I Boiled My Bass Strings Today

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....

 

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?

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

You mean you washed off all the mojo?

 

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

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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