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Outdoor Gigs and Strings

Geddyfleaharris

Geddyfleaharris

Mar 5, 2007
3,237
1,320
Portage la Prairie, MB, Canada
#1
The last 4 gigs my band has done were outdoor gigs. After each of these shows the "E" string on my bass was basically dead (4 string Stingray, EB Super Slinky 45 - 100 set). The other strings weren't much better but had a little more zing left in them.

Anyone else run into this? Is it the sun or extra humidity or sweat?

Anyone have any tips on getting a bit of life back into them? (although I am not holding my breath on that)

It's getting expensive! lol
 
#2
My band does allot of outdoor's gigs with two this weekend that were very hot and humid. I never have had that problem. What strings are you using? I use DA' chromes and now halfrounds never an issue. Maybe you just need to clean the sweat and goo off them from the sweating your hands did on them?
 
#3
Geddyfleaharris said:
The last 4 gigs my band has done were outdoor gigs. After each of these shows the "E" string on my bass was basically dead (4 string Stingray, EB Super Slinky 45 - 100 set). The other strings weren't much better but had a little more zing left in them.

Anyone else run into this? Is it the sun or extra humidity or sweat?

Anyone have any tips on getting a bit of life back into them? (although I am not holding my breath on that)

It's getting expensive! lol
Click to expand...

Boil them and they will sound as good as new. Very old trick I learned from an interview I read with Eddie Vanhalen many, many years ago.
 
#5
funkybassinator said:
Coated maybe? I also found that the super slinkies didn't have a long lifespan. I personally think the DR lo-riders have a pretty decent lifespan, and IMO sound better than the slinkies. They're a bit stiffer. You could also try coated though.
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Maybe a set of Elixirs is the way to go for a change.

To others -

I wipe the strings during the gigs and after. Try and keep them as clean as possible.

I did the boiling thing back in the day. It seemed to work if I remember correctly for a short time. Maybe I will give that a whirl. How long do you boil yours for? Also thought I had read on TB that a lot of people thought boiling was a waste of time. If I could get another gig or two out of them that would be sweet though.
 
#6
Many here on TB are a fans of cleaning them with denatured alcohol. Go get yourself a length of pvc tube, just long and wide enough to fit all your strings in, and let them sit and soak in it overnight at least. Then just pull them out, wipe off, and let dry. The alcohol won't take long at all to evaporate. Other solvents work well (I use naptha, just because I have it around) and I'm sure others will be suggested.

If you want, you can always have two sets of strings, one that gets left in the tube of solvent, and the other on your bass, and just swap them back and forth whenever they start going dead. Eventually they'll start to wear grooves from your frets and you'll have to replace them same as ever, but this will get you alot more life out of them.

I personally don't boil mine just because I'd rather use a solvent other than water. I'm too afraid of them rusting out from the water, maybe someone who has done this long term will know if it's an issue or not.

Neither of these will make your strings sound brand new, but it'll get them probably 80-90 percent there, like a new set that's just had the harsh edge taken off. That's how I like them, personally.
 
#7
Well, this is a never ending battle..elements vs. Strings. On My MTD 535 I prefer to use MTD Strings Steel 45-135. They truely sound the best on my MTD but can basically be dead after one hot humid nasty outside gig (One of the bands I play in does 98% of our jobs outside from end of May through September and too be honest I really do not like playing outside) So, I have found that DR Marcus Millers 45-125 really hold up well to the sweat and elements. I will Use the DR's most of the summer and switch back over to MTD after the season. Unless I have a recording date where I may put a set of MTD's on. Durring the summer too I will also use GHS FAST FRET to keep them clean and try and get a little bit more life out of them.
 
#8
If you can stand the feel of Elixirs, sure. See if you can find a bass already strung with coateds on the wall at GC. Me, nooo.

