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Increasing string life?

GuyMcee

GuyMcee

Guest
Dec 5, 2011
73
19
Boston, Massachusetts
#1
Hey guys, I was wondering...

What do you guys do to keep your strings sounding new for as long as possible?
I recently bought a new set of strings and I played so much that they sounded dull after a few days(got a new bass so it kinda had to happen).
I met a guitarist who put alcohol on his fingers before he played and wiped down his guitar before any performance, so I've tried wiping down the strings and it definitely helps a little bit.
 
#2
GuyMcee said:
Hey guys, I was wondering...

What do you guys do to keep your strings sounding new for as long as possible?
I recently bought a new set of strings and I played so much that they sounded dull after a few days(got a new bass so it kinda had to happen).
I met a guitarist who put alcohol on his fingers before he played and wiped down his guitar before any performance, so I've tried wiping down the strings and it definitely helps a little bit.
Click to expand...
The general consensus seems to be that denatured alcohol works best. Whether you're taking the strings off and soaking them or just wiping them down.
 
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#5
I don't know about coated strings. But if you really need to have that new string sound, wiping them off well is all you can do. As for me, I just gave up on the need. I play Sadowsky Blue Labels and they don't have that much top end anyway, but what I like is that as they mellow they stay clear and sit well in the mix. I would never change them more than 3 times a year.......just too cheap.
I guess what I'm saying is that one way to deal with needing that new string sound is to give up the need for it. Aging strings have their own rewards that might surprise you. You can EQ your bass and amp as well to help your strings even in the rest home phase.
 
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#6
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#7
GuyMcee said:
What do you guys do to keep your strings sounding new for as long as possible?
Click to expand...

You can keep your strings new forever by not playing them. Otherwise, they're going to wear out eventually.

Or, like other people have said, wash your hands before you play, wipe the strings down after you play, wipe them down with alcohol every once in a while to get some of the grunge out.
 
#8
While boiling does clean *very* well, the water trapped against the steel core may not be a good thing.

The advice already mentioned about keeping hands clean and wiping down the surface post-gig is a very practical approach until you need to do an alcohol revival, which can squeeze out a little more life. I only do the alcohol soak when a set comes off and becomes my emergency backup.

A word about denatured alcohol & methylated spirits- Use sparingly. ventilate!. avoid regular/prolonged skin exposure. Invalid Link Removed

190 proof grain alcohol is not available everywhere and generally runs about twice the cost of denatured alcohol, but this is what I use for mixing shellac, cleaning, alcohol lamp in the shop- I still use nitrile gloves to avoid drying out my skin, but at least I know I'm avoiding the nasty stuff. Be safe!
 
#9
The best way? Keep your bass in it's case and never play it.......

But seriously folks......I wash my hands before playing and wipe them down when done. I've tried wiping them with alcohol, but that doesn't seem to do much, IME.
 
#10
Wash hands between sets. Be anal and OCD about it. Don't eat finger foods during gigs. No greasy stuff. Don't let junior with dirty/oily hands sit in. Wipe your hands off with a clean towel repeatedly during sets. Wipe strings down REALLY well after gigs. All that helps, but they will still get dull and die eventually.

I boiled my strings for twenty years. It works just fine. Brings them back to life a few times. I could get 3 to 4 boilings (boil for about 30 minutes) out of them before they could not be revived and had to be pronounced dead.

There is also a "quick fix" video on Youtube about "slapping the **** out of your strings." I find this works to an extent when you are at a gig and a string starts dying. You basically loosen the string so that it's very floppy and start pulling it out and snapping it back onto the frets. Do that for like two minutes over and over. Surprisingly, it often does brighten them up. Not always, though. Plus, I don't like being so violent with the strings or the frets/nut/bass in general. But, it often works in an emergency.


BEST SOLUTION (in addition to keeping them clean in the first place):

Within the past few years, I have been soaking ailing, sickly strings in denatured alcohol for 1 to 2 days. It really does work! I generally have two sets per bass that I alternate--play on one set while the other is soaking. And the cool thing is that there really is no limit on how many times a set of strings can be resurrected, other than when the windings get badly deformed/dented or come loose. I have seriously soaked sets of strings 15 or 20 times before they are structurally unsound. After soaking them, they are VERY, VERY close to sounding new. Over and over. Saves gobs of money.

I have found that it works best on stainless steel strings, but it does work on nickels as well. I have not tried it with flats, since I seldom use flats. I use D'Addario Pro Steels, which I have found stays bright way longer than any other strings I've tried before dying. But now with the denatured alcohol trick... well, my strings are nearly immortal. :)
 
#11
Christcr said:
There is also a "quick fix" video on Youtube about "slapping the **** out of your strings." I find this works to an extent when you are at a gig and a string starts dying. You basically loosen the string so that it's very floppy and start pulling it out and snapping it back onto the frets. Do that for like two minutes over and over. Surprisingly, it often does brighten them up. Not always, though. Plus, I don't like being so violent with the strings or the frets/nut/bass in general. But, it often works in an emergency. :)
Click to expand...

Somebody posted that vid a while back, and I though it to be a ridiculous idea - not to mention hard on the frets/fretboard.

I also use Prosteels exclusively, and they last me about 3 months, but what the heck ... they're cheap. Elixirs last about twice that long, but have too much tension compared to Prosteels.

Another way to help with string longevity is to use a pick! :thumbsup:
 
#13
Fast Fret for sure. I use it every time I play. Before, during, and after. I like my strings to break in a bit, after a week or two they are where I want them tonally and can usually keep them that way for at least 3 months. The set of RS66's on my Geddy Lee Jazz are actually hitting the 6 month mark. Granted, I'm not playing 100+ gigs a year, I only average about 14 hours a week playing bass (and switch between two basses), but without the Fast Fret I was ready to change strings after a month.

Boiling does work, though I only do it once per set. Can't remember the last time I had to boil, though.
 
#16
Marleaux's slapping does work. When used in conjunction with cleaning hands and wiping down strings I get great life out of my Foderas. Every time Im about to change my strings I will smack them into submission and get another gig out of them. Show them whos boss. It works.
 

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