Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

String Cleaners/boiling/coated Strings and General tone


thundachopz

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone

The age old question on string life, boiling and cleaning products...

I regularly use fast fret after each time I play....But as I sweat alot live my strings really do take a pounding....

Also I notice slapping and popping drasticly reduces string life? I have used many differnt string brands types and gauges.....I do have a fav in regards to tone but I feel prettymuch any sting doesnt provide very long life....

Between practing,rehearsal and ofcaorse live I am lucky to get a couple of days at full potientel in regards to tone as I prefare that brand new string piano like tone.....

Does any one have any recommendations?

I have tried boiling as we know it does work but will only last a rehearsal...

Bass strings can be expensive but as we know tone is very inportant...

I currently use ernie ball slinky..

Past favs have been rotosound swing bass....D'addario pro steels...D'addario nickel....and tons others..

Coated strings? Pros ? cons?

 

Edited by Rich
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ultrasonic bath used with 100 percent IPA.

image.png.576fc12c60d0b094059d59c3755d65b4.png

The one that my link points to is a little expensive.  I got mine some years ago from ALDI's bargain aisle for less than a tenner. 

Use this method in a well ventilated room and take fire precautions.  Make sure that you use pure Iso Propyl Alcohol - 100%.  Less than 100% means that it contains water and it may cause issues with corrosion.

I don't recommend it for coated or nylon wrapped strings however.  It's ideal for gummed up metal watch straps.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, skidder652003 said:

well I use these at £4.40 a pop, but you may not like the tone, I find them fine for pub gigging, nice and snappy cos they're always new, 10 sets for the price of a set of La bellas? Possibly worth a punt?

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_valuestrings_bassguitar_medium.htm

Me too! I actually like those strings, and would do if they cost five times as much. I came to them after D'Addario, Rotosound, DR, Newtone and LaBella - and like them just as much as any of the aforementioned "proper" strings. Shame they don't do a stainless set, but at that price I'm not about to quibble! :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love the sound of week old Rotosounds, just a bit too bright when brand new but they hit that sweet spot once they've been played a few times, but it is way too expensive for me to keep replacing expensive strings. I've gone down the other route, looking for something that has an acceptable (to me) tone after a few months. Two strings have done this for me, Elixirs which everyone knows about and Dean Markley Blue Steels. I ran my own test a few years back leaving them on basses for two years. Both made an acceptable sound even after all that time, the Elixirs lasting slightly better, but not by much. Both basses came back to full life when I re-strung though. FWIW I restrung both with Blue Steels and I'll probably stick that way, though £4.40 a set looks tempting.

I've boiled and cleaned strings in the past and found it not really worth the bother, it makes a difference but only for a short while. I'm not convinced Fast Fret and the like works to prolong life either, any oil is going to turn to gum over time and make the string a dirt magnet, sure you'll clean the surface but deep down in the grooves?

I guess you'll have to decide a yearly budget for strings, £100 a year would buy 22sets of the Harley Bentons, 3sets of Blue Steels, 2sets of Elixirs  or 6 sets of Rotosounds. I like a slightly less bright sound and a couple of sets of Blue Steels a year does me. I'd struggle with the waste of 20 sets of strings a year.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Boiling/cleaning strings is IME a waste of time and effort. It is at best a very short-term fix and every time you remove and refit the strings you increase the chances of them breaking.

Coated strings. You'll have to try them for yourself. Some people like them others like me can't stand the feel.

I'm currently using Warwick Black Label Strings. If I didn't have a requirement for a taper-wound low B I'd be quite happy with the much cheaper Red Label versions.

Edited by BigRedX
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to boil my roundwounds occasionally, and it does help to give them a bit of extra life but not for long, and not more than once really before the strings started to look a bit sorry for themselves with shredded silks etc.

However - if you look at Marlow DK on Youtube he does this thing of slackening the strings off and doing what he describes as 'slapping the sh*t outta them' - literally popping and slapping the slack strings to knock some of the gunk out. And it does actually work. A bit.