I boil to the point that all my basses have open bridges. I keep an electric wok at whatever studio I'm at. Could get six months out of DR hi-beam 40's (or XLs back in the day) with string intensive 3 hour practices 5x/week. When it got to the point of notable tension change, notable fret gooves, or having to boil 'em every practice, I'd replace em. BUT, I have oily hands :/ And no, they never rusted.

And, it's seriously - bring water to boil. Drop in strings. Stare. Fish out strings. Wipe down w/alcohol.

First, I would religiously keep a towel near your bass, and maybe consider wiping down your strings/hands after every song or two for summer gigs. Great idea I found in another thread was keeping individually wrapped alcohol wipes around, get 'em at a drug store.

Wash your hands before you play, clean 'em every time you put the bass away.

From another thread, list seems to be (in no particular order):

1) Boiling
2) Isopropyl and a rag, or jar
3) Naphta (lighter fluid) and a rag. Great for smokers!
4) Ultrasonic cleaner -- hell-o. Seriously intrigued by this.
5) Fast fret
6) Stanley Clarke uses Skin Bracer. Heh.
7) Denatured alcohol/overnight - http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/bass_string_cleaning_tube.html (swap back and forth, two sets)
 
#9
I would recommend staying away from ISOPROPYL alcohol, also known as "rubbing" alcohol. Typically only 70% alcohol, the rest is some kind of filler that will leave a residue on your strings. Getting the residue out of the strings is the whole purpose, is it not?

If you are going to use "alcohol" at all, use DENATURED alcohol, which doesn't have any oily additives.
 
#10
Geddyfleaharris said:
Maybe a set of Elixirs is the way to go for a change.

To others -

I wipe the strings during the gigs and after. Try and keep them as clean as possible.

I did the boiling thing back in the day. It seemed to work if I remember correctly for a short time. Maybe I will give that a whirl. How long do you boil yours for? Also thought I had read on TB that a lot of people thought boiling was a waste of time. If I could get another gig or two out of them that would be sweet though.
Click to expand...

Boiling definitely works and works well. I used to do it in the past when I was into that super bright, piano type sound. And as someone already pointed out, no it does not rust the strings. Metal has to be in a damp environment for a considerable amount of time (we're talking months to years) for any significant oxidation to occur. The few minutes that you have them in the pot is not by any means long enough to do any damage in that respect. If that were the case then your car wouldn't be able to survive even so much as a trip to the car wash, never mind a whole winter season. And for the record it is not the moisture from the snow that destroys cars in the winter, it's all the salt on the roads, but that's a different thread for a different website. The acidity and salt in your sweat will erode your strings long before boiling ever will. Another advantage to this technique above others I saw listed in this thread is that you don't have to keep the strings in a tube over night. You just boil them for like five or ten minutes, wipe them down and wham your ready to gig.

P.S. The reason I don't do it anymore is because I prefer that vintage motown sound now. For me the deader the better.

Peace.
 
#12
Eric Moesle said:
I would recommend staying away from ISOPROPYL alcohol, also known as "rubbing" alcohol. Typically only 70% alcohol, the rest is some kind of filler that will leave a residue on your strings. Getting the residue out of the strings is the whole purpose, is it not?

If you are going to use "alcohol" at all, use DENATURED alcohol, which doesn't have any oily additives.
Click to expand...

interesting - I wipe my strings down (if they are more than a few weeks old) w/ isopropyl alcohol and it seems to work. I will try denatured. thanks for the info! I am very sensitive to the way my strings feel - humid outdoor gigs are the worst!

to the op - maybe try a little baby powder? I did this a few times, but didnt like it towards the end of the gigs it seemed to make it worse - but i read a few people having luck w/ it . . .
 
#13
Eric Moesle said:
I would recommend staying away from ISOPROPYL alcohol, also known as "rubbing" alcohol. Typically only 70% alcohol, the rest is some kind of filler that will leave a residue on your strings. Getting the residue out of the strings is the whole purpose, is it not?

