I Boiled My Bass Strings Today

[HG1180]

Yup, I did it, ill just list the steps i took.
1-Soak in 90% Ethyl alcohol for 10 minutes
2-Rinse with water
3-Boil for 10 Minutes
4-Wipe down strings with alcohol soaked napkin
5-Fresh Clean Strings!

The amount of gunk and dead skin i successfully removed was astonishing

Anyway, tell me how im wrong with your comments!

Also the tone was significantly more bright and lively after the boiling.

 

[Guild B301]

If it didn’t do any damage, and you like the sound better - what could be wrong?

How old were these strings? We’re they flatwound or roundwound? Stainless or Nickel? It will be interesting to see how they hold up in a few weeks or months, and whether they rust or get dirty faster than before....

 

[HG1180]

If it didn’t do any damage, and you like the sound better - what could be wrong?

How old were these strings? We’re they flatwound or roundwound? Stainless or Nickel? It will be interesting to see how they hold up in a few weeks or months, and whether they rust or get dirty faster than before....

They were Ken Smith Strings Slick Rounds, essentially flatwounds with a larger winding gap than normal, theyre about 2 years old? not too sure. But they have been given a new lease on life cause i was gonna throw em out cause they were dead, in a bad way, and then i just said “oh hell why not”. And it worked!

 

[Guild B301]

They were Ken Smith Strings Slick Rounds, essentially flatwounds with a larger winding gap than normal, theyre about 2 years old? not too sure. But they have been given a new lease on life cause i was gonna throw em out cause they were dead, in a bad way, and then i just said “oh hell why not”. And it worked!

I believe all Ken Smith strings (I just bought some today) have silk wraps on both ends. Did yours? If so, how did the silk wraps hold up?

 

[HG1180]

I believe all Ken Smith strings (I just bought some today) have silk wraps on both ends. Did yours? If so, how did the wraps hold up?

The silk on the ball end was perfectly fine after the cleaning, the tuner end is another story. They were already starting to come off, but the boiling water took quite a bit more of them off, i dont mind though. As long as they work its all good by me.
It is a bit disappointing though cause the purple of the silk is a very nice shade of purple!

 

[Guild B301]

Nice to hear. Keep us informed of how they hold up.

 

[HG1180]

Nice to hear. Keep us informed of how they hold up.

Will do!

 

[michael_t]

They were Ken Smith Strings Slick Rounds, essentially flatwounds with a larger winding gap than normal...

They're actually half-rounds/groundwound, not flatwound as such.

 

[HG1180]

They're actually half-rounds/groundwound, not flatwound as such.

They feel very much like flatwounds to me, hmm...I suppose a bit of research is in order!

 

[michael_t]

They feel very much like flatwounds to me, hmm...

That's because the outer round wire is ground down to a flat surface.

 

[dpaul]

Next time, try soaking your strings for 24 hours in denatured alcohol. It will thoroughly clean the strings, have them sounding like new, and is far less destructive than boiling. And if you strain the alcohol through a filter afterwards, you can reuse it.

 

[Vinny_G]

1-Soak in 90% Ethyl alcohol for 10 minutes
2-Rinse with water
3-Boil for 10 Minutes
4-Wipe down strings with alcohol soaked napkin
5-Fresh Clean Strings!

6-Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and two basil leaves.

 

[Rabidhamster]

I’d wash that pan a few times, boil plain water a while and rewash again before considering reusing the pan to cook food

 

[charlie monroe]

I’d wash that pan a few times, boil plain water a while and rewash again before considering reusing the pan to cook food

You’re braver than me. I would scratch “Nasty ole string cauldron” on the pot and store it in the garage.

 

[CallMeAl]

The amount of gunk and dead skin i successfully removed was astonishing

You mean you washed off all the mojo?

 

[Rabidhamster]

You’re braver than me. I would scratch “Nasty ole string cauldron” on the pot and store it in the garage.

Next you’re gonna tell me you wouldn’t eat scrambled eggs cooked on your engine exhaust manifold.

 

[The Expendable Clay]

I've done this a few times and I like the sound for like 2 weeks afterward and then I have to change them.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Yup, I did it, ill just list the steps i took.
1-Soak in 90% Ethyl alcohol for 10 minutes
2-Rinse with water
3-Boil for 10 Minutes
4-Wipe down strings with alcohol soaked napkin
5-Fresh Clean Strings!

The amount of gunk and dead skin i successfully removed was astonishing

Anyway, tell me how im wrong with your comments!

Also the tone was significantly more bright and lively after the boiling.

Keep in mind that used strings have a lot less elasticity to them than new ones even when they’ve been boiled, so this may affect their ability to stay in tune and will probably feel a little bit lower tension which may result in fret buzz, plus they will ‘die out’ quickly.

 

[Yools]

I've been doing this for years - not the alcohol soak, but a good 10 min in boiling water with a little bit of baking soda. In fact one of mine is in need of a good boil treatment right now. They do come out sounding almost like new, but it won't last that long - generally after a few practices/shows they will be noticeably deader. I've tried doing it a second time, but it generally only has a nominal effect.

Oh, and I definitely use that pot again for making spaghetti, etc. After a thorough cleaning, of course.

-Y

 

[bassdude51]

Depending on how valuable or invaluable our time is, a new set of strings is probably the practical way to go.

$22.95

KEN SMITH SRL SLICK ROUNDS BASS STRINGS, LIGHT GAUGE 4's 40-103 | eBay