It's just a string thing

[robbylane]

I don't know if the following topic has ever been discussed at this forumm, so I would like to share. Many bass players love clean ringing sound of a new set of bass strings. Personally, I do not like "dead" strings at all. With the price of gas and everything else being so expensive, you may not be able to afford to a new set today. Or perhaps you are on the road in some town that does not have a music store, but you still need to bring some life back into your strings. So here is a great option. First, remove all of your strings. Don't roll them up in a circle. Lay them on a clean surface such as concrete, lined up side-by-side like long rods. Take a can of WD40 and spray each string from top to bottom, as if you are spray-painting them. Then turn each string over (to it's back side) and repeat the process. WD40 will penetrate the grooves of each string and loosen up the dirt that made them sound dead. After the strings have "soaked" for 15-20 minutes, take a clean white cotton cloth (I use socks) and wipe them from top to bottom. You will see the dirt appear on your wiping cloth, which shows you that the dirt IS being removed from the string. After each string has been cleaned, put 'em back on your bass and tune up to a cleaner sound. This process should work well whether you play with round wound or flat wound strings. I have been doing this for several years on all of my basses and have achieved excellent results. Some players boil their strings, but that heating process weakens the string so that it is more likely to break while you are playing.

If you want to use the same method but with a different approach, you can purchase a gallon of WD40 from a hardware store. But this time, after you remove your strings from your bass, roll up each string into a wound circle in your hand and then place them into a tin coffee can. Pour just enough WD40 into the coffee tin so that the strings are fully submerged "under oil". Let them soak for 20 minutes then pull them out, clean them individually, and string 'em up on your bass.

I wish to stress one very important point. I am NOT suggesting that you should stop buying new strings. There is nothing BETTER than a new set and we need to keep our favorite string companies in business. I am merely offering a "quick fix" to those of you who may find yourselves in a pinch for new strings when you cannot access a pack for whatever reason. Whether or not you choose to try to this method is entirely up to you. This is nothing more than a helpful tip that CAN make a difference when you truly have no other options at the moment.

[Brocko777]

How do you get the residual WD off of the strings?

Oh, welcome to the forum... hit the Introduce thread and tell us about yerself.

 

Brocko

[Paul K]

Awwww, baby! That just cleans off the funk.

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I have an aunt in Germany. Whenever she comes to the states she brings home with her about five huge bottles of aspirin and ibuprofen and five big cans of WD-40. I've been told that the former is rather expensive, and the latter is unobtanium over there.

 

Peace

Paul K

[Rocky McDougall]

WD-40 has many uses and is a excellant cleaner. It is made up of about 50% stoddard solvent (kerosene) and 15% mineral oil. I have not tried this method of cleaning but my main concern is the weakening of the strings where they wind around the tuning post. I believe that every time a string is removed and reinstalled the chance of breakage in this area is increased. Also, I like the "thump" of old dead flats. But that's just me.

Thank you for your input, tell us about yourself since you are new to this Forum. Stick around, join in, Welcome.

Rocky

[b5pilot]

Welcome! That's kind of a neat suggestion. I used to simply boil my strings with a little bit of white vinegar.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

i used to boil my strings, but now i just buy new ones when i feel motivated. i'm much more tolerant of the old string sound, even if i don't like it any more than i used to. the reality is that only new strings are new strings. every time you fret a note, the winds are deformed slightly. over time this deformation compounds, and eventually it's not just dirt that changes the tone. there is an end to the utility of cleaning your strings. but the good news is you can get out the #0000 steel wool and fingerboard oil of choice and clean up your *rosewood* fretboard when the strings are all off. don't forget to check the setup when it's all put back together.

 

robb.

[jcadmus]

WD-40 -- great for getting oil stains off the garage floor too -- just spray, let sit for a sec, and then blot.

 

I don't mess with boiling strings and all that anymore -- I just change 'em.

[Rocky McDougall]

WD-40 -- great for getting oil stains off the garage floor too -- just spray, let sit for a sec, and then blot.

 

BBQ starter fluid does the same for about 1/10 the cost.

Rocky

[jcadmus]

WD-40 -- great for getting oil stains off the garage floor too -- just spray, let sit for a sec, and then blot.

 

BBQ starter fluid does the same for about 1/10 the cost.

Rocky

 

So would napalm, I'd imagine, but I'd prefer not to burn the house down in the process.

