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I put Vaseline on my strings - a report

wombolombo

wombolombo

Nov 29, 2003
77
47
56
Raleigh, NC
#1
I couldn’t find a ton of info about this process, so sharing in hopes that others wondering about this will find it when the time comes.

My goal is having a set of ‘lived in’ rounds on my bass, so I put a set of the og LaBella Super Polished strings on. They’re really great sounding strings. I prefer flatwound strings so wasn’t surprised that these were way too bright & snappy for me. I then saw a post on social media where someone was excited that their Super Polished strings were still pretty bright after 8 months. I don’t want to wait that long, so I decided to give the Vaseline routine a try.

The result - the process definitely took some of the brightness and zing away, but not in a huge way. I still have to adjust the tone knob (passive bass), but not as much. It’s a change that I notice when playing, but not sure it would make a huge difference if just listening.

TL;DR it works, kinda. Also, Vaseline Routine would be a good band name.
 
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#2
wombolombo said:
I couldn’t find a ton of info about this process, so sharing in hopes that others wondering about this will find it when the time comes.

My goal is having a set of ‘lived in’ rounds on my bass, so I put a set of the og LaBella Super Polished strings on. They’re really great sounding strings. I prefer flatwound strings so wasn’t surprised that these were way too bright & snappy for me. I then saw a post on social media where someone was excited that their Super Polished strings were still pretty bright after 8 months. I don’t want to wait that long, so I decided to give the Vaseline routine a try.

The result - the process definitely took some of the brightness and zing away, but not in a huge way. I still have to adjust the tone knob (passive bass), but not as much. It’s a change that I notice when playing, but not sure it would make a huge difference if just listening.

TL;DR it works, kinda. Also, Vaseline Routine would be a good band name.
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IMO. To me that’s a lot of trouble (potentially a mess) to resolve an issue easily solved with a few twist of the knobs, or a set of flats.
 
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#4
I had good success using this trick on a new set of D'Addario nickel xl's. It definitely got me past the new string zing and able to do some recording with the bass. I've also done this on new flats to get them to that played in state a bit sooner.

If you're the type to leave strings on for a while (and you must if you want the dead string sound) then doing this isn't a very big hassle as you won't be doing it often.
 
#5
wombolombo said:
Agree with the first part of your statement, but putting flats on isn’t going to achieve the sound of worked-in rounds.
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In a band setting who’s going to know? Heck, I’ve been mostly playing Motown on fresh round wounds for over a half a century. Nobody has said anything. LOL!!!

Seriously, you’re correct. However, there are some have post on this board that TIs are a good “twix between”. Although a tad on the pricey side. but it’s also been said they will last longer than the pyramids.
 
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#6
dbsfgyd1 said:
In a band setting who’s going to know? Heck, I’ve been mostly playing Motown on fresh round wounds for over a half a century. Nobody has said anything. LOL!!!

Seriously, you’re correct. However, there are some have post on this board that TIs are a good “twix between”. Although a tad on the pricey side. but it’s also been said they will last longer than the pyramids.
Click to expand...
Yeah…I think a lot of what we stress over as musicians isn’t noticeable to the people listening (especially when they’re talking too 😂). Though, I think it can matter to the person playing - and effect how they play, etc.
 
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#12
Future TalkBass thread titles:

"I breaded my strings and deep-fried them in Crisco - a report"

"I smeared Thai take-out on my pickups - a sonic and culinary assessment"

"I stripped the finish off my P-bass, slapped the naked wood with a raw mackerel about 50 times, pissed on the headstock, and left it tied to a salt lick in the north woods for five days before playing it in a free jazz trio - a harrowing tale of mixolydian mishegoss"

"I ran over my amp with my four-wheeler, disassembled the tubes and filled them with peanut butter, replaced the speaker cones with coffee filters, installed a rocket launcher where the rear port used to be, motorized the casters and rode it to the gig naked - a psycho-aesthetic analysis"

...After which, the OP collects his PhD and embarks on a new career as a university professor.
 
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#13
tpaul said:
Future TalkBass thread titles:

"I breaded my strings and deep-fried them in Crisco - a report"

"I smeared Thai take-out on my pickups - a sonic and culinary assessment"

"I stripped the finish off my P-bass, slapped the naked wood with a raw mackerel about 50 times, pissed on the headstock, and left it tied to a salt lick in the north woods for five days before playing it in a free jazz trio - a harrowing tale of mixolydian mishegoss"

"I ran over my amp with my four-wheeler, disassembled the tubes and filled them with peanut butter, replaced the speaker cones with coffee filters, installed a rocket launcher where the rear port used to be, motorized the casters and rode it to the gig naked - a psycho-aesthetic analysis"

...After which, the OP collects his PhD and embarks on a new career as a university professor.
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I think I saw the last one at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.
 
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#14
When I used to lend my bass to my brother for a gig, he'd return it with completely dead strings! I don't think his hands sweat that much but it must've been very acidic. I finally told him he'd have to buy me new strings if he wanted my bass. (it didn't become a habit:) If you can play in a humid environment, get your hands sweating, it might help. Just a thought.
 
#15
IMO, the best feeling "old" rounds, are Dunlop Superbright Nickels. And their tone doesn't die an unusable death, either!

Two other roundwounds with great aged tone, are Rotosounds Swingbass 66 and GHS Roundcore Boomers.
 
#20
wombolombo said:
I couldn’t find a ton of info about this process, so sharing in hopes that others wondering about this will find it when the time comes.

My goal is having a set of ‘lived in’ rounds on my bass, so I put a set of the og LaBella Super Polished strings on. They’re really great sounding strings. I prefer flatwound strings so wasn’t surprised that these were way too bright & snappy for me. I then saw a post on social media where someone was excited that their Super Polished strings were still pretty bright after 8 months. I don’t want to wait that long, so I decided to give the Vaseline routine a try.

The result - the process definitely took some of the brightness and zing away, but not in a huge way. I still have to adjust the tone knob (passive bass), but not as much. It’s a change that I notice when playing, but not sure it would make a huge difference if just listening.

TL;DR it works, kinda. Also, Vaseline Routine would be a good band name.
Click to expand...
Wouldn’t it be easier to just get nickel rounds or flats?
 
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