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Have you ever boiled your bass strings?

#102
Rod Barchetta said:
One of my pals originally from Brazil told me he use to boil his bass strings to make them last longer. Another told me the he heard the same thing from his bass teacher. Whenever he gigs, he sweats a lot. After 6-7 hours of gigging he boils his strings to remove the sweat and dirt. They don't go back to brand new, but they really do get much better. I just changed to flat wounds on my PRS and the round wounds weren't that bad, so I boiled them and put them on my Musicman. They sound almost like brand new.

Just though I would pass along the tip and see if anyone else had had a similar experience.
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I've done this a few times in the past, and I wouldn't do it again mainly because at that point, they've already lost some of their elasticity which can create problems with regard to intonation, as well as the string height (action). The only time I've broken a string onstage was on a set of old/boiled strings. Not recommended.
 
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#103
I use denatured alcohol. Place the strings in a wide mouth jar. cover with alc, shake and let set 24 hours. Does a great job. Amazing how much crud is in the bottom of the jar. Strings come out squeaky clean. Don't use rubbing or isopropal alc because it's 30% water. Note I only clean round wound strings.
 
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#104
No. I've never heard any proof that was convincing, and somehow it seems counter-intuitive to boil strings in water (I'm far more convinced they go dead as well from purely mechanical reasons, the windings slipping, rubbing each other out of the way, etc.).

Maybe if I boiled them with this, who knows . . . .

Zatarin's Crab Boil.jpeg
 
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#105
Boiling will help. It's all about the dirt. A buddy of mine used GHS with the red leader and decided to boil 4 or 5 used sets in his wife's nice cookware. It became her nice pink coated cookware and she was not happy. You can use 90% isopropyl alcohol for 10 - 30 minutes as do as well. Has to be 90% and a short duration. The 70% will rust the strings quickly. Bass strings have actually come down over the years. I use most D'addario XL's and they sound great and are pretty cheap. Here's a quick way to get some snap back from your lifeless strings. It doesn't last and you can't do it forever but it's free:

 
#107
Rod Barchetta said:
One of my pals originally from Brazil told me he use to boil his bass strings to make them last longer. Another told me the he heard the same thing from his bass teacher. Whenever he gigs, he sweats a lot. After 6-7 hours of gigging he boils his strings to remove the sweat and dirt. They don't go back to brand new, but they really do get much better. I just changed to flat wounds on my PRS and the round wounds weren't that bad, so I boiled them and put them on my Musicman. They sound almost like brand new.

Just though I would pass along the tip and see if anyone else had had a similar experience.
Click to expand...
No... I'm a fan of putting on a "fresh" new set when needed. Unless I was on a very limited budget.
 
#110
I've heard that for years. I remember the first article I read in a magazine about soaking strings in bleach and baking soda then boiling them and all sorts of hoodoo...
I just play mine, wipe 'em down after playing, and when I can't stand the way they sound, I change them.

I have a friend who says boiling them DOES work, and I respect his opinion, so all I can say is try it.
 
#111
Boiling strings helps when you are in a pinch. I have noticed after boiling the strings they break soon after; requiring a new set to be purchased. I have collected 90% of the old strings that I've used over the last 10 years. They fill a gallon size food bag. I have dipped into this bag twice in that time. My preference is to play strings until they break and buy new. In 10 more years I may have enough old strings to recycle that pay for 1 new set. ;)
 
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#116
Did it a lot when I was younger, and still do it every now and then if the strings are dead but I don't have to record. It works very good with a drop of vinegar, 1 or 2 minutes and dry them immediately (blowdryer). I never had any rust at all, I don't think stainless steel strings will rust any more from clean boiling water than from the salt and acids from your hands. I do have the feeling the strings feel a bit less smooth after boiling them. Not sure if they sound exactly like new, but really, if you're not recording you won't know the difference. I think I broke 2 bass strings in the past 35 years, don't believe it was due to my cooking skills. Better for the environment too.
 
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