Based on these Nuggets Of Wisdom from several esteemed TalkBass string floozeys :D (Papa T, Jeff Kissel) and others 2 numerous to mention (SuperMan, Bobby King, Mike Ramsey, Calivox, Many Other TBers I've Missed, & All of Our DB Mentors That Played B4 Thomastik SC):

....I suggest using well broken in Spirocores on the E and A and Gamut gut plain strings in Med, Med+ or Heavy Gage for the D and G.
Depending on the tensions you prefer the Spiro Mittels and Medium+ Guts are nice middle of the road combination. Weich spiros with Medium Guts for the low tension approach .... The medium gage guts with a Spiro Mittel E and weich A is a nice combo .... Once they are broken in you'll have that old school sound love it or hate it .... Prepare to enter Hell.
AND ...
.... The Dlugolecki wound E & A are powerful strings for sure. They are the loudest most forceful strings I've had on my bass. The only strings close were the Dominants for volume, but nothing has come close for tone.
AND ...
... Damian's wound strings kick some butt for sure. Compared to the Spiros that came on my Cleveland the wound gut is more focused and a bit louder. Phat and punchy ....

Since nobody ever seems to want to sell their old guts to me, I feel compelled to fork out large dineros ;) . I've been using Inovation SS G & D and Dom A & E .... very solid as far as tuning, feel, tension, life, and "gut-like" sound ... but ..... They Are Not Gut. As soon as Dan (Gamut) Larson gets done with The Holidays, I will be getting G & D Pistoy Varnished Mediums. Then .... I will get the "new & improved" integral wound (not over-wrap) nickel-silver A & E from Damien Dlugolecki. Seems like the best of both worlds. I want to send business to both of The Great American Sheep Intestine Magnates. I hope the strings match up.

I know that putting these strings on "Dottie" (my '40 Kay O-1) is a bit like buying diamond ear-rings and an emerald / ruby studded skirt for my Chester White Sow :p ... but I want to hear what guts sound like on a bass that was built B.S. (Before Spiro). Maybe they will fit the Cleve / LaScala I am dreamin' of later on down the road. No arco for me right now ... just those pizz sounds runnin' thru my head (bluegrass, country, old-time, and blues). Moore, Zinkan, Huskeys, Chance, Linneman, Tate .... I won't sound like them but maybe Dottie will have a chance to ... in the right hands. No diaper or college funds right now :cool: ... if it don't work out I still got the Spiro W's & M's, Dom's, SS's, and Perm's to choose from :rollno: ... watch the Classie's for a big string sale in the near future. Anyone want to talk me out of it or have any caveats? Thanks!

Sounds good to me. Be sure to document everything here.

Sounds good to me. Be sure to document everything here.

Sure T ... Thanks for all of your TalkBass Intimate True String Confessions ;). As an apprentice, I appreciate your large dollar outlay for DB strings towards my (I'm-Not-Worthy) string education :D . At least that's what you must tell the IRS. BTW .... How's Vincent's College Fund doin'? ;)

I've learned alot but I'll never be a Maneri Bro with large paws and a serious bass wankin' pull, authentic Italian girth, and you know ... (damn, where's that macrometer pecan gauge?). However I am thinking those gut strings will sound pretty good even in my rookie hands ... in fact I think it may be easier than what I've been playing. Expensive experiment.

I'll let you know .... it'll be a month, give er take. I'll get the G & D squared away first then bite off the A & E. I'm gonna have to get handy (once again) with that mini round file set I bought to get those phatty gut strings hunkered properly into the nut and bridge. I just don't think I want to travel 140 miles (one-way) in the winter to the Lady Luthier for a re-stringing. If I screw up real bad, I'll keep the strings and buy a new bass :p .

Bob,

That sounds like a "Merry Christmas" set of strings to me! If you haven't used real gut strings in the past, you owe it to yourself to try them. No doubt you'll love some things about them, but also miss things about the strings you're replacing. I'm curious about those Damian E&A strings.

