#389663 - 07/18/05 11:55 AM
Boiling strings ?
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joethebaddog
Senior Member
Registered: 07/06/05
Posts: 44
Loc: Arkansas
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Hey Folks !
Okay, I've heard you can boil strings to bring them back to life (I've also wondered if they make good soup!)but does anybody know if it really works?
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#389664 - 07/18/05 12:04 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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joethebaddog
Senior Member
Registered: 07/06/05
Posts: 44
Loc: Arkansas
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SORRY FOLKS !!!
I was In the wrong forum. DUH !
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#389665 - 07/18/05 12:04 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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joethebaddog
Senior Member
Registered: 07/06/05
Posts: 44
Loc: Arkansas
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SORRY FOLKS !!!
I was In the wrong forum. DUH !
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#389666 - 07/18/05 12:07 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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Lee Knight
Platinum Member
Registered: 10/19/01
Posts: 1077
Loc: Encinitas,CA,UNITED STATES
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I think you're looking for the cooking forum.
Boiling strings works great for bass...
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#389667 - 07/18/05 12:09 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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halljams
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 05/26/01
Posts: 2689
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Throw them out, get new ones. Worn strings have intonation problems, consistency problems, tuning problems etc.
Keep your strings clean and extend their life by wiping them with a rag after you play.
To tell if your strings are dead, loosen them off to the point where there is no tension and look for indents and bends where the string sits over the frett, if they are not strait, tossem.
Buy strings in boxes of 10 packs. You'll always get a better deal and your gonna need them anyway.
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#389668 - 07/18/05 12:36 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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AndyG
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Registered: 07/18/05
Posts: 8
Loc: Exeter,UK
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I used to boil mine when I was an impoverished student.Worked for about a week.Dont use wash up liquid or they go black!
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#389669 - 07/18/05 12:37 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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Lee Knight
Platinum Member
Registered: 10/19/01
Posts: 1077
Loc: Encinitas,CA,UNITED STATES
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Intonation problems. You know? You're right. I do boil my bass strings when I need high end now and they're dead, but they can get a little pitchy or ill defined in their pitch.
Elixer! I love them for my guitars. Disappointed when I first put them on as they sound a couple of days old, but then they stay that way for ever. That's a good trade off for me (not regularly gigging anymore, but recording).
I'm looking forward to trying the bass Elixers.
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#389670 - 07/18/05 01:24 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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fantasticsound
10k Club
Registered: 04/07/01
Posts: 16644
Loc: Madison,TN, UNITED STATES
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Is it just me or is the whole boiling thing just come down to cleaning the grime off your strings?
Like someone else mentioned, if your strings are so dead as to warrant a change, you might as well change 'em for new.
I change my guitar strings annually... whether the guitar needs it or not! 
(Oh.. I use Elixir strings on my acoustic to combat this problem and simply use cheap strings on electric guitars. Super-slinkys. That way I can afford to change 'em as much as necessary.)
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#389671 - 07/18/05 01:54 PM
Re: Boiling strings ?
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phaeton
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 11/21/01
Posts: 3997
Loc: Die Land Of Cheese Und Bier
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I've boiled them in the past. It brings back most of the zing, but not all of it.
However,
It is a freaking PAIN IN THE ASS to restring a guitar with strings that have already been tensioned, curled, cut and played. More trouble than it is worth. Bass strings are huge so they're probably easier to work with.
Also,
The heat screws up the tempering of the strings. Usually it just weakens them. They're more prone to breakage, and it gets exponentially worse every time you boil them. Sometimes it stiffens them or makes them do weird stuff when you bend them, like not changing pitch at all. The expansion (boiling) and contraction (cooling) can loosen up the wound strings, making the winding slip around on the core. I had an A string that picked up a rattling noise from the windings being too big for the core. It was actually kinda cool for the day or so before it broke.
Strings:
$3.99USD on sale
$5.99-$7.99 regular price.
Not worth it, IMHO
_________________________
Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper(tm)
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WWND?
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