I don't know if there already is a thread about this, so I decided to create one. I was once given a tip by another bassist. He said instead of buying new strings every time they sound dull, that he boils his strings in water, and it cleans them so they sound like new. I tried it myself, and was surprised to hear how good it sounded. If I remember correctly, it's almost as good as when I just bought them. You should have seen all the white dead skin and crap floating in the water after
Give it a try

My bass-teacher told me that, too.
But i never did that. But something about it has to be correct, if it worked for you.
This tip seems to be spread worlwide.

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wouldnt you be unable to put the strings back on after? I mean, you have to cut them short when you put them on, so how would you put them back on?

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Well, if you just unwind them instead then it might work. I don't think it's the most intelligent thing plus the strings would be less durable since you are reusing them. Lastly, the fact that you have a froth of dead skin isn't exactly appetizing. It remidns me of digging up the septic

Yeah unwind them. They probably will be less durable, but it's still worth it since strings are so expensive. And I ate the special soup afterwards

I recommend doing it, it felt good to have 'new' strings.

hahaha yeh ive done that once it works!!!! but yeh you get too see all the shit come off the strings, lovely!! but yeh it saves money!!

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How long do you boil them?

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for about 5-6 minutes


well when the water starts bubbling i leave it for bout 2-3 mins

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i heard it works on guitar strings as well (figures... duh
)
but would this realy be usefull? normal guitar strings are not as expensive as bass strings are... plus, there is always a detoriation of quality when you boil them (even slightly)

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Just buy new strings, damn

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Boiling your strings is a very useful technique to save money and restore the lost sound quality of old strings, specially if you are using a 6, 7 or odd stringed bass. But the sound quality and string durability does decrease each time.
Yes it does work on guitar strings as well, though when tried with guitar strings I always end up breaking one soon after, for guitar just buy new ones, dont waste your time, unless you are in desperate need of new strings and dont have the cash to get them.
If you can afford to replace strings everytime you need new ones, go for it, but if you dont have such money its worthwhile to unwind and boil your strings.

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I heard this on some interview with van halen,... ive tried it for guitar and it fucking kicks ass,... your sound is sharp just like when you first put those fuckers on.

Yeah, it works ive done it like 4-5 times now, but ive actually got money now so i buy the strings.. cos im too lazy to go through the whole boiling process..

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My moms starting to freak out cause i boil strings, apparantley it also takes alot of time,... lol

ya read it somewhere....havnt tried it out myself

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does this work for guitar?

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No. I'm pretty sure not, unless you have tru-coil strings. My strings have the texture but arent a true coil.

I heard someone say in this thread that it worked for guitar.

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yummy skin broth

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I did it to my strings a few weeks ago, it does work, however I found didn't didn't last very long and theres nothing better than new strings.

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Hahaha i once had a set of strings that lasted 2 and a half years without me taking them off the bass.. it ruled.. oh but then they broke...

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haha..once while tunning it my neigbhour tunned it so tight that the
E string broke into two piece's

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This works damn well if your broke.

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Indeed it does, its the first resort when your broke...

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Just chop up some mushroom and carrots too and.....

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm........ I can taste it already.

Not long ago, I scrubbed the strings on my acoustic with a cloth and they became much nicer. Easier to slide and more aesthetically pleasing. The low E string especially had a big difference in color. Went from looking like some kind of dull metal to shiny brass.

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Mmm....Flesh broth...*droooooooool*

Haha, my friend has a bass and he's had the same strings on it for over 4 years now...but now after four years of use and abuse, it's really hard to bend the strings and stuff, but it gets an awesome sound...so i'm thinking of (possibly, if I can...) going out and buying new strings for him...I mean...C'mon...4 years?!? I replace mine atleast once every freakin' 6 months to one year!

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I wouldnt buy him new strings, i bet the guy has a lot of pride in his strings being 4 years old and still going, haha, if he wanted new strings dont you think he would of bought a set by now?.. unless he is real poor and wants some then go for it. haha

Also flesh broth does smell pretty good. sorta like a fryed egg.

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haha...it smells...uhhh...weird...>_<'; I paid my friend to eat some...he did.

He isn't fucking poor he has a fucking huge crate amp...he's mainly a guitarist, and rarely plays his bass...so I think that's just part of the reason...but if not, they have to be some really damned good strings...

