Have you ever boiled your bass strings?

[Bigtoe]

I don’t believe the effect we hear when we boil strings is the result of boiling the strings. There’s nothing wrong with cleaning strings. Ultrasonic cleaners are probably the best. The jewelry industry uses nothing but. It gets rid of crud deep within anything. But I think what’s happening is simply the result of taking the strings off the bass and relaxing them to their neutral “position”. The core of any instrument string is made with a type of spring steel. If you stretch a string (or spring) long enough the steel begins to deform due to stress. Loosening the tension on the spring brings the steel back to its original molecular position somewhat, but it’s only temporary. That’s what I believe we are hearing. I think if you loosen strings completely over night and tune them back up you will get the same sonic results of boiling them, minus the benefits of cleaning.
To increase the life of strings it would make more sense to loosen them completely when not in use. Most people don’t do this of course because maintaining pitch is more difficult. Also, the added longevity would have to be significant enough to warrant the trouble.

 

[rickstrong]

No. I clean my strings with rubbing alcohol if they get really greasy. I'm sure that boiling removes oils from the core out, which probably helps to some extent, but a lot of wear is related to metal fatigue, and there isn't really a cure for that.

 

[Don Sanders]

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.

Adding vinegar when you boil them helps cut residue off them

 

[s van order]

I used to when I was younger and couldn’t afford new strings. It worked ok, didn’t make them like new but did make them better. After a couple boil->play->boil cycles it didn’t help anymore and they really needed replacing, but it did help extend the life a little more.

^ This. I played full time early 80s and the band had a small bass string budget but getting a pack (or two) of Boomers (Roto 66 were too dear and unreliable back then) to last a week was a no go. Boiling just got me thru the Monday-Tuesday shows (after hard playing thru the big weekend shows).

 

[MCalasans]

Well, I am brazilian (ok, guilty) and this procedure is usually called "string tea" around here (lol). Until a couple of years ago, I always heard about that but never tried until I purchased my 3rd bass (now it's 5). From that day on, I tried and became a string tea fan. It really works and the strings sound quite like new (please note that I do not play professionally), but I've added some caveats in the recipe (learned from different sources) which turned into a Gourmet String Tea .

The recipe is to boil the strings for 15 minutes in a mix of water, a spoon of white vinegar and a spoon of neutral detergent. When finished, wash the strings in running water, do a first dry with a towel and put them in a clothesline for some hours to let it dry completely. The great tip comes now: Before using, it is interesting to lubricate them to avoid corrosion and make your fingers slide confortably. How? Use graphite from a pencil (rub the pencil on the strings and finish with an old towel). The first time you play, your fingers may become a little dirty (nothing that soap and water couldn't handle) but the results and string durability are great - no corrosion at all! There is one set that I am doing this for 3 years and the strings are, not in my top bass, but still great!

BTW, I only use D'addario EXL170 on all my basses (which makes it easy to exchange strings between them).

PS: I've also found that lubricating guitar strings with pencil's graphite after playing extend their lifetime more than 3 times! (as a bass player, my guitar stays some long time resting and loosing strings to corrosion always bothered me).

 

[Geddaric]

All of my “spare” strings are boiled and ready in case I break a string.
I’ve had no issues with boiling them and it will help you in a pinch if funds aren’t readily available. Just make sure you dry them well.

 

[G-Point]

Use ultrasound bath cleaner and any not metal aggressive fat removing solvent. Use reasonable solvent temperature to not fire your house. Will be cleaner and fresher as a new set.

 

[fauxtoe]

Only when I was young, poor, and too dumb to realize the basic steps of washing your hands before you play and wiping the strings off after you were done would save them from going dead in 1-2 weeks...if that. I do that now and also incorporate a GHS string cleaning cloth to wipe them down. It has really extended the life of my strings now by months depending on how often I play or practice.

 

[Bad_tattoo]

I did in my younger days when I was poor as dirt but insisted on playing 6 string basses, for which a new set of strings was somewhat of a premium, at that time. Bit of dish detergent in a small pot, wring the strings into a loop, down they go for 5 minutes for a boil, wipe, and you've got 70% fresh tone for 70% the of the previous duration. Diminishing returns apply heavily.

Nowadays, on suggestion from BurningSkies, I keep a PVC tube filled with denatured alcohol in the basement and just chuck a set down there in a copper wire hook while I play the 2nd set dead, then swap them as needed. Works the same but better, with less diminishing returns. The thicker strings lose benefit the fastest, and will eventually sound out of place with the now comparatively VERY zingy thin strings, so that's usually what marks a brand new replacement is needed..

Don't say 'miser', I prefer 'environmentally conscious'

 

[BlueTalon]

Here's an idea, for those of you who do this because you either can't or don't want to spend the money for a new set of strings as often as your playing might otherwise dictate:

Buy strings in bulk. There are probably many ways to do this. I just did this by finding someone selling my favorite strings on Reverb.com, and offering to buy five sets for about 75% of his asking price. Buying strings one pack at a time is the most expensive way of getting new strings.

 

[droo46]

I boiled my strings once a while ago and did a sound comparison. It works, but I prefer to not do it.

