How to Boil Bass Strings
The idea of boiling electric bass guitar strings has been around for nearly as long as the instrument itself. Thought up, no doubt, by some economically minded musicians who wanted to squeeze---or rather play---the last bit of life of aging strings. The boil is purported to remove skin oil, sweat, dust and a host of other debris from the strings. It's a simple task anyone can do as long as you pay attention to time.
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Things You'll Need
- Large pot
- Metal salad tongs
- 2 large bath towels
- Flexible metal wire
- Wire snips
Instructions
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Set the pot on the stove and fill it half full with water. Turn the burner to high heat to begin the boiling process. Fold one of the bath towels three or four times until its thick, then lay it on the counter next to the stove. Fold the other towel the same way and set it aside.
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Snip small lengths of the metal wire, about 3 inches each. Remove your old bass strings and coil each string into a tightly coiled circle (similar to the way new strings are coiled when you open a new pack). Wrap each string with one or two of the 3-inch wire lengths to secure the coil and keep it from unraveling.
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Grasp one of the string coils with the salad tongs once the water has come to a full boil. Lower the string coil into the boiling water for about five minutes, then remove and place on the towel laying on the counter. Place the other towel over the strings to absorb excess moisture. Repeat the process for the remainder of your strings.
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Tips & Warnings
The boiling method may only restore life temporarily to the string. You may to repeat the boiling within a few days or you can clean strings with denatured alcohol as an alternative to boiling.
Boiling water is very hot and can burn skin easily. Exercise caution when using boiling water.
String boiling only works for steel or nickel wrapped strings; boiling water will destroy the coating on specialty strings.
