Eucerin Skin Cream Kills Strings DEAD!!!

[JimmyM]

Thanks for the heads-up, Jimmy; I will make sure to avoid Eucerin like the plague!

That’s nice.

 

[5StringBlues]

bless your heart

 

[Selim]

For that, one light pass, and maybe 2-3 hours.

Just confirming for the TB group - that worked perfectly.

 

[JimmyM]

Just confirming for the TB group - that worked perfectly.

Nice! Glad it worked out.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Oil Of Olay brings Roto Swing 66's back to life...
Just kidding, but my 57 year old face simply glistens!

 

[5StringBlues]

You look positively radiant today, lance. You're glowing!

Oil Of Olay brings Roto Swing 66's back to life...
Just kidding, but my 57 year old face simply glistens!

 

[HowieD72]

Nothing else even comes close for deadening flats. Eucerin Aquaphor does OK at it, but it's only OK. And forget the other medicated formulas. Plain white Eucerin cream is the ticket for making your new flats thumpy quickly. Store brand substitutes are fine as well, but some can be runnier than others.

Takes a couple overnight applications and wipedowns to really work, but the first application takes care of the worst of the zing while the second makes them sound like they've been played in by a sweaty person for a month or two. Even works on zingy-when-new Chromes. Results were more dramatic with Dunlop flats, which are less zingy when new, but the Chromes G string can be tricky. Still it's way tamed down and barely clinging to life. It also takes a decent amount of edge off new strings if you're pressed for time and can't do anything but one quick coat.

Best of all, you don't have to skeeve it like rancid chicken grease or some of the really nasty bodily secretions some of you suggest (you really need help, people). No need to turn your bass into a breeding ground for microscopic parasites if you don't have to.

You can argue with me till you're blue in the face about this or that foreign substance, but to put it simply, you are wrong. For deadening strings, Eucerin is king. If you use anything else, you're jackin'.

EDIT: This quick string deadening method does not work on TI Jazz Flats, any kinds of strings with similar silk or synthetic windings if there are any, or coated strings. The cream can't work its way into the windings on these types of strings.

Thanks Jimmy. I was in the process of looking for some options for dead sounding strings. Now I know what to do with that new set of chromes in my parts bin that were never going to be used

 

[JimmyM]

Thanks Jimmy. I was in the process of looking for some options for dead sounding strings. Now I know what to do with that new set of chromes in my parts bin that were never going to be used

Haha! Well just bear in mind that even Eucerin can’t work miracles on a Chrome G string. They don’t give up without a fight.

 

[HowieD72]

Haha! Well just bear in mind that even Eucerin can’t work miracles on a Chrome G string. They don’t give up without a fight.

Only problem I'm finding here now in New Zealand is where to buy some Eucerin!! Online they are like $50 for a small bottle. My wife gave me the "look" when I was rummaging through her beauty products!

I read somewhere, people have used butter, vaseline or olive oil. Any other tips (or products) to kill those chromes Jimmy?

 

[JimmyM]

Only problem I'm finding here now in New Zealand is where to buy some Eucerin!! Online they are like $50 for a small bottle. My wife gave me the "look" when I was rummaging through her beauty products!

I read somewhere, people have used butter or olive oil. Any other tips (or products) to kill those chromes Jimmy?

I am not fond of using butter or olive oil. Olive oil isn’t bad but I didn’t think it worked great, and butter is yucky rancid stuff . At that price I’d just use Vaseline. Eucerin is great for dry skin and killing new strings but not at that price!

As for the Chrome G, not much can be done other than a piece of foam and regular playing and sweating, but it does deaden somewhat. The others aren’t nearly as stubborn.

 

[HowieD72]

I am not fond of using butter or olive oil. Olive oil isn’t bad but I didn’t think it worked great, and butter is yucky rancid stuff . At that price I’d just use Vaseline. Eucerin is great for dry skin and killing new strings but not at that price!