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When hes out of town, steal his bass take the strings off, boil them, and whack them back on the bass, see what happens then, eh

No money wasted or anything.

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Heh heh heh...I'll try. I do think it's about that time to boil those strings...I mean, it's a washburn though...and he's spend thousands of dollars on all of gear and stuff...new bridges, new amps, new guitars...I mean, he has atleast 6-7 guitars in his room alone, and 4-6 amps of dirrerent brands and sizes...so I don't think he'd really need them boiled if he can get all of that...

On the other hand...there is a slight issue- does boiling loosen the strings, or make them more tense? Because when I did it to mine, they only slightly tensened up.
Because like I said before- "...they are stiff and kind of hard to bend..." and I don't wanna make them any harder because I gotta play with that guitar at his house, and when our band gets a gig.

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Hmm i havent really noticed if they tense or loosen up after being boiled, But if they tensen up thats good for me! because my strings are real loose.

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Yeah.. those strings will be on there until they break
And its only been about 3 years.

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CC? your the dude hes talking about?

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Yeah, I am.

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Ahh right, 3 years? no breakage? thats quite impressive!

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Yeah, but I dont play it that much.
The strings are actaully cleaner looking than Slayerdudes bass strings and it stays in tune real good.

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Well it's a Washburn, you rarely play bass, and I've used my bass almost 2 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 man...so go figure the differance.

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Huh, it's not a Washburn, it's a Vantage.

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I coulda sword to---OH SHIT >< that was your red guitar I keep thinking of the head on the bass...my bad!

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a Vantage bass? i used to have a Vintage bass.. hmm

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It's freakin' awesome man...I'd like to steal it from him since he doesn't play bass... but what kind of friend would I be then?

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Its funny because I dont play bass but I'm better than you at bass.

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Shut up man, you've been playing for 4 years now! This is my one year anniversery! Cheers to me!

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Yeah, boiling your strings is a great way to get that lovely warm sound of new strings. It doesnt pay off though because it only seem to last for 7-8 hours of playing, and then you'll have to do it all over again. But if you own a hohner jack bass like me, wich requires very expensive double ball strings, then it's definetly worth it yes.

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Im about to try boiling my strings. I use Everly strings which in my opinion are better than Dr, elixir and Warwick Black labels (Yes, Ive had them all.)

Everly B-52 Bass Rockers are awesome. They arent as expensive as the others either. If you cant get your hands on a set Warwick Black labels are the next best thing. Everly's carry the "new string" feel alot longer then the other strings and they dont break/rust/corrode for years (I've had my set on my 4 string for 2 years now. Well....maybe 2 and a half. I think it's 3 years in september...but that's not the point.)

www.everlymusic.com

Go check them out.

My friend has says that his strings were slightly rusted and he said that he was just gonna boil them. This wouldn't work, would it?

It couldve.. has he done it yet?

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no he's outta town right now. But if he gets right on it could it make the strings sound all tasty and crisp again?

I think it wouldn't be worth the trouble with a guitar since they break so easy and guitar strings aren't that expensive, but I wouldn't mind trying it. If anybody tried it tell me how it worked

I've been using this trick for over 20 years, now, and you can't go wrong with it. When I boil my strings, though, I add a bit of vinegar in the water, it really helps clean them. I've also heard that soaking them in windshield washer/antifreeze will do the same thing, but I don't think I'll be trying that one anytime soon.

My strings cost me just over $60 CDN per set, so I generally don't replace them THAT often. But when I do, I always boil the old set and put them away in my case, as a set of spares. That way, for recording and big gigs, I'll buy new strings for the perfect tone, but if I ever break a string at rehearsal or whatever, I can just reach in my case and pull out a "new" string.

As for doing it to guitar strings...if you were paying $60/set I'd say give it a try...but you're paying $6/set...just don't order that extra beer and buy some new strings dude...

Cheers

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I should do this more often, i dont know why i dont, i used to do it all the time, im just worried that boiling them loosens the tension and they could easily uncoil..

I just put fast fret on them after gig or band practice, then they go back to sound new, ill have to try the whole 'boiling' thing again..

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I had a thought that this might work really well for the Floyd Rose SpeedLoader system. The strings are VERY expensive but rarely break because of the inherent low friction design of the system. I'm going to try and boil a set and see what happens. Check out my site if you happen to own a Floyd Rose guitar and want to check out the ultimate resource on these guitars.

