Boiling Strings

[MadJack]

Has anyone ever really tried this and does it do any good/harm?

[Speiro]

I knew a bass player that did this regularly.

[dannyr]

I remember people doing this like 15 years ago. Haven't heard it since. I forget what the purpose of doing that was.

[sully]

being lazy and saving money on strings. the price of a pack of strings is less than the hassle of even thinking about trying to boil them.

[Bengal65]

Now some are using cryogenics buy freezing them in sub-zero temperatures. What next, heating them with a oxy-fuel torch and quenching them? I don't think 212F is going to do anything to the strings except maybe clean them somewhat. Then, you have to dry the plain strings before they rust. I'd do what Sully mentioned.

[dg]

Years ago when I was a starving student, I would try to get a little more life out my strings by cleaning the unwound ones with Brasso & boiling the wound ones. Didn't work very well, iirc. Dead strings are dead strings, imo, though I've known a few bass players who swore that boiling worked great. It's hard to remember what it was like to be so poor that strings were a luxury item. I just remember the good times now, and not the worrying about paying rent & scrounging for food money.

[MadJack]

The story I heard was unrelated to cleaning. I was told to boil new strings to pre-expand them so they stayed in tune when they were new. Sounded 'tarded to me so I never tried it. I figured that since strings don't float (at least I don't think they do, being metal ) they would lay on the bottom of the pan and be heated near the temp of the burner itself and alter the temper of the metal, ruining the brand new set of strings.

Old dead strings sound like shit. I don't know why dead strings sound dead but boiling them couldn't possibly unstretch them, reverse the friction wear or undue the damage from the acid in peoples sweat. That is 'tarded! I will admit to "bimini twisting" a few broken ones back together in a pinch, just until I could make the trip to the music store.

[Outlander]

Bass players are the ones that generally do this. In the past I have known several bass players that would boil their strings twice before replacing them.After boiling them twice they're just not the same anymore. And yes I did notice a definate improvement in tone. When a set of strings cost you from $30.00 to $180.00 a set this procedure makes a little more sense

[MadJack]

That, I understand. Shit, I'd soak them in Z-MAX when they were new!

[VulfgangPfuck]

Old dead strings sound like shit.

Eddie VH swore by dead strings. He attributed them as an integral part of his sound. He said it also "softened" the rounds so sliding up and down the lower strings on the neck was a lot easier.

[toejam]

Eddie VH swore by dead strings. He attributed them as an integral part of his sound. He said it also "softened" the rounds so sliding up and down the lower strings on the neck was a lot easier.

Isn't Eddie the one who also used to talk about boiling his strings?

[Dreamland_Rebel]

isn't that the same guy who keeps smoking even though he has mouth cancer.

[mm2002]

isn't that the same guy who keeps smoking even though he has mouth cancer.

No, they fixed his mouth....he's going after the lungs now.

[OnlineStageGear]

Isn't Eddie the one who also used to talk about boiling his strings?

Yep.

GP: Do you put new strings on every night?

EVH: Yeah, Fender 150XLs. I stretch them to death. With that new Rose thing, I boil the strings so they stretch, because if you just put them on and clamp it down, the strings stretch out on the guitar. I just take a pack and let it boil for 20 minutes in the hot water. And then I dry them in the sun, because otherwise they rust. But I only use them one night anyway, so who cares if they rust?

[TommyD]

Boiling Strings

> Back in the day,I read that same EVH interview and tried it. They SUCKED after boiling. I also tried a set of those same Fender 150's,and they sucked too,the tone sucked BAD and they broke easily,BUT the windings were kind of compressed or flattened,hence not as much string noise. They were the same gauges as what eventually became the EB 5150 set,.009-.040. Tommy D.