Always go slow and gradually when windening slots at the bridge and nut with a file. Also, (you probably know this) you'll probably need to raise the action a bit with gut. Hopefully you've got adjusters? Remember, those strings will take days to stretch and stabalize a little, and even then they will always need extra tuning attention as they go flat and sharp with the temperature and humidity. After you put then on, play them a lot and keep tuning!

Good luck and give us a report.

Hey Bob,
I'm glad to hear you're crashin' the party. I think that ol' Kay will sing with gut strings on her. One of my closest bass playing friends has a full set of unwound guts on his mid-fifties Kay. I'm curious about the pistoy strings with the different wind. Keep us posted on your progris and good luck.
-J

BTW, the string heights on my Cleveland currently are somewhere in the neighborhood of 11mm to 8/9mm from E to G.

I speak for the others who have already responded and admit:

"We're all glad we could contribute to your madness."

You can read opinions here all day from both sides of the fence and you'll never gain the knowledge you'll get trying out the strings you see/hear others crowing about.

Guts may not be for you, but, then again, they may be.

Thanks for the encouragement to participate in the insanity Guys :D . Yes Bobby, thanks for the wise words .... I will go slow installing the guts. It took me almost 2 hours (for what should be a 1/2 hour job) to fine-tune the bridge wing fit of my Solo Rev II pick-up. Sometimes my anal-retentive tendencies do pay off :p . Currently my Dom E is at 11 mm and my SS G is at 8 mm and I do have an adj bridge so I hope and think I'll be OK. Shoot .... I'll have to skip my annual January pilgrimmage to the River City Bluegrass Festival in Oregon so I can afford the guts :crying: . Sometimes there are tough choices in life ;) .

I think I'll do a little semi-controlled "science fair" experiment and record my current synthetic strings while I play simple scales and root-5 combos (no thumb position or arco stuff since I suk at that right now) with the Edirol at a set distance (say 8'), position, recording volume, and room set-up. Then I'll do the same after the guts have settled in. Since it is sometimes tough to gauge sound, tone, and volume while standing next to the bass, at least I will be able to get some kind of comparison of the sound out front.

Fortunately, I always have my beater '64 Kay back-up with SS G and Spiro D, A, E to take to the tougher big-temp swing, outdoor, late nite jams if the guts on Dottie are just too tempermental.

Onward and upward ......

.... I will get the "new & improved" integral wound (not over-wrap) nickel-silver A & E from Damien Dlugolecki.

Oh No, I'm quoting myself :rollno:! I just got a PM from someone asking where I got the info about the new DD Nickel Silver A & E strings. I thought I read somewhere that these are not your typical over-wrapped strings but now I'm real confused. Jeff K, maybe Double D himself, Anybody .... Help .... can someone in the know clarify the construction and the nature of the "wound" of these new strings? Thanks in advance.

Ahhhh…join the madness! :p

I LOVE Gamut guts, I like the Labella guts, I’m okay with the Weich’s (good all around string), still like the Dom’s solo tuning on the King 43” string length, the Dom orchestra set are settling in nice on the 50’s Epi that just came off the bench Thursday. Those strings have a deep, dark voice with a loooong sustain on this bass…did I mention I love Gamut guts. Bobby just sent the Innovations SS…got them today…it will be awhile till they end up on the ’44 Kay basket case…report to come. And yes fella’s I still have a secret stash of those vintage gut strings to fall back on when the madness and $$$ becomes too much. :crying:

Bob…Merry Christmas…you are crossing to the dark side…if you don’t love those Gamut give me first shot at taken them off your hands. :hyper:

Good luck Bob. I think you'll love them. I did. My ONLY problem with them was it was hard to play fast, technical lines particularly in thumb position as compared to steel. The sound was magnificent, though.

I've got mine stored away for a future use that I hope isn't too long off.

mark

Ahhhh…join the madness! :p

did I mention I love Gamut guts.

I'm sorry, Molly..you have so many basses going off at once, I've forgotten... is this a full set of Gamuts?

I'm always this close to chucking it all and going all gut. They just feel so good. Don't sound bad either.

I'm sorry, Molly..you have so many basses going off at once, I've forgotten... is this a full set of Gamuts?