 

[jeremy c]

You could put the strings in isopropyl alcohol.

 

Make a tube out of PVC pipe and have a cap at each end. Take one cap off, fill it with alcohol, and dip your string into it.

 

That should work and it will be a lot cheaper and less messy than wd-40.

 

I just buy new strings. With all the basses I have, it costs me a few hundred bucks a year.

 

I'm not a big fan of taking off all four strings at the same time unless you really have to. The neck will take a day or so to recover from the shock.

 

Robbylane, welcome to the forum. Try reposting your suggestion in the "Bass Player Magazine Wants You" thread (the second one from the top and the editors will be more likely to see it.

[Paul K]

Make a tube out of PVC pipe and have a cap at each end. Take one cap off, fill it with alcohol, and dip your string into it.

 

 

So you're saying that my potato cannon can be used for both good and evil? (Hmm....no emoticon with a halo...)

[jeremy c]

 

So you're saying that my potato cannon can be used for both good and evil? (Hmm....no emoticon with a halo...)

http://www.emofaces.com/en/emoticons/a/angel-or-devil-emoticon.gif

[rizzo9247]

Your ingredients gentleman:

 

http://www.tunemybass.com/images/bass_string_tube_fittings.jpghttp://www.tunemybass.com/images/bass_string_tube_cement.jpghttp://www.tunemybass.com/images/bass_string_tube_cork_hook.jpg

 

I have used this in the past, now I just buy new ones

http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/bass_string_cleaning_tube.html

[1111000]

As a fan of Mr. Squire, I find it odd saying this... but too much clank is a bad thing. I like the strings not brand new or dead but "dying". Somewhere between clank clank an thump thump is a happy middle.

[TimR]

 

 

2000 uses for WD40

 

 

 

http://goinglikesixty.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/wd40ad.jpg

[robbylane]

Nice to see the various replies to my new thread regarding the use of WD40 for bass strings. Just so y'all know that I am not on "low-end" crack by presenting my WD40 topic, I have played bass for a living for several years beginning in 1983 and I have enough bass (and guitar) gear to start my own pawn shop easily. My only goal here is to join the brother/sisterhood of bass players who want to do right by others and share what I feel may someday benefit some of you. I was in a touring band and playing Casper, WY for a 5-night stand when my strings went bad and the strings I needed were not available locally. I hooked up with a wise guitar tech on the phone there who recommended the WD40 trick...and it worked! So from that day forward, whenever I needed the clean string sound but was low on cash or whatever, I took the WD40 approach. Not only did it revive my strings with the clean sound, but WD40 never harmed my neck in any way. But as I also make it clear, this IS just a quick fix. Buying new strings IS vital and keeps our wonderful bass string makers in business. I will now go to the "Introduce Yourself" section and tell you more about me. Thank you all so very much for reading and responding. I enjoy sharing anything beneficial that may enrich our bass community, but I am equally interested in learning anything that can make me a better player....or a better person!

[robbylane]

Hi Brocko. I am going to largely elaborate on my reply to your question. I always keep a coffee tin at home that is slightly less than 1/2 filled with WD40 so that my bass strings ARE fully submerged under oil when rolled up and placed in that tin. I also have a styrofoam dinner plate that is layered with paper toweling on the plate. After 20 or more minutes of soaking the strings, I lift them out with a screwdriver so that I do not have to put my hand in the tin and get my fingers all full of oil. I place the strings onto the plate to drip-dry for a few minutes. Then I pick up each string, one at a time and with another sheet of paper toweling, wipe off any excess oil drops. Next, I unwind a string and hold it in from of me. I hold it at the ball end and let the string hang down. I take a clean white tube sock with my other hand and grab the string near the ball end, as if I am pinching the string using the sock. With that pinching hold, I pull the sock down the entire length of the sting. When I release the sock, I look at it and see a black stain on that sock, which of course is the dirt. Then I turn the string upside down, grab it at the winding end, and repeat the process. As you continue, the black streaks on your sock will become lighter and lighter, hence the dirt AND residue is being removed. If you perform this process thoroughly with each string, you should experience very little or NO residue when each string is finished. You might feel just a slight or tiny bit of oil in the string, but not likely. I would not recommend this cleaning technique if it meant stringing back up with oily, messy strings. No way. If you have any additional questions, pop 'em my way. Rob

[jeremy c]

Thanks for the follow-up, Rob.

 

Looking forward to your input on many other topics!