If you are going to use "alcohol" at all, use DENATURED alcohol, which doesn't have any oily additives.
Click to expand...
There are lots of alcohols, each named for the organic molecule to which the hydroxyl radical is attached. Isopropyl just means that the organic part of the molecule is an isomer of propane. Denatured alcohol is ethyl alcohol (ethanol) which has additives (usually methanol, but it could be any of several different substances) in it to make it toxic and/or unpalatable.

Isopropyl alcohol sold as rubbing alcohol is 99% isopropanol (at least the label on the bottle I am looking at says so), and the other 1% is water.
 
#15
taphappy said:
Huh. Baby powder. Worth a shot for the outdoorsies.

I have some unfinished necks, great little trick I got off another bass player - head to the pool hall, grab one of these: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...

I keep a small container of talcum powder in my gig bag; the back of a guitar or bass neck is the same as a pool cue. I use Fast Fret on the strings.
 
#16
I play outside looking out over saltwater every weekend and this has been the most hot and humid summer that I can remember. I use Dean Markley Blue Steels on my MM Stingray 5 string, and wipe down before and after each gig, with fast fret, and this set has lasted me since April. They still sound fine.
 
#17
For maintenance purposes wiping the strings down with alcohol after a gig is also good. Isopropyl is actually OK because it is basically just a combination of water and propylene. Although sulfuric acid is sometimes used as a catalyst in the production of isopropyl alcohol I do not believe any remains in the final product. Isopropyl alcohol is specifically made to get rid of oily residues so it seems counter intuitive to me that it would leave a residue behind. That being said I would suggest using the bottled type with a decently made towel rather than the wipes as the coarseness of the strings could rip those little disposable wipes up pretty good. I could easily see that causing residue problems.
 
#18
JamcoPasamerson said:
Isopropyl is actually OK because it is basically just a combination of water and propylene.
Click to expand...
While the addition of a water molecule to a propylene molecule would indeed make it isopropanol, it is an entirely different compound, not a mixture. It has completely different properties from either water or propylene. Table salt is just a combination of sodium and chlorine, too, but it resembles neither of its elemental components.
 
#19
ggunn said:
While the addition of a water molecule to a propylene molecule would indeed make it isopropanol, it is an entirely different compound, not a mixture. It has completely different properties from either water or propylene. Table salt is just a combination of sodium and chlorine, too, but it resembles neither of its elemental components.
Click to expand...

I am sorry but I do not see your point in regards to th OP's question. Are you saying that in your opinion isopropanol does leave a residue? Or are you just correcting the wording of my statement?

Even though I never actually used the word "mixture" whether or not it is a mixture or a compound, all I was trying to say was that it is commonly used as an oil and residue removing agent and therefor the idea that it would leave a residue did not seem to make much sense. I have personally wiped down my strings with isopropanol alcohol in the past (although admittedly not too often) and have never had a problem. That being said, I am by no means a chemist nor was I trying to pass myself off as one. Sorry if it came off that way.

Cheers.
 
#20
JamcoPasamerson said:
I am sorry but I do not see your point in regards to th OP's question. Are you saying that in your opinion isopropanol does leave a residue? Or are you just correcting the wording of my statement?

Even though I never actually used the word "mixture" whether or not it is a mixture or a compound, all I was trying to say was that it is commonly used as an oil and residue removing agent and therefor the idea that it would leave a residue did not seem to make much sense. I have personally wiped down my strings with isopropanol alcohol in the past (although admittedly not too often) and have never had a problem. That being said, I am by no means a chemist nor was I trying to pass myself off as one. Sorry if it came off that way.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I was unclear. Isopropanol evaporates without residue, but that has nothing to do it being a combination of propylene and water any more than the properties of table salt are related to those of sodium and chlorine.

It may leave a residue if enough of it is not used, but that's just the redeposition of what was there before the wash; what alcohols do not do is evaporate away substances which are not themselves volatile. I could go into details of why alcohols can be solvents of both organic and inorganic substances, but that would get extremely boring for most of us. :D

I am a chemist, or at least I was in a former life.
 

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