I'm always this close to chucking it all and going all gut. They just feel so good. Don't sound bad either.
She has my old Medium set I think.

Very nice indeed. Not my cuppa.

Thanks, 'toad. I play my student's bass with guts (all plain :eek:) and it messes with my head. It makes no sense at all from a practical standpoint for me, but damn, it sounds nice. And this is middlin' guts on a ply bass. Great guts on my bass...who knows?

I've found no problem getting around guts quickly; I think I have a harder time with some of the hybrid strings I've tried. The tension is so low, I almost feel like I can breathe on 'em and they will speak.

My solo models have sort of moved from Trane to Billie and Dex, so maybe I'm getting ready for the jump.

.... I LOVE Gamut guts, I like the Labella guts, I’m okay with the Weich’s, still like the Dom’s solo tuning, the Dom orchestra set are settling in nice ..... Bobby just sent the Innovations SS…

Don't get me wrong .... the Weichs, Mittels, Doms, & SS's have all been good strings on my basses but I just don't want to go to that Last Big Bluegrass Jam In The Sky without at least tryin' out some premium gut strings :D .

And yes fella’s I still have a secret stash of those vintage gut strings to fall back on ....

You Rascal ..... no fair ...... been holdin' out on us huh :eyebrow: ?

…if you don’t love those Gamut give me first shot at taken them off your hands.

Youbetcha .... you'll get first dibs if I can't figure them out ;) .

Good luck Bob. I think you'll love them. I did. My ONLY problem with them was it was hard to play fast, technical lines particularly in thumb position as compared to steel. The sound was magnificent, though. I've got mine stored away for a future use that I hope isn't too long off.

Thanks Mark ... I'm looking forward to the guts. Not only can I not "play fast, technical lines particularly in thumb position" at this point in my "career" .... but, if I could and I did .... I would probably get booted out of the bluegrass band and jams :p !

I'm sorry, Molly..you have so many basses going off at once, I've forgotten... is this a full set of Gamuts?



Yep...just like Toad said this is his set of Gamut medium that I purchased back in April. I am not too proud to buy slightly used strings, my old basses are just happy to be singing again. Clothes line would be better then some of the rotten old strings my basses came with ;)

Switching back and forth between gut and steel makes me love the guts all the more...you can just dig in more. In bluegrass jamming it is all about the "thump". The Gamuts are $$$ but well worth the experience...Bob you will enjoy these string from here and beyond.:D

Toad...have you gotten a kick back yet for creating a fever for these Gamut strings...string lust...no cure for it!

Toad...have you gotten a kick back yet for creating a fever for these Gamut strings...string lust...no cure for it!
I wish.

I've got $1500 tied up in gut strings I'll bet and I'm currently strung up with Spirocores.

That's a serious sickness. I should be committed.

I've found no problem getting around guts quickly; I think I have a harder time with some of the hybrid strings I've tried. The tension is so low, I almost feel like I can breathe on 'em and they will speak.
.

Have you tried playing them with a band? They're easy as pie to play at home by yourself. They are INCREDIBLE in your room. Easy to play. Fat sound even in thumb position. Just try wailing in thumb position on guts with drums pounding away behind you though. All of a sudden things get VERY hard. They don't speak quickly and they have an enormous amount of horizontal play in them. I bogged down really quickly. I had to go back to Spiros for that stuff. There is a reason that Eddie and Ray and NHOP etc. went to Spiros and never looked back. Youtube some early Eddie with Bill Evans and watch him play gut strings (pre-1967 Eddie used guts). He's still doing Eddie stuff but he is working REALLY hard to do it and it doesn't come off as clean or as effortless as when he plays on steel.

My respect for Scott Lafaro and Charles Mingus jumped a thousand fold after playing guts for a while. What they did on the bandstand with gut strings was nothing short of jaw dropping.