I've mostly moved over to La Bella flatwounds these days tho so zing is not my thing. Interested in the Warwick Red Labels tho for my remaining roundwound bass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wouldn't mind trying these strings but at £10 for shipping for a set at just over £4 is a bit much. Maybe if i buy something more expensive i'll add a set in to the order.

I have Elixir strings on my Warwick Thumb. They def do last at least a year but i find the tension a bit tighter than standard of same gauge.

Smooth feel to them right enough. They don't have that same zing you get from new strings even straight out the pack. They have an even tone from the word go and i think the tone does change but at a much slower rate and you tend not to notice the deterioration as much.

Might actually try a set on my Jazz gigging bass to see how they feel.

Dave

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

popping and slapping the slack strings to knock some of the gunk out. And it does actually work. A bit.

Ultrasound works much better than that.  It displaces the greasy deposits using a combination of solvent and the vibration from the ultrasound cleaner.  It's less traumatic for your strings and hardware than the method you've seen.

You will see the gunk sat at the bottom of the ultrasound bath after a three minute blast.

Edited by SpondonBassed
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm was a  new gig = new set of strings when using cheap roto nickels.

Went on to Daddario Nickels and went to one set= lasts three gigs on the trot at a weekend and still good about a week or so after.

Every now and then I get a gig in a place I'm not that bothered about and don't bother changing them at all.  Funny thing is recently I've been enjoying those gigs tone wise a bit more. This weekend I'm living on the edge and not going to change em and see what happens!

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you really need 'that' tone for practising (or even some rehearsals...)..? Maybe a second bass with a set of, say, Elixirs (good, long-lasting strings...) for home use, and the 'real' bass with the freshest strings for gigs..? The 'gig' strings might last quite a bit longer..? I too, would be reticent in the use of Fast Fret, or any other product of the sort. Clean hands (of course...), and a thorough wipe-down after use would be my routine.
Just my tuppence-worth. B|

Edited by Dad3353
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another vote for Elixirs, I have said several times on various threads that I have some potent body chemistry and eat through normal strings at an alarming rate, a few practices or a couple of gigs and they are gone. Elixirs however remain consistent for a very long time and I love the soft feel the strings have as well, win win. 

I was also sad enough to work out what I would spend on uncoated strings in a year against the price of Elixirs and how long they last me and I was comfortably saving money over the course of a year.

I will also throw out a very honourable mention to D'Addario NYXL strings. I have a set on my Stingray and they had done incredibly well considering they aren't advertised as a 'longer lasting string'. They feel good and have lasted a lot longer than my old favourites Ernie Ball Slinkys, the 'regular' D'Addario Strings, and Dunlop Super Bright.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Boiling might remove any residue build up, it won’t do anything to solve physical damage to the string from contact with the frets or through being stretched. Isn’t the core wire steel which rusts when exposed to moisture?

I’ve never really had a problem with sweaty finger tips to be honest, hands sometimes in really hot venues, maybe have a towel on stage and wipe your hands in between songs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, ped said:

Elixirs. I love them. A set lasts me a year and they come in the gauges I like. I do think they’re well worth the price. I used to avoid noodling on my bass at home because I didn’t want to ‘waste’ my strings!

I'm sorry, but this.

When I had no money, it was all about boiling up strings to give them a bit more life, but then I was just buying crap strings.  Elixirs are brilliant.  The set on my Aria have been on there - because I keep a log of these things - since 13th February 2017 (17 months) and they still sound zingy.  Just buy better.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another total Elixirs convert here. Absolutely amazing things. I used to baulk at the cost, until I realized just how much I was saving in the long run. Plus the feel is just soooooo smooth, it almost feels like they are playing themselves.

I would never let WD40 within a bazillion miles of my fretboards, not even the glossy maple ones. The product info says to avoid prolonged or repeated contact with skin and untreated woods, and that's enough warning for me.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...