# Denatured Alcohol String Wash Station



## KhzDonut (May 29, 2014)

So, I've heard of people using washing/soaking their strings in Denatured Alcohol to regain some lost brightness, and decided I'd give it a try.


First, I got some Denatured Alcohol... (obviously)







And some PVC Pipe






And some Silicone Caulk, so I don't get Denatured Alcohol all over the floor...






First, I filled an end-cap with Silicone Caulk, which probably did the trick just fine...






Just to be sure, I applied some more caulk to the outside, ensuring that any tiny gaps were filled






I found this weird little plug at the hardware store (no idea what it's actually used for) that fits loosely in the end of the PVC pipe.






By cutting off a bit of the end, it left a hollow for the strings to slide through






Viola!






Of course, getting the strings into the little plug thingy carried its own risks... Mainly getting my feet clawed by interested feline room mates... Thanks for the help, Baron Heinrich Von Kittyloafen III (and his faithful companion, Count Derpy-Puff of Derpshire)






I filled the pipe with the Alcohol, leaving about 2.5cm/1-inch to allow for the mass of the strings (which is quite a bit with a .166-.053 Kalium set)






Strings go in...






And you're left with a nice little pom-pom at the top, where the windings around the tuner post keep the strings suspended. Obviously this wouldn't work with new strings, but obviously you wouldn't do this to new strings anyway...






And here's the video to show the results:



My personal opinion is that it's subtle, but worth it. These strings are over a year old and have gotten moderate, but regular usage.

I think if I've learned anything from this, it's that Kalium/Circle K Strings sound really good even when they're pretty old. I've also learned to love my RH450 and B7K a bit more 

Anyway, as I say at the end of the video, the results are subtle, but they're definitely positive and readily apparent under most listening situations. Definitely gets some of the "zing" and "chime" back. I noticed the lower notes sound slightly punchier, but because the clips were made a day apart, there is also the human factor to account for slightly different playing/technique on different days. I'm inclined to believe that the difference is MOSTLY the result of the Denatured Alcohol treatment, however.


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## JustMac (May 29, 2014)

Kitties + Guitar Strings = CATastrophe


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## Explorer (May 29, 2014)

Interesting, and not as likely to oxidize a string as the boiling strategy.


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## DreamError (May 29, 2014)

Subtle? I could hear the shit out of it even on my terrible late 90s computer speakers at work. And then I read the day apart thing, so I'll just have to take your word for it hehe. But if the strings are dull due to grime/oils, I definitely see this doing _something_ positive at least.


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## wilch (May 29, 2014)

Very cool, and great write up and vid. 

But why not just wipe down the strings with a cloth spritzed with some isopropanol after you finish playing, and put new strings on once a month?


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## SpaceDock (May 29, 2014)

Are strings really that expensive to you? Seems like more trouble than its worth. My old strings always get flat worn out spots on the wound strings and creases in the plains, and I have a very light touch.


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## eyeswide (May 29, 2014)

I've heard of this before, but usually people leave them in for more than a week or so. That might make a bigger difference.


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## TemjinStrife (May 29, 2014)

SpaceDock said:


> Are strings really that expensive to you? Seems like more trouble than its worth. My old strings always get flat worn out spots on the wound strings and creases in the plains, and I have a very light touch.



Bass strings, especially specialized ones for long-scale basses (like my Dingwall) or large gauges, are pretty expensive.


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## SpaceDock (May 29, 2014)

^ that is a good point, I remember having to loan my old bass player money for strings.


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## JustMac (May 29, 2014)

Do you bassists change strings as much as guitarists(say, once a month?). My bassist only does it about every 6 months, don't know if that's the norm.

If you change 'em only once a year I'd say you should treat yourself to a new set


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## wilch (May 29, 2014)

Didn't realise they were bass strings. Bass strings are normally stainless steel yeah? This is an excellent method in that case. (cause yeah, expensive!!)


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## Necris (May 29, 2014)

It's dumb but it works, temporarily anyway.


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## All_¥our_Bass (May 29, 2014)

KhzDonut said:


> ...
> _*Viola!*_
> ...








It's v-*o-i*-l-a

I'm just giving you a hard time. A lot of people get that wrong. 

Anyway, back on topic:
I've heard this trick was pretty good, glad to know it actually works.