Outside of soloing, I loved guts. Loud as hell acoustically, fat warm sound. Strong fundamental with a loud snap that cut right through a mix on the bandstand. It was heavenly. And unlike my experience with EPs, they amplified great. If I didn't trip all over myself soloing whenever ANYONE else was playing, I'd still be using them. I'd like to keep a bass strung with guts for gigs that don't require thumb position acrobatics but I don't get many calls for those gigs.

mark

Oh No, I'm quoting myself :rollno:! I just got a PM from someone asking where I got the info about the new DD Nickel Silver A & E strings. I thought I read somewhere that these are not your typical over-wrapped strings but now I'm real confused. Jeff K, maybe Double D himself, Anybody .... Help .... can someone in the know clarify the construction and the nature of the "wound" of these new strings? Thanks in advance.

Bob,
I could be mistaken, but I think the difference between the original DD E and A vrs the new E and A are in the make up of the winding itself. His website lists the original as being silver plated and the new E and A are listed as being made up of an NiAg silver alloy.
I emailed him with another question and he emailed me back within minutes. His service is amazing and his strings are beautiful. I highly reccomend his strings to all who are interested in taking the gut plunge.

Have you tried playing them with a band? T
mark

Little bit. Some in the real early days, and then some recently... bad guts on worse rental basses. I just have to wonder what good ones would be like on my good bass.

To be honest, once someone counts off a tune, I pretty much forget about the bass and strings anyway, unless it falls apart.

Little bit. Some in the real early days, and then some recently... bad guts on worse rental basses. I just have to wonder what good ones would be like on my good bass.

To be honest, once someone counts off a tune, I pretty much forget about the bass and strings anyway, unless it falls apart.

They'd probably sound amazing. You'll put them on and never want to put the bass down again. I had 4 Gamuts on mine and it was heaven.

Based on what you've posted, I think you and I play in a similar manner so I feel comfortable warning you about the soloing issue. Most of the licks and high altitude stuff I could pull of with ease on steel, I simply couldn't do on gut. The way gut responds and sounds is very different than steel and I had to really change my approach particularly when soloing. Studying Scott Lafaro closely helped a lot. I've found that a lot of Scott's licks don't sound all that good when played on steel but work great on gut.

I remember the first solo I took on gut. Up until the solo, I was having a blast. Fat, deep sound under everyone else. My turn. I run up the neck and...nothing. I tripped all over myself trying to play like I do on steel. Forget vibrato, slides or any of the other little things you do with the note while soloing to impart your personality. None of it comes across. By the end of the gig, I'd figured out a few things to do and was playing decent solos maybe 50% of the time. Maybe 10% of the time, I'd completely crash and burn and the other 40% were stinko to mediocre. I'm used to a bit higher percentage of good solos when playing steel--like most of the time. Even after a few months, my average didn't go up that much although crashing and burning became less frequent. After a while I had to go back to steel just to routinely play a good solo. Unfortunately, after gut, steel felt like playing guitar strings they were so thin and thin sounding.

Playing good gut while comping though is one of life's great pleasures. I think need to buy another bass and dedicate it to gut playing.

mark

I think Scott messed up the whole equation for the rest of us mere mortals. :D

I hear what you're saying. It seems that gut players need to embrace the "drummer" side more... the rhythmic aspect... at the expense of the "vocal" aspect to a degree. I really don't do the "toothless and slippery" giant fretless stuff much anyway. I really had a lot of fun blowing through "Tricotism" on my student's gut strung bass recently. But I might fall out of love just as fast on the bandstand.

That was a great quick view of the gut soloing experience you just posted, BTW.

Okay... so how about this... one bass, one set of old Spiros, one set of Gamuts, some spare time, and a string winder mounted on a power drill?...:hmm:

Okay... so how about this... one bass, one set of old Spiros, one set of Gamuts, some spare time, and a string winder mounted on a power drill?...:hmm:You looking in the window of my house?

Nope, I'm snufflin' through your string drawer.

Make sure the vibrator is off before you shut the drawer. I'll catch hell if the batteries are dead.

Hehe.. you sick.

It's all kind of rhetorical for me. I just got off the phone with Les DeMerle, and he was describing what he wants from me on his upcoming recording, which is what most bandleaders want.. that "Ray Brown sound". Coincidentally, I was listening to Jimmy Rowles and Ray on those duo things they did at the time. Big, giant, solid, Spiro Ray stuff. So in the interest of paying the mortgage, I guess my gut explorations will have to wait.

