Double Bass Cleaning rosin off of gut strings

[AGCurry]

I've been practicing bowing on my bass strung with Gamut guts, and they've developed a buildup of rosin. I did a search here for how to clean rosin from gut strings and found very little, although someone advised NOT to use alcohol.

I asked an expert, Dan Larson of Gamut. Here's his reply:

Andy,
Thanks for the message. The best way to remove the rosin is with denatured alcohol. It will remove the rosin and leave no residue on the string. Remember to use an almost-dry cloth to avoid dripping on the instrument or soaking the string. Removing a little at a time is the best way to go.
Regards,
Dan Larson

 

[LouisF]

Andy,

I just wipe with a dry soft cloth after each session. But I use light rosin like Jade or Petz Premium. It's dusty but comes right off and (after 3 years) sees to have no negative effect on the strings.
Louis

 

[Jeff Kissell]

Basic rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy is chemically the same but has fewer additives.

 

[AGCurry]

Basic rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy is chemically the same but has fewer additives.

I don't think that's true. Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol with a lot of water and is not that good a solvent. Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol (the "active" ingredient of booze) with some methyl alcohol and other things to make it undrinkable. You could probably use the Everclear (95% ethyl alcohol) left over from making Purple Passion, but it's much costlier than denatured alcohol.

 

[John Chambliss]

Oh why did I drink the Purple Passions at the frat party gig in 1968? They cleaned out my gut!

 

[AGCurry]

Andy,

I just wipe with a dry soft cloth after each session. But I use light rosin like Jade or Petz Premium. It's dusty but comes right off and (after 3 years) sees to have no negative effect on the strings.
Louis

Louis, I use Leatherwood rosin. I like it, but it leaves a gummy buildup on strings, even steel strings, after a few hours of play. The Pistoys have a ropelike surface - not smooth - and the "dry soft cloth" just sticks and squeaks when I try to clean them that way. Cleaning steel strings with alcohol, a copper chore boy, Citra Solv, or my thumbnail, is no problem... I was just looking for a solvent harmless to guts.
Andy

 

[AGCurry]

Oh why did I drink the Purple Passions at the frat party gig in 1968? They cleaned out my gut!

John, were you playing for that frat party? I was there, with freshman dreams of getting lucky. The puking didn't help get my mojo workin'.

 

[John Chambliss]

I was the idiot bass player who let guys play my bass if I could dance with their date. Only once I should say..... Maybe twice.

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

 

[Jason Sypher]

Always used alcohol from the pharmacy. Never had any issues whatsoever.

 

[JohnWT]

I'm interested in you saying that you use leatherwood rosin. I also use Gamut gut strings (4 med Pistoy; would never use anything else again) and have used Pops and Nyman rosin but I'm not completely happy with either.
Can you tell me a bit more about the leatherwood rosin?

 

[ddnidd1]

You can get 99 - 99.9% isopropyl. Its called technical grade alcohol. You can get it many places even amazon.

 

[Lee Moses]

I'm interested in you saying that you use leatherwood rosin. I also use Gamut gut strings (4 med Pistoy; would never use anything else again) and have used Pops and Nyman rosin but I'm not completely happy with either.
Can you tell me a bit more about the leatherwood rosin?

Throw out all your rosin but this brand

 

[JohnWT]

Throw out all your rosin but this brand

Ah, thanks. That thread answered my questions. Interesting that it's made in Orange, a country NSW town that I know a bit. It is expensive (Orange people seem sometimes to fancy themselves a bit upmarket and that sort of rubs me the wrong way) but perhaps, having read the enthusiastic comments, I'll give it a try.