 

[bigbottom32]

Heck yeah. I had a special pot for it too. In the late 70s, strings were expensive and my money was tight. Also there weren't as many string manufacturers as there are now so no "bargain" strings were available. I could get at another few weeks out of the strings by boiling them.

 

[bleedingfingers]

Don't know if this is the first time for this as I got tired of reading the same thing over and over again .
What I used to do is rotate 3 or 4 sets cleaning them in a plastic bar pickle jar by shaking them for a half hour then letting them air dry .
Then changed them every couple of nights or gigs .
Another thing you can do in a pinch that I think I saw on Youbube was to slap the s--t out of them .
The guy tuned the bass way down taking the tension off the strings but not all the tension then snapped and slapped them against the finger board for a few minutes and the brightness comes back for awhile .
Works I've done it .
Look up slap the S--t out of them
Now I have 2 identical basses one for practise one for gigs the practise bass does not get new strings very often
and that saves wear and tear on my gigging bass strings so don't have to change them as often .
Also I use DR high Beams which seem to stay bright for a long time .

 

[treyydogg]

back in the 90s which doesnt seem very long ago at all however .... i experimented with boiling after reading an article / interview with Billy Sheehan and at the time it was gig city. Trying to maintain that wonderful new rounds sound was impossible with virtually no day job at the time, in the article he had mentioned wiping with alcohol after each set and or rehearsal and i began trying this and found it did prolong and rejuvinate quite well as well as save ton of cash i was needing to use for groceries ... this where its gets either sad or comical but before i go there i must say please dont try this at home! I dont remember if i came up with the idea or one of my crazy roomies at the time but it came to pass that i would ceremoniously on gig nights boil my best or nearest to new set in ALCOHOL ! yes i know , but it did work amazingly and i might add new exploded due to the fact that we had ceramic top stove, pretty high class i admit for some no day job rockers back then for sure. Like i said never exploded but would make this crazy surely toxic alcohol fog that would drift across stove top and countertops and down the front of the stove to the floor ... it was known by the myself and roomies as the fog of death because if you inhaled even the slightest amount it would render you breathless and gagging for air.... anyway short story even longer than i expexcted after i moved from that residence and was makin enuff money working days and seldom doing any gigs at all i found myself needing on one occasion fresh strings for an audition but it was after hours so i snatched strings off number one stick and went to kitchen to boil em in alcohol so i would sound good and surely get the job .... problem was the stove was gas not ceramic topped and it DID BLOW THE HELL UP 1 i suffered minor burns and managed to keep myself and house from burning with sink sprayer but it was pretty hairy or actually hairless after that .... i have not boiled any strings since then in alcohol nor water and really cant remeber why i didnt realize this was going to happen other that years of getting away with it at the old band house. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME !

 

[Johnny Crab]

Boiled strings when I was using Rotosounds when they first came out and I was very poor.....for about 10 years.
In the mid-to-end of 2008(?), IIRC, I came across Alice strings during their earlier production and prior to pirate copies being everywhere. I bought them by the box because they work extremely well on all of my basses and sound close to Rotos. Using both bidding and BIN methods on ebay back then, I ended up with enough strings to probably last until I'm gone(age 65 now). Prices averaged between $3 and $7 per set. They also make a non-wrapped end set that works very well with Kahlers so a few boxes of those were got.

Alice appears to have changed production about 4 or 5 years ago and now their very light sets no longer "feel" the same, even my thin-necked basses confirm this. I quit buying their Roto-Clones although their "colored set" of strings still seem to use the original production methods and sound very good....IF you can use multi-colored sets on your basses. I have 2 "blinged by wifey" basses that use those colored sets.

YMMV.

 

[Nick Andrews]

I had flat wound strings and tried boiling them in the 1970's. I never cared for what I had ended up with. I had read about another technique, where you rub the strings with olive oil, really working it in. Then place on a flat pan, put in the oven using the broil setting. Sprinkle with a little parmesan. Talk about Muah.

 

[hankhill]

I boiled mine several times in the past, it does work although they seem to go off more quickly. Then I read someone built a cleaning tank from a length of pipe sealed at both ends, filled with Meths (or alcohol), with the strings hung in there for a few hours. I looked at building one but realised that a 1” diameter pipe 40” long full of meths would cost more than 2 sets of new strings...

 

[pbass74]

After reading this thread I'm wondering if the type of pan you use makes a difference? For instance stainless steel and aluminum are highly dissimilar metals. Water accentuates the difference and things like corrosion happen. That's about all I know, but wondering if anyone else has thoughts on this?

 

[KDHBass76]

Yes. Nowadays when I change strings I boil the set I take off. I save those as spares. I usually keep one or two sets of spares around. Air dry boiled strings thoroughly (like several hours) and corrosion won't be a problem.

 

[Ian Lewis]

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.

Back in the 70s I used to boil my strings to renew them. Drying them in the sun prevented rusting. These days I play Warwick EMP nano-coated roundwounds. They don't absorb finger gunk, so I change them every year or two coz I can afford to, not because I can hear any difference.