How to boil the perfect string

[Cruznolfart]

I don't buy this notion. I've never put used strings back on a guitar, simply can't imagine why anyone would think it would be worth the time or trouble, particularly considering the minor cost of a new set. But some peeps believe in this. So, in the spirit of the current interest in cooking among the forum membership, I offer the following recipe for freshly boiled guitar strings.

 

You can thank me later.

[pippy]

Isn't it great what you can find on the 'net?

 

I especially liked this bit;

 

"If you are boiling multiple strings, make sure you know what note each string is."

 

I wouldn't have thought of that!

[jameswithesg]

yeah i never liked the idea, guitar strings are pretty cheap though,

 

bass strings are another story, hella expensive

[Flight959]

A friend of mine only uses used strings.. When I have a change I send them to him, he hates new strings. I find new strings do sound a bit tinny..

 

Flight959

[Cruznolfart]

Isn't it great what you can find on the 'net?

 

I especially liked this bit;

 

"If you are boiling multiple strings' date=' make sure you know what note each string is."

 

I wouldn't have thought of that![/quote']

 

LOL! Yes, and the ratio of 1 cup/water to each 2 or 3 strings. How do you suppose...?

[Cruznolfart]

yeah i never liked the idea' date=' guitar strings are pretty cheap though,

 

bass strings are another story, hella expensive [/quote']

 

In conducting my research for this topic I noticed a couple articles on bass strings. One mentioned using denatured alcohol instead of water. Oh, and don't boil the alcohol. I'd still be concerned with the break-over spot on the tuning-machine end of the string if I was trying to restore old strings. Seems it would be a very weak spot.

[Cruznolfart]

A friend of mine only uses used strings.. When I have a change I send them to him' date=' he hates new strings. I find new strings do sound a bit tinny..

 

Flight959[/quote']

 

Does he do anything to clean or restore them before using them? I like the sound of new strings usually. I could do without all the tuning and retuning, though. But I usually just put 'em on and stretch the crap out of 'em a couple times and they're pretty stable after a short time.

[Thundergod]

LOL at that link... I never got why people would do that... I've seen lots of people with dirty *** (or should I say *** dirty) string on their guitars, they are too cheap to change them or just dont care... in the first case, they could use those boiling techniques... in the second, well... nothing anyone can do about that.

[Cruznolfart]

LOL at that link... I never got why people would do that... I've seen lots of people with dirty *** (or should I say *** dirty) string on their guitars' date=' they are too cheap to change them or just dont care... in the first case, they could use those boiling techniques... in the second, well... nothing anyone can do about that.[/quote']

 

I even found one with a video! 2 PARTS! Can you imagine making a 2-part vid on boiling guitar strings? I assumed our membership as having enough intelligence to not need pictures and narration.

[RichCI]

Back before the web was so big and you bought strings from local shops or the Musician's Friend catalog, bass strings averaged around $35 per set - much, MUCH higher than guitar strings. So, it wasn't uncommon for bass players to boil their strings; my brother did it a bunch of times as we were in high school then college and he didn't have a pile of money to drop thirty five bucks every time he wanted to change his strings. We were talking about this just a week or so ago and his biggest astonishment is how much less bass strings cost today since you can easily buy them online from many different sources; actually pissed him off a bit. Back in the day, he used to boil his strings to get more use out of them and he claims that it worked and he's no idiot when it comes to gear or tone.

 

Guitar strings haven't changed in price a lot over the past 20 years (unless you're buying GHS or some other big name from Musician's Friend) so guitar players didn't boil strings like bass players did. However, I'll admit that I would carefully wrap up the old strings and hang on to them whenever I put a new set on just so I'd have some backups in case I broke a string. So, yeah, I can see where a bunch of guys with $3000 Les Pauls might think that boiling strings is a farce or a waste of time but it does work and is a good thing to know if money is tight and you can't afford to be putting on new strings every week or two (ideally) or you need to milk out a set over several months.

[Cruznolfart]

Thanks for that point of view, Rich, I shouldn't overlook the traditional "starving young musicians" and their need to make things last as long as possible.

[Thundergod]

Chances are, if you cannot afford a nice new clean set of strings, you cannot afford watter, gas, pan and stove.

 

You think any of this guys has tried to eat the resulting string/finger dirt soup?

 

Maybe we should get sets used by Jimmy, Gary, Billy, Eric, Keith, even Slash and Zakk, and make this soup, and sell it as "The Real Guitar Mojo Soup", imagine how many folks would buy it and eat it in hopes of aquiring the tone they couldnt by buying sig guitars, fx and amps :D (we could sell it highly overpriced of course, it is after all, signature stuff).