There's another thing that bears repeating to myself, as I am now listening to PC, playing guts, on my radio...

"HE IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, BETTER THAN YOU. ANY ATTEMPT TO TRY TO EMULATE HIM THROUGH STRING CHOICES WILL BE FUTILE."

Probably better to just stack the deck in my favor.

"HE IS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE, BETTER THAN YOU. ANY ATTEMPT TO TRY TO EMULATE HIM THROUGH STRING CHOICES WILL BE FUTILE."

:D

I think Scott messed up the whole equation for the rest of us mere mortals. :D

I hear what you're saying. It seems that gut players need to embrace the "drummer" side more... the rhythmic aspect... at the expense of the "vocal" aspect to a degree. I really don't do the "toothless and slippery" giant fretless stuff much anyway.

Agreed on Scott. He must have come from another planet or something. He really didn't die in the crash, he was just called home...

And you nailed it with the drummer comment. Playing on gut up top is a lot like playing tuned percussion because you can't really do much with the note after the attack. I'm not much for the giant fretless thing either but I didn't realize how much I goofed with the notes with my left hand until I couldn't do it anymore.

mark

Good morning all,
Not to get too far off the thread....but I thought I would relay a story a co-worker told me about 20 years ago. His name was Al Dwyer (I'm guessing that was his last name), anyway he said he grew up with Scott Lafaro in a small N.Y. town. At the time I was playing slab and had never heard of Lafaro. But Al told me he was drinking in a small pub. and in came Scott, they talked for a little while and then Scott left. A few hours later Scott was killed in that terrible crash. Life is precious.....play it like you mean it..gut or steel.

.... Not to get too far off the thread....but I thought I would relay a story ..... A few hours later Scott was killed in that terrible crash. Life is precious.....play it like you mean it ....

There is no way that is "off thread" ..... "Play It Like You Mean It" .... Inspirational ... Man, there otta be a bumper sticker for that.

Thanks for the Essential Reminder CandyMan :) ... Best Wishes To You ..... Merry Christmas.

P.S. I am still blown away by that Kay "extreme make-over" lefty bass that you sold to Tejano. The Craftsmen / Arteeests involved in that project are to be complimented (or maybe .... have their "Luthier's Licenses" checked for going to that much trouble on a barnyard Kay :p ... that was soooo cooool :D !)

Thanks Bob!
Sometimes I find myself at gigs, just going through the motions. I have to remind myself that just getting by isn't how I want to spend my time .
Thanks so much for the complement on the old Kay, Pete Langdell did a remarkable job bringing her back from the edge. I was very fortunate to have Tejano contact me about buying her. He was able to spend the night at my house after driving from Va. to pick her up. We had a nice dinner and got some great conversation in over roasted chicken. Sad to see her go, but she's gone to a great home.
Best wish to all for a wonderful Holiday!
Kirk

Does anyone know the gage for Damians A&E wrapped guts???
Also I hope this "new" wraphe has is not what is known as a "ground wound",that type of winding is alful, The Golden Spirals A&E
from back in the 80s,had the best winding,it looks more like stainless or something,,its not silver., they were very good strings,they latter went to this ground winding then stoped makeing A&E all together. I only wish D'Addario,,would at least tell us where these were made,I'm sure they had them made by someone eles.

http://damianstrings.com/doublebass.htm
He has a conversion program on his page as well that translates his gauging system to inches or millimeters:
http://damianstrings.com/calc.htm

The wound silver strings have that 'round wound' feel to them.

