I boil alot. Roto stainless steels boil good, dr's not so much. Actually dr's in my opinion are usually only good once. Meaning they typically break the second time around boiling or not in my experience.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Today's Lesson: Don't Boil Cheap Strings...
- Thread starter Squid-TEGH
- Start date
-
- Tags
- cheap
Denatured alcohol. Been doing it years, works. Like a champ. No to boiling.
Get one of those empty paint cans and keep the alcohol in there, leave a second set in there and just swap when it's time. You'll get 80% of the life of a new string each time.
Get one of those empty paint cans and keep the alcohol in there, leave a second set in there and just swap when it's time. You'll get 80% of the life of a new string each time.
You boiled that neck, didn't you?
As are, it seems, many members of TB....
Personally I have boiled Daddarios in the past which gives the strings about 3-4 more weeks of life. I would take one string off at a time to boil and dry and would generally only have 1 or 2 strings off the bass at once (5 string) but now I just spend the money on new strings unless I'm in a pickle and money is tight. Have only broken 1 string (G string) and that was with using a pick pretty hard on worn out strings. The boiling definitely helped clean the crud off them though.
As above - Especially if it isn't a really stiff neck. I think you just tightened it until it snapped.
Ya, you got to put all the strings on and tune them up most of the way before you worry about buzz. the tension from the 1 string is only 1/4 of what is needed to get your neck (straightness) back into position.
This is what I used to do - Buy a piece of 2 inch ABS or PVC pipe and a matching end cap. Glue the cap on one end. Fill with Methyl Alcohol (alcohol made from wood - DO NOT DRINK THAT STUFF!)
Put the strings in ball end first. Let soak for an hour. Take them out and let them dry. All the finger goo and dirt will be gone and the strings will sound bright again. They won't be like new because they will still have flat spots from hitting the frets - if you play really hard. But you can extend the life of the strings this way without putting them in your cooking pots.
madbass6
Inactive
- Jan 13, 2009
- 2,428
- 1,295
- Disclosures
- I do not give consent to use any of my photos ! please respect that. thank you.
Dude I'm hungry now!! lol.
Boil & then Bake?
Never boil strings period!
best method to cleaning Bass strings is using
Denatured alcohol ! Same idea the post before mine said But use denatured acohol instead..
NOTE: its Extremely flammable be sure to do it in a well vented area and read carefully all instructions on container before using! Keep in mind Denatured alcohol is NOT your average pharmacy alcohol !
It's usually found in hard ware stores! Home Depot etc.
If you asked me, not worth the BS
I'll just replace them !
Boil & then Bake?
Never boil strings period!
best method to cleaning Bass strings is using
Denatured alcohol ! Same idea the post before mine said But use denatured acohol instead..
NOTE: its Extremely flammable be sure to do it in a well vented area and read carefully all instructions on container before using! Keep in mind Denatured alcohol is NOT your average pharmacy alcohol !
It's usually found in hard ware stores! Home Depot etc.
If you asked me, not worth the BS
I'll just replace them !
It might sound stupid obvious to say but give your hands a good wash before you play. Give the strings a wipe with rubbing alcohol after.Okay so I got totally sick and tired of my bass strings being filthy. Given that I'm not gigging and I don't play very often I thought I'd give boiling them a go. I oiled the fretboard while they boiled, and I dried them with 15 minutes in the oven.
Put the E back on the bass, tensioned it up and maaad fret buzz, even with the string much higher than I thought it should sound. Tightened it up a little more (to see if I could get the string to clear the frets/if there was a problem with the neck now I'd taken all the strings off) and with a sudden fatal snap, the string went limp against the fretboard.
I has a sad. I've never snapped a string before, and the faithful E string was my favourite!
Apparently though (as I understand it) it's the cheap strings that are prone to becoming weakened during boiling whereas the real strings survive it two or even three times. So maybe I've just ruined the cheapy cheapy no-name OEM strings that shipped with the bass, but at least I get to put my shiny Rotosounds on now.
Anyone have any thoughts or advice so I can learn from this experience?
If your snapping strings make sure your saddles are nice and round without any sharp edges. I was always snapping high e's on the strat until someone pointed out the saddle was a little sharp on one side.
Did you only have the E string on? In that case you didn't have enough tension on the neck to bow it slightly. That's what caused causing fretbuzz, the string was too close. Put all 4 back on and tune 'em up. It makes no difference if they're nickle or steel strings. Either metal melts at over 2000 degrees F. So boiling at 212 doesn't really do much to the metal.
Boiling can't weaken strings. You'd need to get metal glowing hot to do any real damage. Take a paper clip and bend it back and forth til it breaks. The same thing will happen to a bass string where it's bent too much.
Me neither.. well I tried it once.. and I thought it was a total waste of time..
I only speak from experience AND i didn't say it was going to happen for sure. I only said it's possible and it is. I have the personal experience of it happening.
Tomorrow's Lesson ; Don't boil any strings ... wipe them off every time they're used instead .
sounds like you boiled them and baked them. Did you forget to grill them on the Weber and mop with sauce?
maybe you boiled/baked too long...
maybe you boiled/baked too long...
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
- 5,784
- 6,819
- Disclosures
- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
Makes a delicious soup, but I'd rather just play them longer then replace.
I boiled strings for years. Always got worthwhile results and never broke one. Then a friend pointed out that boiling could loosen the windings around the core due to heat expansion of the metal. Switched to soaking in denatured alcohol, first the pvc tube, now coiled in a soak tub. Still get good results. But when the strings come out of the soak I dry them by laying them beneath a 77w lamp to remove any lingering moisture.
I don't know if I'd even know when to boil or clean my strings, as they are always sticky. That's how they are made. All the forums warned potential users that these strings will always feel sticky. And they do! But they play and sound awesome so no complaints here.
No they're bloody hell not, in my country. Not everyone lives next door to Ernie Ball or in the U.S. A 5 set string of high quality of either Rotosound, D'addario, TI is about 94 USD in - say - Sweden. And they're not even coated yet. Coatings of EXP or Elixir even higher. Not to even speak of TI FLATS!!! If you're young and starting out that's a huge cost. You can even find bargain second hand deals on a real bass, och CL or e-bay. Thomann Europe sells basses new for that price.
And what did the OP and thread said about cheap strings?