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## Harry (May 30, 2014)

Cool clip OP, but yeah, nothing I'd ever go to the trouble of doing 



JustMac said:


> Do you bassists change strings as much as guitarists(say, once a month?). My bassist only does it about every 6 months, don't know if that's the norm.
> 
> If you change 'em only once a year I'd say you should treat yourself to a new set



If you're tracking bass parts in a studio, you'll be changing strings daily, seriously (assuming nickel plated). If you don't want to do that, you'll be butting heads with the engineer pretty damn quickly.
While strings may still seem pretty good 7-10 days later under normal conditions (jamming with your band, or at home or whatever), if you record DI tracks of 1 hour old strings versus week old strings, the differences become apparent straight away.
For non recording purposes, 2-4 weeks seems fairly normal. Body chemistry, style of playing and a whole host of other factors will determine how long they last really.
Stainless steel strings will keep their 'zing' a lot longer and in the long term work out cheaper in my experience, however the options in sets/gauges tend to be much more limited. Not a problem for me personally, but can be an issue for some.
They also speed up fret wear quite a bit too, another thing you have to weigh up.



wilch said:


> Didn't realise they were bass strings. Bass strings are normally stainless steel yeah? This is an excellent method in that case. (cause yeah, expensive!!)



If you buy stainless steel strings, sure, they'll normally be stainless 
You'll find most 'normal' bass strings are nickel plated steel.


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## vansinn (May 30, 2014)

Cool idea! Cleaning expensive bass strings is not at all useless - I play a seven stringer, so..

The absolute best cleaning method is of course to lightly boil strings in a heat-resistant glass jar, containing de-mineralized water and, instead of cheap factory impure alcohol, a healthy sip of Tequila


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## RV350ALSCYTHE (May 30, 2014)

Great job documenting this.

I'll have to give this a try as I've been using the same ck/k set for over a year 
They still sound better on the dingwall compared to new strings on my other basses imo.

These nickel plated strings grooved the hell out of my frets as well, can't imagine how quickly I'd need a refret using stainless steel strings.


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## eyeswide (May 30, 2014)

JustMac said:


> Do you bassists change strings as much as guitarists(say, once a month?). My bassist only does it about every 6 months, don't know if that's the norm.
> 
> If you change 'em only once a year I'd say you should treat yourself to a new set



It's a personal preference thing. Some people won't change strings until they break. On a properly set up bass, this could be years.

I like to change strings a couple of days before a gig, and will usually keep them on for a while. If I don't have an upcoming gig and I'm not recording, I'll keep them on for a couple of months. They are expensive, and there's no use changing them if it's just to have a fresher sound in the woodshed.


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## TemjinStrife (May 30, 2014)

Have to say, I prefer the Dingwall stainless and Dingwall nickel strings over the Circle Ks I had. Not sure why, but I like the sound better


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## Fretless (May 30, 2014)

I personally prefer the tone that I get out of my strings after I have had them on for several weeks. I don't really like bright tone on my fretless 4 string, and so I only replace strings on it every few months.


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## cGoEcYk (May 30, 2014)

Cool idea. I always do one round of denatured with my strings to give 'em a second wind. I just put them in a tupperware. Ive tried giving them a "third wind" too but by then the B string usually starts reacting a differently and the mojo that I need is gone (I change my strings when my B loses its mojo). It has a saved me tons of money. 

I use DR Lo Riders... $30-35 for a 5-string set.


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## KhzDonut (May 30, 2014)

SpaceDock said:


> Are strings really that expensive to you?



This set was about $60 after taxes/shipping/etc... And that's more than I can afford to spend every month or two (which is how often I'd LIKE to change strings)



eyeswide said:


> I've heard of this before, but usually people leave them in for more than a week or so. That might make a bigger difference.



I'd only heard of people doing it overnight, but I'm going to do 3-4 days *at least* the next time. I can't imagine a year's worth of gunk was ALL cleaned out in 18 hours.



JustMac said:


> Do you bassists change strings as much as guitarists(say, once a month?).



Depends on how poor I am that month 



Necris said:


> --Video Of Guy Slapping The Shit Out Of His Strings--
> 
> It's dumb but it works, temporarily anyway.



Holy crap. I would have never believed that if I hadn't seen the video. That's amazing.



All_¥our_Bass;4055153 said:


> It's v-*o-i*-l-a
> 
> I'm just giving you a hard time. A lot of people get that wrong.



I... Uh... MEANT to do that. It's a pun. Yeah, that's what it is, it's a pun. I'm not illiterate, honest


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