Q: Why do you need a DI box to safely connect a guitar or a bass to a mixer?

A: You DON’T need a DI box to safely connect a guitar or bass or keyboard (or microphone) to a mixer with a 1/4″ guitar cord. There is no danger to you, and no danger to the equipment. None at all. It is perfectly safe.

The only reason to use a DI box is to improve the sound. The 2-conductor TS 1/4″ phone jack guitar cord is what is called an “unbalanced” signal. The farther you run an unbalanced cord, the more tone quality is lost, especially in the treble. If your mixer is farther than 15 feet away, (especially if it is in the back of the hall, running through a snake), the sound will become noticeably softer, duller, and less clear as the length of the cord increases.

The function of the DI box is to convert the unbalanced 2-conductor signal to a balanced 3-conductor signal. A balanced signal (usually using XLR jacks) does not degrade nearly as badly with distance. You can run a balanced cord (microphone style cord with XLR jacks) more than 100 feet and not hear a drop in the quality of the tone. Also, a balanced signal is better protected from RF noise and AC noise. But if you are running an unbalanced signal through a 100 foot snake, for example, the signal will degrade noticeably.

However, if the mixer is on the stage and you can reach it with a 15′ guitar cord, there is no reason at all to use a DI box.

What’s inside a DI box is a transformer that converts the unbalanced signal to balanced. So no, you can’t just solder an XLR jack onto the end of a guitar cord and get a balanced signal. You need a transformer.

By the way, all microphones with XLR jacks are balanced. That’s why mics don’t usually need DI boxes.

Q: Do strings wear because of the tension applied to them or any other factor, or do they stay in new condition as long as you don't use them?

A: There are multiple factors that cause strings to degrade over time. Once they are exposed to the air, they will start to oxidize. In places with a dry climate, this is a very slow process, but it will be more severe in locales with more moisture in the air.  Also, when they are tuned to pitch, the constant tension (about 10kg per string) causes strings to slowly lose elasticity, even the guitar is not played.  Despite this, however, if a guitar isn't played much, the strings will last a reasonably long time.

Playing will definitely cause the strings to degrade much faster. First of all, playing increases the stressful tension on the strings, causing them to lose elasticity sooner.  Second, playing increases the wear and tear on the strings from being pressed against the frets.  And third, the bottom three wound strings collect sweat, oils, and gunk on your hands, which then seeps between the windings, down to the core wire, and dampens the string.

String life can be prolonged by wiping/cleaning the strings and by detuning them for storage. Dunlop 65 Ultraglide String Cleaner and Conditioner can help.  Most importantly, washing your hands with non-moisturizing soap before playing increases string life.


Q: Can you make old bass strings sound new again?

A: There are a lot of ideas out there about what bass players can do to make their bass guitar strings sound new again after they lose their brilliance and need to be replaced.  Presumably this is because bass strings cost more than guitar strings and bass players think they can't afford new ones and feel it's unfair because guitar strings are less expensive.  This is actually quite silly, because uncoated bass strings last FAR longer than uncoated guitar strings before losing their tone, so bass players spend LESS on strings than do guitar players!

The most common theories about rejuvenating bass strings involve trying to clean out the dirt, finger oils, and dead skin cells from the strings.  People say to boil the strings for 10 minutes in water.  This is silly, since it will be impossible to get all the water out from the spaces between the core wires and the winding wires, and the water will corrode the strings.  So some people say to dry the strings with a hair dryer.  Others say to let the strings soak overnight in a solvent.

Doesn't this sound like a lot of work, when you can just buy a new set of strings for $20-30?  I mean, seriously, people!  Every time you do this you have to remove the strings and then restring them.  Even if this does restore some brightness, that brightness will be lost again very quickly.

Even if you're willing to go to all that work, and even if the resulting improvement lasted longer than it does, they still won't sound like new strings.  This is because crud in the windings is not the only reason strings go dead.  Other reasons include:

1. Wear from pressing the strings against the frets makes divots on the strings, so they are uneven and don't vibrate evenly anymore.
2. Tension from being stretched to tuning pitch and from being played and slapped eventually causes the steel to lose its flexibility, so the strings don't vibrate nicely anymore.
3. Oxygen attacks the steel core wire (which is NOT stainless steel; it can't be stainless steel because if it were the string would have not magnetism and you'd get no sound in your pickup).  This results in rust and corrosion, which makes the strings not vibrate nicely anymore.

None of these things are correctable by cleaning the strings with hot water, or solvent, or any other liquid.

My advice is buy new strings, then make them last as long as possible by washing your hands thoroughly with non moisturizing soap and warm water for 30 seconds before you play your bass.  Every single time.  Then when you are done, wipe down your strings with a clean cotton flannel or microfiber cloth.  Every single time.  And occasionally clean them with Dunlop Ultraglide 65 string cleaner and conditioner.  And then, when they lose tone to the point where it's bugging you, replace them with new strings.  And spend all that time you would have spent boiling your strings practicing.  (Or working an extra hour at your job so you can earn the money for new strings!)