Marco
Floyd Rose Club
floydroseclub.com

There's already a thread about that here in the Bass Zone.

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Yeah, this thread is older..

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oops

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I boiled my strings last week and my strings are like reborn.

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The thread title caught my eye because I've heard this for guitar strings for about 35 years. One thing you might try since it seems they don't last long after boiling is to hit them after you think they've dried with a blow drier or set them someplace where they can evaporate totally and quickly. Water might make the internal string weaker and rust faster causing the breakage. You might even try using rubbing alcohol or peroxide instead of water. It would probably clean the dead skin off and not leave a residue. No need to boil. Don't get it near the finish of your instruments until you're sure they're completely dry. Just some thoughts.

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A Peroxide solution is probably not a good idea. Any corrosion of the string is likely to be due to oxidation (like rusting) by the oxygen dissolved in the water. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidising agent and will probably exacerbate the problem. Water is not so much an issue during the actual boiling since gases are less soluble in hotter solvents, but if the strings are cold and wet for a long time this might be significant.

Drying your strings rapidly and thoroughly is a good idea though. Rubbing alcohol will dry faster than water, so rinsing off the water on the strings with rubbing alcohol or some other volatile solvent mixture would also help somewhat. This does seem a bit over the top though, I think the damage from sweating on them during a practice session is probably greater than that caused by them being damp after boiling.

Boiled mine, with a hint of white venegar. Got a cloth doused with rubbing alchol (not made of cotton, of course) and rubbed the cloth on my strings(so they dry faster).

The results were flourishing. They sound a lot better, especially for their age(over a year).

Boil your strings!

Yeah, the bassist in my band boils his. They sound OK after but die away pretty quick. Stop being tight arses and just buy new ones!

Do not boil Rotosound Swings.

No, really, don't.

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Can you explain why?

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See that red shit on the both ends of the string? (dunno how its called

I've had hard time when i boiled that goddamn string and tried to mount it on again. The other thing is even if you boil them the sound don't get much better.

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I heard about this boiling technique last night for the first time, ive had my bass for 12 years and it still has the original strings on it so im looking forward to testing it once i put them back on!

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Attached Images

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I'd hate to know how often you change your underwear.

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thats just pure fucking laziness.

have some respect for the craft, retard.

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That comment was totally uncalled for, how long you have your strings on your bass is personal preference, some people like that muffled old bassy string sound, so leave out the stupid remarks please.

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Wow, I cannot imagine not changing my strings for 12 years. That just amazes me. I change my strings every 2 months.

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Indeed. So do I, my strings are a couple of months old now, the previous set was +1 year. "Respect for the craft"!? What the FUCK?

I just like my bass to sound like this, I like to use it as an "undercurrent"/"undertone" (see Bloc Party and maybe Watain for reference).

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My Guitar Strings don't last like....more than 6 months.

In the bass I don't really mind! I kinda like that sound.....unless you want to record some Ved Buens Ende bass material, its pretty ok!

That was pretty fucking rude man. Maybe he happens to like that dull, thumpy sound. I know quite a few players that do.

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Intresting article

A better alternative to boiling?

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Indeed, interesting article; I have already cleaned the strings I have on my bass right now before using denaturalized alcohol. Works really good.

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my buddy actually biols them and then runs over them with his car...

That is just plain stupid. You boil the to get the dirt OFF the strings, by driving over them you get the dirt ONTO the strings.

Don't boil; denaturalized alcoholize.

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How the hell does that help?

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Exactly, I play a six string bass and boil them at least a few times before I buy more. The price of new strings for me is at least $40. I just can't always afford that every three months.

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What I use is something called "Lizard Spit", and it's nothing short of miraculous.

Says fretboard-cleaner, but I use it on my strigns too and it makes them sound exactly as new, and can be done multiple times over multiple months. Since it ain't waterbased it won't make your strings deteriorate, quite the contrary. I can now easily go 6 months with my strings, and no-one'd even notice.

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Holy sh!t that weird , but good to know,nearest music store to me is a 2 hour drive away, or wait 5-8 days mail order, and we got a show sat.! may give it a shot.

Does it really helpful to boil the strings? I want to try it this weekend.