 

 

 

EDIT:

This is how the slash mojo soup would look like

 

[Cruznolfart]

Chances are' date=' if you cannot afford a nice new clean set of strings, you cannot afford watter, gas, pan and stove.

 

You think any of this guys has tried to eat the resulting string/finger dirt soup?

 

Maybe we should get sets used by Jimmy, Gary, Billy, Eric, Keith, even Slash and Zakk, and make this soup, and sell it as "The Real Guitar Mojo Soup", imagine how many folks would buy it and eat it in hopes of aquiring the tone they couldnt by buying sig guitars, fx and amps :D (we could sell it highly overpriced of course, it is after all, signature stuff).

 

 

 

EDIT:

This is how the slash mojo soup would look like

 

[img']http://image48.webshots.com/48/3/16/84/371031684osuWmC_ph.jpg[/img]

 

LOL! You may be on to something, TG. We could collect the used strings from guitar-gods, boil them, sell the soup AND the strings as a package. There's a market, I'm sure of it! :D

[Thundergod]

Yeah... ther's always market for that kind of thing (I mean, the johnas brothers sell millions and millions and get to play on top of a les paul shaped stage... )

[Kolera]

Chances are' date=' if you cannot afford a nice new clean set of strings, you cannot afford watter, gas, pan and stove.

 

You think any of this guys has tried to eat the resulting string/finger dirt soup?

 

Maybe we should get sets used by Jimmy, Gary, Billy, Eric, Keith, even Slash and Zakk, and make this soup, and sell it as "The Real Guitar Mojo Soup", imagine how many folks would buy it and eat it in hopes of aquiring the tone they couldnt by buying sig guitars, fx and amps :D (we could sell it highly overpriced of course, it is after all, signature stuff).

 

 

 

EDIT:

This is how the slash mojo soup would look like

 

[img']http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj236/thundergod_5/371031684osuWmC_ph.jpg[/img]

 

 

That is just nasty. And wrong. In so many ways.

[Cruznolfart]

 

 

That is just nasty. And wrong. In so many ways.

 

I quite agree. The wrong fork is next to the soup bowl. Disgusting!

[TommyK]

Somebody read teh "cliff's Notes" version of their 8th grade Science text.

 

Yes, heating the strings up DOES make them stretch... but guess what? They contract when they cool off..

 

However, if you want them to be more stable, you need to put them in a freezer to about 40 below. You'll have to find an industrial freezer or check with your local gun smith. They've been doing this for decades.

 

Apparently, freezing well below temps the rifle barrel will ever encounter relieves interal stresses makeing the barrel less suseptible to movement when it heats up after several firings in quick succession. For a price, you can send your rifle barrel out to be chilled for a week, the slowly, it is brought back to room temperature. Sort of like a cold-temp annealing. They they send it back to you.

 

Probably would help guit tar strings stay stable. too..

 

RATS! There I go talkin' shop in the lounge..... sorry fellas, but someone else started it.

[djroge1]

Boiling is so old school. Now the Microwave that's another story.

[Cruznolfart]

Boiling is so old school. Now the Microwave that's another story.

 

 

Oooohhh, sparklies!

[wicked1]

Chances are' date=' if you cannot afford a nice new clean set of strings, you cannot afford watter, gas, pan and stove.

 

You think any of this guys has tried to eat the resulting string/finger dirt soup?

 

Maybe we should get sets used by Jimmy, Gary, Billy, Eric, Keith, even Slash and Zakk, and make this soup, and sell it as "The Real Guitar Mojo Soup", imagine how many folks would buy it and eat it in hopes of aquiring the tone they couldnt by buying sig guitars, fx and amps :- (we could sell it highly overpriced of course, it is after all, signature stuff.[/quote']

 

Hang a custom set of Les Bauls or Testicasters on the end of it and we're GOLDEN!!

[guitar_randy]

I wonder if I should boil my 498t pickups for a better sound?

=D>/

 

I like the sound of new strings.

[Cruznolfart]

 

Hang a custom set of Les Bauls or Testicasters on the end of it and we're GOLDEN!!

 

What if the soup came IN the Les Bauls or Testicasters? Too suggestive?

[Thundergod]

I wonder if I should boil my 498t pickups for a better sound?

+:-@/

 

 

Just make sure you the wax doesn't melt

[dawg086]

I read a interview with eddie van halen in the

80s he talked about how he boils all his

strings to cut down on stretching .

(and to help speed up rust lol )