If you absolutely must record a bass with old strings [clips]

[Soundlurker]

From my recent posts it's probably become obvious that I think old strings on a bass guitar sound atrocious and should be outlawed.

However, I suppose that in rare cases or emergencies you might be forced to use old strings. In such cases, try my secret little trick for bass string resurrection.

Find an old toothbrush and squeeze out about as much toothpaste as you'd use to brush your teeth. Distribute the toothpaste on the string evenly. Moisten the toothbrush and brush the whole string thoroughly. Use some piece of cloth to dry the string well. Done - free and relatively easy. Note: there's a 50:50 chance things will get messy so I advise doing this on the bathroom floor and remember to remove any clothes you wouldn't want to get toothpaste on.

I am not trolling you, it really works!

Before and after clips with 2-year-old strings:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1891957/Bass strings - dead.mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1891957/Bass strings - clean.mp3

 

[zirkonflex]

Love that pic.

I guess it works better the older your strings are.
2 years is already quite extreme, so the result can be easily noticed.
I also heared about a method of "cooking" them, literally putting them into a pot of boiling water.
This was supposed to open the little rims and get the dirt out, thus getting the string to vibrate again.

/But the string seems to enjoy your version more, LOOK AT HOW FUCKKEN HAPPY IT IS !!!

 

[Soundlurker]

Yeah imagine how unhappy the poor string will be in hot scolding water

Seriously, boiling them just seems like something that will also deteriorate them and even if it doesn't it seems unnecessary, when you can just brush them in 2 mins and they'll smell nice and minty afterwards

 

[26]

Robbie Shakespeare brushes with ash, then boils the strings and then drinks the water.

:Smokin:

 

[jipchen]

Haha the picture nearly made me spill a huge load of lemonade all over my laptop
Crazy idea, but I guess it works. Still I will hit any bass player not coming to the studio with at least 2 packages of brand-new strings.

Btw, business idea: You could first brush the strings then sell them labelled "in mint condition"

 

[Soundlurker]

^ Yeah

And honestly, I so much prefer it when my fingers smell like toothpaste instead of rust and decomposing material after playing

 

[ahjteam]

Here is another example for you guys: (before and after clips)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1338211/DI_kielitesti.wav (~30mb), use reamping or ampsims or what ever processing you normally use

Clip 1: light strums and picking. use anything between clean to medium distortion sound to taste

Clip 2: heavy strumming. use high gain sound

Clip 3: use bass sound

first part on clips 1 and 2 is old strings, about 3 weeks old guitar strings. second part is new strings with same gauge and same tuning. On bass the strings were about 4-6 months old and we boiled the strings and the sound you hear is the result on the second clip.

PS: Can someone with decent gear please process that, I wanna hear it too, I lost the miced track somewhere And yes, the EMG's are clipping internally, they sound like that.

 

[ProjectHamsterdam]

I read about this idea of using Denatured Alcohol (pure methylated spirits without water) to clean bass strings.

You can even build a Cleaning Tube, it looks nice and tidy to use, easy enough:

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

Has anybody tried this?

 

[egan.]

Boiling works fine but if you are serious enough to record then find $30. Seriously. Go find $30.

 

[Soundlurker]

Screw the tube closed and leave your denatured alcohol inside. If it’s closed, it won’t evaporate and it should work for many bass string cleanings to come. It'd be a good idea to mark the tube poison and keep it away from kids (and drummers)!

lol'd

Boiling works fine but if you are serious enough to record then find $30. Seriously. Go find $30.

Agreed. This is only in case a string breaks and there's no way you can get an extra set any time soon or for unimportant pre-production demos or similar.

 

[xFkx]

my solution was always using a buttload of distortion ;]

 

[zirkonflex]

Yeah really, money doesn't count (You should have a fresh set of cheap strings around when you have the gear to record yourself/ are in a studio) and for me, the work really is taking them fuckers off and on the bass, and you gotta do that anyways ...

 

[MindMunch]

I´ve tried all these tricks in the past. They really change the tone a lot for a brief period of time. Doesn´t sound like new, but gets much brighter (still dull, though). The boiling thing only works once.

 

[Lon]

buy...new...ones, and a bass that cost at least 1000$, otherwise doom is impending

(yes i know the more expensive = better rule is absolutely not true, but when it comes to basses i think the 1000+ from a reputable manufacturer is a good rule of thumb for a quality instrument that will deliver from tracking to the final mix)

 

[abt]

Boiling, cleaning, etc works but it doesn't last long. Even if it did last as long as a new set of strings I still don't think I could be bothered.

 

[roy22341]

buy...new...ones, and a bass that cost at least 1000$, otherwise doom is impending

(yes i know the more expensive = better rule is absolutely not true, but when it comes to basses i think the 1000+ from a reputable manufacturer is a good rule of thumb for a quality instrument that will deliver from tracking to the final mix)

This guy here strongly disagrees with you.

 

[Redoubt]

could water and vinegar work well ? worth a shot

 

[Soundlurker]

^ It smells bad
Toothpaste is abrasive, anti-bacterial and smells nice.

 

[Uros]

I guess if someone has wide gaps between teeth, he/she could apply the toothpaste across the string, use it as a tooth thread+tooth brush combo, and then proceed with tuning and recording. Double win

 

[Lon]

This guy here strongly disagrees with you.

Actually i recorded with that one once, solid bass but under the microscope of a studio record it does not hold up against a fender jazz in my opinion (or my custom jazz we wound up using)