I’ve tried boiling my bass strings when they sound dead or look/feel extra grungy. A lot of bass players will tell you that. Since bass strings cost four times as much as guitar strings lots of players do this. I have a lot of basses–so I’m NOT going to change them on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, I stand somewhere between Donald “Duck” Dunn, James Jamerson and other iconic bass players who NEVER change their strings unless they break. Heck, I played the same strings on my #1 (Yamaha BB300) for at least 5 years before an A string snapped in the middle of a gig. But boiling your strings in water? Isn’t that a bad idea? Enter denatured alcohol.
I read on TalkBass.com back in the day about using denatured alcohol to clean bass strings and that’s what I’ve been doing. As a matter of fact, I keep an old, large mouthed pickle jar just for that occasion.
- Coil up the strings so they’re just small enough to fit through the jar opening and put them in the jar.
- Pour denatured alcohol in the jar over the strings enough to completely cover them.
- Let them sit over night, or 6-8 hours.
- Take them out (with a screw driver or some other object) and lay them still coiled on a paper towel. They’ll dry within less than an hour or less at room temperature.
- String up your bass and enjoy.
That’s it!
-Terry, Sept., 2026