Gut, steel or plastic?

hublocker · #1 01-29-2012, 01:35 PM

Do you use gut, steel or plastic strings?

Why?

If I play mostly old country music and a few rockabilly songs and slap very little, would I still benefit from gut strings?

DC Bass · #2 01-29-2012, 03:54 PM

Gut strings are A W E S O M E for "classic" country music!!!

Beware though- climate can be tough on guts- especially the wound variety in my experience...but they sound so good that to me, they are worth almost ANY of the PITA that comes with them.

Ultimately, it's up to you- cause you can make just about any ole string work- but gut strung upright basses are what the real classic country music was made on!

A Precision bass with flats would be nice too!

Did I say THAT?

Joe

PaulKing · #3 01-30-2012, 10:53 AM

I think they only really shine if you slap. Then they really are the business, though the new Cordes Lambert nylon strings are every bit as good.

Nothing quite has the organic thumpy pizz tone, but lots of nylon simulations have good approximation of the tone...
Innovation Silverslaps ... Rotosound ... Presto/Eurosonic.... Velvet

And Innovation solid core steelies sound good too (solo guage tuned to concert best for low tension playing)

KStewart · #4 01-31-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DC Bass

Gut strings are A W E S O M E for "classic" country music!!!

Beware though- climate can be tough on guts- especially the wound variety in my experience...but they sound so good that to me, they are worth almost ANY of the PITA that comes with them.

Ultimately, it's up to you- cause you can make just about any ole string work- but gut strung upright basses are what the real classic country music was made on!

A Precision bass with flats would be nice too!

Did I say THAT?

Joe

+1 !!!

And yes, for more of a 60's country sound bring the strap-on as well.

T-Bird · #5 01-31-2012, 10:23 PM

Hi.

I use steels.

If You don't mind me asking, why be concerned about what others are using?

Just aim for the tone/sound You like, using the strings that will give that to you.

Does sound like guts/imitations are what You're after though.

Regards
Sam

md_massimino · #6 02-01-2012, 11:23 AM

I'm a big big fan of Lenzner gut for the A-D-G strings and love the sound of a wrapped gut E but I've broken three of those in the past two years. That's a damn expensive string to break. I'm using the E from a set of Innovation Psychoslaps currently because I happened to have one lying around. It's a nice aggressive defined clack when slapping but can be a little aggressive for the guts when playing pizz.

dukeorock · #7 03-07-2012, 06:28 AM

A lot of jazz and country players use gut and don't slap much...it's been said, but you really do have to try a few things at a lot of gigs for yourself to really know the answer...wish there was a shortcut...I coulda saved a lot of money!

shwashwa · #8 03-09-2012, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulKing

I think they only really shine if you slap. Then they really are the business, though the new Cordes Lambert nylon strings are every bit as good.

Nothing quite has the organic thumpy pizz tone, but lots of nylon simulations have good approximation of the tone...
Innovation Silverslaps ... Rotosound ... Presto/Eurosonic.... Velvet

And Innovation solid core steelies sound good too (solo guage tuned to concert best for low tension playing)

are these Cordes Lambert strings available yet? i know they were not able to meet the demand for awhile, and i sent them an email over 3 months ago, havent heard anything yet.

dukeorock · #9 03-09-2012, 01:07 PM

I have some Lamberts...pretty sure they're available

shwashwa · #10 03-09-2012, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukeorock

I have some Lamberts...pretty sure they're available

how do you get them? email didnt seem to work...

dukeorock · #11 03-09-2012, 01:19 PM

I was a beta tester, so that prolly got me to the front of the line on the official release

BeowulfKingsley · #12 03-13-2012, 08:29 AM

I'm finding you really do have to experiment to find what works for you...which can be expensive! Buying strings used in the Classifieds here or trading strings helps though...as well as giving a string set a good long chance by playing on them for a few months. Right now I've got one of my basses strung with some old guts my teacher loaned me, and another strung with Evah Pirazzi Weich. You can pizz, bow and slap on either one. The guts do have that classic tone, especially for slap. The tension is very low too, which can make a difference in the feel and the way you approach slapping (and pizz, and arco). Very little sustain, especially with older guts...but for some of the old-school pizz stuff that's where that sound is at.

Some serious drawbacks for guts:

Mighty pricey.

Tuning...I'm retuning a lot with the gut set, many times after each song. If you're in an area where the humidity changes a lot, this can be a big issue.

As has been said before, they can break on you. Keep spare G strings, even if they're weedwhackers.

Gotta do a little maintenance on 'em...oiling and trimming hairs periodically. Not really a lot of hassle.

Lack of definition on the note, especially on the E and A strings. Wrapped E and A strings are better with this, but they can still be a bit thunky. Coming from steel strings this is sometimes off putting for sure! But lots of good players have very focused sounds playing gut, I think it's just an adjustment. Me, I'm still working at it!

...So I'd say it's something better tried perhaps by playing someone's bass who uses guts, and seeing how you like them that way. It really is a different world of sound and feel. I'm still mostly performing with the Evahs, partly for the tuning stability and partly for the kind of sound I need with the band I'm in right now...but with some of our quieter gigs I'll bring out the guts and they're getting to be more fun!