As for the Chrome G, not much can be done other than a piece of foam and regular playing and sweating, but it does deaden somewhat. The others aren’t nearly as stubborn.

Thanks Jimmy! Vaseline is in the house! I have some ideas what I'm going to try on the chrome G. I'll see how it goes.

 

[SteC]

I'm trying this with some Lubriderm on some slinkies right now. Will report back later!

 

[JimmyM]

I'm trying this with some Lubriderm on some slinkies right now. Will report back later!

I can’t sanction the use of Lubriderm . But seriously, I never tried it, so yeah, report back.

 

[SteC]

I can’t sanction the use of Lubriderm . But seriously, I never tried it, so yeah, report back.

I just did one coat overnight. Wanted to blend a newer D and G with an old E and A. It did enough to get by and I'll probably just play them in from here.

I imagine the eucerin is thicker maybe but the lubriderm worked fine!

Thanks Jimmy!

 

[JimmyM]

I just did one coat overnight. Wanted to blend a newer D and G with an old E and A. It did enough to get by and I'll probably just play them in from here.

I imagine the eucerin is thicker maybe but the lubriderm worked fine!

Thanks Jimmy!

Good to know, thanks for the intel.

 

[andare]

Do you just wipe a dollop of cream along the string's length and then wipe it off with a rag?
I imagine you do this with the strong8off the bass right?

I've used hand cream on rounds, directly on the bass (it's a relic) and it definitely dulled them.

 

[JimmyM]

Do you just wipe a dollop of cream along the string's length and then wipe it off with a rag?
I imagine you do this with the strong8off the bass right?

I've used hand cream on rounds, directly on the bass (it's a relic) and it definitely dulled them.

I leave the strings on but that’s exactly what I do otherwise.

 

[KenB]

But when you have a night to set up a bass to do a gig where flatwounds are needed and all you have in your leftover string box is a new set of Chromes, you will all get down on your lousy, stinking knees and thank the Almighty that you were blessed enough to read this post!!!

Reviving this thread in order to thank Jimmy once more for passing the word about Eucerin...

I play a JMJ Mustang with well-broken-in D'Addario Chromes flats. The last few weeks the E string had begun sounding really nasty. Rough sounding, NO pitch definition, just BLAH!
The five-year-old set sounds wonderful, but that E needed to GO.

So yesterday I put on a new E string. WOW, what a shock! The new E was so bright and twangy it was hard to believe all of the strings on the bass started out sounding like that!

I broke out the Eucerin Original Healing Cream, and gave that E an overnight treatment.

OMG, UNBELIEVABLE!
After that single treatment the new E string matches the rest of the set perfectly!!

I've used Eucerin in the past, but guess I didn't remember just how well it works.

So Kudos to you, Jimmy! Thanks!!

 

[JimmyM]

Reviving this thread in order to thank Jimmy once more for passing the word about Eucerin...

I play a JMJ Mustang with well-broken-in D'Addario Chromes flats. The last few weeks the E string had begun sounding really nasty. Rough sounding, NO pitch definition, just BLAH!
The five-year-old set sounds wonderful, but that E needed to GO.

So yesterday I put on a new E string. WOW, what a shock! The new E was so bright and twangy it was hard to believe all of the strings on the bass started out sounding like that!

I broke out the Eucerin Original Healing Cream, and gave that E an overnight treatment.

OMG, UNBELIEVABLE!
After that single treatment the new E string matches the rest of the set perfectly!!

I've used Eucerin in the past, but guess I didn't remember just how well it works.

So Kudos to you, Jimmy! Thanks!!

Thx Ken! Glad it worked for you.

 

[Texican]

I just put a brand new set of GHS precision flats on one of my P basses and have a country gig tomorrow night. I don’t *NEED* to use that bass, but I definitely want to. They sound harsh and clanky at the moment, so a lotion treatment may be in order, however my only choices are beard cream and foot cream. I also have some “I can’t believe it’s not butter” spray