I went and took measurments of several brands of guts I have in my collection,,I also listed the gage that was on package,if it had one

NOS Labellas 60s vintage
G .080,,,gage 43
D .105
A .095 wound
E .125 wound
NOS Art tones, 50s vintage
G .075,,,gage 43
D .095,,,gage52
A .100,,,gage54wound
E .125,,,gage68wound
NOS Nutones,,60s vintage
G .085
D .095
A .100wound
E .125wound
NOS Eudoxas,60s,before they changed them to flat winding
G ..075,,,gage42
D .105,,,gage 53
A missing,
E .135,,,gage 67 wound

Labellas,new type
G .070
D .090
A .100 wound
E .125 wound
Golden Spirals,80s
A .095 wound
E .130 Wound
Gotz mediums
G .065
D .095
A .085 wound
E .120 wound
Gotz heavy
G .080
D .100
Gamut rewraped
A older labella .100,,,rewraped,,.085,,winding wire used was much smaller than original,,resulted in loss
E older labella .125,,,rewraped ,,,.125, wire used here same as original
I really like the Gotz heavys they were from Hammond Ashley, I got them back in the late 90s,,theyr just as good as gamuts
and a lot less $$ ,wish I could find them still.
I was having gamut rewrap A&Es for me but he started useing smaller wire and the last few I had done had already loosend up even before I put them on,,so I'm not all that crazy about gamuts wraped strings,,

As The World Turns ....
Contrary to my original plan .... I bailed out on the wound gut A & E strings for my '40 Kay O-1. At this point I don't want to think about the gut shrinking away from windings in the dry climate of Montana. I don't have that fairly constant marine enviro like Jeff Kissel and his DD wound strings. Adrian Cho said it in the Gamuts thread:
One thing I am sure of is that when it is dry, the gut core shrinks creating space between the core and the windings. At least that's what happened with the Pirastro guts. That's why people would do things like use oil or boil the strings to try and get the moisture into them again.

Both Damian Dlugolecki and Dan Larson were very responsive to the stupid questions in my e-mails.
DD (in Portland, Oregon area) said: "Montana is indeed too dry in the winter for wound basses and the sound of the G and D would suffer from lack of moisture because the gut requires a certain level of moisture to activate the collagen in the strings which make them elastic."
DL (in Minnesota) said: "This time of year is a good one for making the wound strings. We, also, are very dry which helps with the buzzing problem. It is possible that the string will swell in the summer and then shrink again in the winter. Some people have a problem with this and some don't."

Maybe the moral of the story to to buy wound guts from a guy who makes them in a climate / humidity location that most matches where you are going to play. Whatever ... for now I am staying away from the wound guts.

I also asked both guys about plain gut A. I have heard from some folks not to waste my time with plain gut A and that there are no good notes associated with it ... just THUD. I know Joe Sorren here at TB uses a Gamut Pistoy plain A and he said it was great.

So I asked the experts. DD said: "I only have one A1 in stock and it is a bit too large for this set (with G gauge 44 and D gauge 55). And I don't think you would find it agreeable to play."
DL said: "Quite a few players are going over to the plain gut, Pistoy A-3 string. We are working on orders for three of them at the moment. I like the string a lot. One nice thing is that the winding / buzzing problem never comes up. Another nice thing is that the strings last for years and years, and sound better as they get older. As to tone, it is very full and responsive, but you don't get a lot of upper partial sound, so the tone is supported almost completely by the fundamental of each note. If you want your bass to supply the long sound waves that move the air in a room, then gut, and the gut A-3, is a good choice. If you want a bright, more cello-like sound, then gut might not be the best choice."

Maybe if I get any tax $$ back I will pony up for the Gamut Pistoy plain A. Woof ... it's damn big ( 0.15" or 3.8 mm in "light" gauge) and expensive (about 1.5 sets in Spiro-type currency). If any of you TBers are the ones buying those plain A Pistoys, please report in after you break them in.

For now I got some new Garbo regular A & E strings. Yesterday, even though they were only on the bass for a couple hours and still stretching ... they were good right out of the chute. Better pizzz (only) sound and more "gut-like" with that silkworm spit core and not so "plastic" sounding (what the heck is "perlon" anyway?). The low B on both strings sounds real nice. Also more volume and less darkness than the nicely broken in Doms A & E that were on there. Also better to my ear than SS and Perm A & E strings I had previously tried out. The Garbos seem to match the well-used SS G & D strings that I have on right now.

