!!!!

+ a million

 

[Linnin]

I cleaned mine with alcohol before I installed them. Now I just wipe them down with Music Nomad String Fuel.

 

[OzzyGreg]

My own TIs have similar dull spots on them sometimes.
Wiping with a rag after playing is a good first step to preventing it. Followed by use of one of the common string conditioners.

Give them a wipe with Bassbrites occasionally. That should clean the dull spots up.


BTW, by my experience, boiling works fine!
Water at 100 degrees Celcius has no affect whatsoever on the metallurgical structure of a steel bass string.

 

[static0verdrive]

I haven't tried flats yet to be honest, but 99% isopropyl rubbing alcohol works great to clean any guitar/bass string I've ever cleaned. I wouldn't want the 76% stuff because I imagine more/other crap could get left behind, doing who-knows-what to the sound or corrosion.

 

[OzzyGreg]

.

Do not boil. Do not bake. Do not saute. Do not stir fry.

Thus demonstrating, once again, that the internet's full of ............... ah, why bother?

 

[gary m]

Wipe down with a clean cloth.

 

[bassbully]

I have been playing for close to 12 years never wiped a string down ever except for sweat at an outdoor gig which was only a few times a year. I used TIs chromes no matter and no issues ever.