Boiling your strings?

[jmaibauer]

I was reading up about eddie van halen on wikipedia and they had a section where he talks about boiling his guitar strings in water for 20 mintues then letting them sit in the sun to dry. I was just curious if anyone has ever tried anything like this and how it worked out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_van_halen#String_boiling

[Whiskey]

Hmm. never heard of it before. I wonder what the long term effects are since he only uses them for one night...

[Blewbyou]

I've never heard of this either ...... What do you suppose the benefit would be to this?

[NapoLoso]

Same here, i never heard of it before.
i wouldnt even keep my guitar back in the
case without wiping it off after use cause of
the sweat would rust my strings..
i wouldnt boil them :D

[Raftaman]

I heard about it. tried it to a few years back

It isn't worth the effort.

I know a few bass players who do it, if there short on cash and

want the grease (out) of there strings

takes a lot and the result is not worth the work.

[Whiskey]

Yeah bass players seem more prone to do it since their strings are more expensive than guitar strings. But from what I hear from those who do it, it seems that it tends to weaken the string and cause them to break more easily. I've also heard that they can lose their tone quickly as well.

My opinion is buy new strings if you can, but if you're broke and desperate, it couldn't hurt to try.

[og_adh]

Never heared of it, but it seems to be more like a hoax to me!!
van halen used his strings only one night, i gotta stick with them for months!!
why would I ruin my strings just becaus van halen said so!!!
*look whos talking now??, the guitar god*

[noob_saioke45601]

i heard of this before but never tried it. ive read it in multi forums and other places on the web that if you boil them too long your strings will turn choppy and break easier. but thats just what i read. maybe ill boil 1 of my acoustics strings to see how it works out and ill post here when i do :P.

[carp3nt3r]

the boiling point of water is 212 degrees f. not near enough temperature to effect bronze,brass nickle or steel to any degree, so no metallurgic changes happen, only thing bound to be happening is the removal of oils, greases and grime. drying quickly in the sun would also prohibit oxidation or tarnish of the strings,also to no effect. so in essence, dont bother.waste of time and effort.

carp3nt3r.

[gtrplr]

eddie said in an old mag it takes the twangy sound out of the strings and makes them easier to bend.

[Harley]

Someone brought this older post back to life today so I'll add to it. From Eddie's bio at Wikopdia-
String boiling

Van Halen is well known for boiling new string sets before installation. This contributes to both the playability and tone of the strings.
“I boil the strings so they stretch, because if you just put them on and clamp it down, the strings stretch out on the guitar. I just take a pack and let it boil for 20 minutes in the hot water. And then I dry them in the sun, because otherwise they rust. But I only use them one night anyway, so who cares if they rust?"