I put Vaseline on my strings - a report

[ugly_bassplayer]

Eucerine paste
Thank me later

 

[wombolombo]

Wouldn’t it be easier to just get nickel rounds or flats?

I’m going for ‘lived in’ rounds - so flats wouldn’t work. I suppose I could’ve bought nickel strings - but they’d still need time (or treatment) before they got the ‘lived in’ sound and feel.

 

[wombolombo]

Eucerine paste
Thank me later

Thanks! Does it do a better job than the Vaseline?

 

[InhumanResource]

I’m going for ‘lived in’ rounds - so flats wouldn’t work. I suppose I could’ve bought nickel strings - but they’d still need time (or treatment) before they got the ‘lived in’ sound and feel.

IMO nickels are pretty much that sound, used em for years for the same reason. I don’t like the ultra zingy sound of new steels, and they also stay in the sweet spot for way longer.

 

[ghiggin1079]

I marinate my strings in 70⁰F 5w30 motor oil for 3 weeks prior to installation.

 

[UntitledProject]

Thanks! Does it do a better job than the Vaseline?

I've used both. I like the Vaseline because I can apply it, hit it quickly with a hair dryer to melt it, wipe off any excess, and I'm up and running. The suggestion with eucerine is to leave it on for a while before wiping it off (or so I've read and done). Both work great. Eucerine is great for your skin and any excess will just soften the skin that contacts it instead of leaving behind a lightly oily feel like Vaseline.

 

[humbuckaroo]

Vicks Vaporub for that sick tone.

 

[eddybuzzard]

IMO nickels are pretty much that sound, used em for years for the same reason. I don’t like the ultra zingy sound of new steels, and they also stay in the sweet spot for way longer.

Yeah, if pure nickels aren't wrung out when you first put them on, they will be the very next day

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Thanks! Does it do a better job than the Vaseline?

for sure,
not greasy !!
wipes away clean
wont damage any parts of the bass, wood or hardware

use the eucerine paste not the cream!!

kills strings dead, been doing it for years

let the strings “soak” overnight

 

[vvvmmm]

was it Zappa talked about nose grease?

[awaits K-Y jokes]

 

[Kevin Hailey]

This has got to be up there with the most ridiculous ideas I’ve seen on this site. (This week)
Try covering your speakers with Vaseline, or wipe the strings down with a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Just play the bass.

 

[InhumanResource]

O

This has got to be up there with the most ridiculous ideas I’ve seen on this site. (This week)
Try covering your speakers with Vaseline, or wipe the strings down with a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Just play the bass.

hard to believe this is the same site that says you need to wait 4 days before opening your new bass or it will develop neck dive. Then promptly rub down the strings with preparation h to get rid of that annoying roundwound sizzle. I like to massage wasabi paste into paper speaker cones when breaking them in as well, it really helps with low end extension and getting all the watts out of my amp.

 

[JohnEdward]

This has got to be up there with the most ridiculous ideas I’ve seen on this site. (This week)
Try covering your speakers with Vaseline, or wipe the strings down with a slice of pepperoni pizza.
Just play the bass.

Yeah, except it works really well.

 

[EvilJ]

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.

This is in the running for post of the year.

 

[mikeswals]

Seems like it would be way easier to buy people's used strings.

 

[SpankBazz]

The jokes write themselves but this method works.
I ordered the wrong size of Ernie Ball strings, so my tech put on some GHS Bass Boomers.
I used to use Boomers before I switched to Ernie Ball and I forgot that they're zingy when new.
A single thin coating of store brand Vaseline did the trick immediately.
No need to take the strings off. No need to wait overnight. No need for an excessive amount. No need for a second application.

 

[el murdoque]

IMO Eucerin is easier to apply because it's a thick paste that won't drip.
When I install a set of flats and don't want to go through the entire half year routine of breaking them in, I usually take the strings out of their bag, wipe them down with alcohol and a good rag to get rid of the polish residue (which I think, also shortens the period in which they feel sticky), then apply Eucerin and leave them over night. Come morning, I wipe the Eucerin off and proceed to install them.
I've also treated installed strings, just covered the fretboard with tissue paper, which also worked fine. Applying it in the evening and wiping it off about 10 hours later gets me in the ballpark of about 2-3 months of playing soundwise.

 

[vvvmmm]

Not clear re why the wait.

I mean, metal doesn't absorb.

Izzit because what is in the winding dries out?