But now .... it's on to Phase II of the diabolical plan .... I ordered the Gamut G & D Pistoy varnished mediums. Won't get them until next week ... Dan Larson checked his stock and had the D but not the G. He has to go into the back room with his buddies and twist one :D . I'm still not sure why I'm getting the more expensive super-twisty Pistoys ... my curiousity has got the best of me. I guess my aging wrists, hands, and fingers are looking forward to playing something real supple and flexible with a nice sound for a change. Not to mention that the pictures (hubba, hubba) of the Pistoys on the website are really attractive (for sheep innards) .... nice symmetrical candy cane stripe of clearish gut spiralling around the string. Sorry .... I'm easily entertained by purty pictures. If this combination of strings doesn't make Dottie The Kay sound good (and yes I know I need to practice and improve my techniques) .... then it time to sell 'er and buy the Cleveland. Thanks for reading ... over and out for now.

P.S. Thanks to Mike Ramsey, SuperMan Kent, and Bobby King for P.M.'s. Real helpful Gentlemen.

As The World Turns ...

Maybe the moral of the story to to buy wound guts from a guy who makes them in a climate / humidity location that most matches where you are going to play. Whatever ... for now I am staying away from the wound guts.

I also asked both guys about plain gut A. I have heard from some folks not to waste my time with plain gut A and that there are no good notes associated with it ... just THUD. I know Joe Sorren here at TB uses a Gamut Pistoy plain A and he said it was great.

For now I got some new Garbo regular A & E strings. Yesterday, even though they were only on the bass for a couple hours and still stretching ... they were good right out of the chute. Better pizzz (only) sound and more "gut-like" with that silkworm spit core and not so "plastic" sounding (what the heck is "perlon" anyway?). The low B on both strings sounds real nice. Also more volume and less darkness than the nicely broken in Doms A & E that were on there. Also better to my ear than SS and Perm A & E strings I had previously tried out. The Garbos seem to match the well-used SS G & D strings that I have on right now.

P.S. Thanks to Mike Ramsey, SuperMan Kent, and Bobby King for P.M.'s. Real helpful Gentlemen.

Glad I could help contribute to the madness. :D

Here in the humidity laden southeast (well, used to be anyway, we're in the worst drought) I'm doing OK with the Red-O-Ray wound guts on bottom. BUT, that's not my everyday bass. I only use it to record with and to play a few dates when I'm going to be in a controlled environment and the outside weather is going to be fairly stable as well.

If I had one bass to play all the time and wanted to experiment with gut, I think it would only be for the top 2 strings and I would use Garbos for the E & A.

Last February, Kent and myself tried some basses that Jerry Fretwell had at SPBGMA (http://www.spbgma.com/convention/index.html). There was one that was strung with guts all the way across and the bottom strings were plain gut as well. They were extremely big and to us, they had a thud, with not much in the way of the fundamental of the note trying to be played. More percussive than musical (no slam on drummers). That was my first experience with a plain E or A string and I wasn't impressed.

Press on soldier, in your quest to pull the sword from the stone!

Good deal Bob,,I thnk you'll like the garbos,,I like them for A&E but the G&D just does'nt do much for me,,,I've been messin with of all things helicore arcos for A&E,,they are not near as bright as most helicores,,and tenision is so far ok,,I'll let you know more after Fridays Opry spot,,I'm gona give them a try then,,Kent

....I'll let you know more after Fridays Opry spot,,I'm gona give them a try then,,Kent
Man i wish i could be there to hear you and your Helicore A & E experiment in person :D. Looks like your playing with Marty Stuart ... All Right. Let's see .... if I hit the road tonite .... and drive straight through .... maybe I can be at The Ryman by Friday :p . Heck I bet you could play clothesline A & E and sound pretty good ;) . Gonna play your drum attachment? For those readers who haven't seen Kent's drum gizmo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUXB8-vyFOk .

Thanks for the info on gut string gauges .... that info went into my decision on the Gamut strings I ordered. I was wondering about the Garbo G & D and almost got those instead of gut but I just have to hear real gut strings on my bass. I know you recommended the Goetz heavies but I never did hear back from Volker Nahrmann about the gauge of the Goetz gut G & D he carries .... I couldn't wait so I ordered the Gamuts. Have a good one at the Grand Ole :) !