Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

A guy I work with was telling me that his brother use to boil his bass strings before installing them!!? Apparently it would affect the sound and life of the strings?
Anybody around here did that before? I don't know if I should believe it though!

I used to boil old strings to brighten them back up, but never boiled new strings.

Some folks around here mentioned that boiling old strings can screw up your intonation...

I remember doing that when I was very young. It seemed to have the desired effect, but wasn't long-lived. Can't see the point of doing it to new strings, however.

Especially with Roundwounds, boiling removes all the finger crud that builds up over time, one of the main reasons for strings going 'dead'...there's no point in boiling new strings. There's no point in boiling old strings either, compared with buying new ones. This method is mainly for when you're young and starving, or playing gigs for six months 10,000 light years from the nearest music store, both of which figure heavily in my resume...

That clarifies my ignorance. When I find that my sound is going down, I usualy get new strings.
So it's no use for me to bother boiling strings...not that it would make a difference since I never did it before!!! Thanks for the info guys! Cheers

Dane and Scott, you're spot on! I did this when I was a poor kid and couldn't afford to get new strings as frequently as I would like. I use to boil them in my mother’s macaroni pot – oh she hated that!

Years ago I read an interview with Stanley Clarke. He said he would rub down his strings with aftershave after playing. The theory being the alchohol would get the sweat and oils off of the strings. I tried it and it works pretty good. I really use it a lot on my fretless basses before I play (I don't change the strings on my fretless basses). Also, if I'm caught in a jam and need to record with a bass with old strings. I rub the strings down with aftershave. The result is not as bright and lively as new strings, but it does help with the sound for awhile.

There's nothing like a big plate of Roundwound pasta...with a glass of sweaty, oily aftershave to wash it down...

Stanley and that crazy Church of Scientology...is aftershave the only alcohol they'll let him keep around?

I remember reading as a youngster that Chris Squire put new strings on his bass EVERY DAY! Ahh, the magic of endorsements...

More impressive to me at the time than any number of fantasy limo rides...

Jaco used fried chicken grease...

bass string soup ....

I've been saving old, broken strings for potential use in an art project-music studio remains. A sort of collage...

But I was thinking of cutting up one of the old sets so I can measure the mass per length of the strings, and do relatively accurate tension calculations for my 4001 and Jazz Bass.

Maybe the remnant strings can be used in your soup, Jeff? Just let me know how small to make the pieces!

I only use B strings in my soup ...

i prefer a nice heavy bowl of flatwound pasta myself.so hearty

Rickenpasta Soup!