Some people swear that you can rejuvenate guitar strings by boiling them. Mine are not completely gone, but they stink a lot (they came like this from the seller and the guitar was sold as new) and they feel terrible.
Have I got anything to lose?
It's a tenor guitar, so there is not much choice for boxed string sets.
I used to do it decades ago, when I was a penniless student. It would brighten the tone for about a week or so, probably as a result of removing any accumulated sweat and grease, then all would return to its previous state. I also tried "annealing" the strings in an oven but that didn't do any good.
Use a dial calliper to measure the diameters of the individual strings, then build your own set from the standard gauges available. You can always snip off any excess length. It's not the cheapest option, but if needs must...
Take up the harp instead.
That's cool. I'd be interested in why you chose a tenor, what make and how old it is.
If it's a standard 23inch scale (Sorry, mate, you are in Britain now and we measure such stuff in Imperial.) and you plan to tune it to the standard GDAE then individual strings of gauge 45w-30w-20w-12p will probably suit you best. If it's a different scale or you plan to tune it differently I can probably work out what you need if you tell me.
Just a couple of things. If it's supposed to be "as new" then the strings shouldn't have had much use. Have the frets got wear marks on them or are they uniformly bright/dull? It might not be the strings that are making it feel difficult to play, it might be the set-up. If you are an experienced player you can probably work that out for your self but if playing is new to you, ask a regular player to look the instrument over.
If the strings really are disgusting, do yourself a favour and clean the guitar top, the bridge and the fingerboard before you put a new set on. Use a dry, nylon (non-metal) kitchen scourer to clean the verdigris off the fingerboard by running the scourer up and down the length of it. Don't run it side to side.
And yes, as our friend Mr Custos said, boiling does work but not very well. If you really have to do this, add a little washing up liquid to the water to help with the degreasing and try and put the strings back the same way round so the wear in the strings is still facing the frets and doesn't rip your fingers to shreds.
Good luck!
Nick
Fit a new set.
The ones you are trying to salvage sound unhygienic anyway.
After cutting off the old strings an discarding them, take the opportunity to give the fretboard a thorough cleaning and mild disinfection.
It probably won't be the strings giving off the smell.
When I was a teenager and new set of Gibson or Fender strings cost £1/12s/0d ( a small fortune to me), I used to boil the EAD & G strings (the wound ones) when they started sounding a bit dead. There was no advantage to be gained from boiling the plain ones.
After boiling, it was necessary to completely dry the strings. Padding them in a towel, followed by fibe minutes in a pre-heated oven did the trick.
MS CoPilot offers the following:
The string gauges for a tenor guitar can vary depending on the tuning and the scale length of the guitar. Here are some common gauges for different tunings:
QUOTE: CGDA Tuning (Standard Tenor Tuning): C: 0.035" or 0.036" phosphor bronze G: 0.024" phosphor bronze D: 0.016" plain steel A: 0.010" plain steel
GDAE Tuning (Irish Tenor Tuning): G: 0.040" phosphor bronze D: 0.030" phosphor bronze A: 0.016" plain steel E: 0.011" plain steel
For long scale tenor guitars tuned to GDAE, heavier gauges might be used:
G: 0.045" phosphor bronze D: 0.035" phosphor bronze A: 0.017" nickel wound plain steel E: 0.012" plain steel
It’s important to note that the specific gauges can be adjusted based on personal preference and the specific instrument. If you’re unsure, starting with a standard set and adjusting from there based on how your guitar responds is a good approach. ENDQUOTE
If your tenor guitar is an electric (many are these days), obviously nickel or steel strings would be required.
Ernie Ball have been my strings of choice since whenever ...
Le 28/08/2024 à 20:16, Custos Custodum a écrit :
Did you just boil them or also put some detergent?
I know the gauge set, only that buying individually costs a fortune.
I want to replace the top 2 with flat-wounds and they cost £10 each.
Le 28/08/2024 à 23:00, Nick Odell a écrit :
It's just above 23 inches.
The guitar is definitely new as in "not second hand" but apparently it was build in 2011 and left to rot in a warehouse somewhere in China, so the strings are not oxidised but they stink.
It's a Harley Benton TG by Thomann (German online retailer).
They weren't available in the UK until 1969.
Just a few drops to cut any greasy deposits - no need to have foam all over the place. It occurred to me that if the strings are new, as in "unplayed", Then a good clean might be all that's needed to restore their "as new" condition. Probably not if they are tarnshed, though.
They go rusty.
Get yourself a new set.
You know it makes sense.
Or where you hoping that the 10-yr-old stinky set would last you a lifetime?
Here you go... £4.19 for the set.
Admittedly, there's a £10 delivery charge unless you spend £149 in a single transaction. So buy a lot of strings, getting others to share the order if possible.
It's also always worth adding a few sets of Pyramid strings when ordering a more expensive item.
Le 01/09/2024 à 21:18, JNugent a écrit :
It is apparently 14 years old and I only used it rarely in the last year.
But why does it actually stink if it was left in a warehouse for 13 years?
The strings don't look corroded. In my day, I played with almost dead strings and they didn't stink like that. If they stank, they stank of metal corrosion. These ones stink like sick. The sound is ok.
Yes.
They taste funny.
Cheers! Robin
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