43" string length string recommendation

[MollyKay]

Currently I have a 1935 King bass with a 43" string length set up with Dominant solo tuning (suggested by Jack at Upton Bass) and love the sound, the tension, and the feel of the strings (purple ball end with yellow tops). When it comes time to select a string for my 1937 American Standard bass with a 43" string length I am tempted to go with the Dominants again but I would really like to try a set of LaBella guts. Is there any pro's or con's to this gut strings on a 43" string length? I play all pizz (bluegrass) and most likely will only use this bass at indoor jams (too nice to take out to a festival where damp night air can affect the bass). As always your insight and suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

[M Ramsey]

Pretty much any set of guts strings will work for you at this string length.

I have 2 American Standards #731 and #2753. I keep the latter strung with Animas or Garbos (both simulated gut) for use in weather complicated places/gigs.

When you string the guts up on your bass, try and use all of the length of the string when winding onto the peg. Be careful and don't let the string wind over toward the side of the pegbox, since the string can become pinched and break at that point.

Also, when winding the whole length of the string onto the peg, if it does break, hopefully it will be near the point of insertion into the peg. That should leave you enough good length to possibly continue to use the string.

Other opinions/replies expected and respected.

BTW, what is the serial number of your American Standard?

Hope this helps,

[MollyKay]

Thanks Mike! I guess I will try the guts just so I know what they feel and sound like. My AS serial number is #247 with the bell shaped sholders. Currently my husband is stripping it of a paint job from the late 1960's...so far so good. The wood is in great condition and the edges are all wood, no filler or repairs I got my fingers crossed that the entire bass is in good shape...what a find!

Thanks again!

[Bobby King]

Hi Molly,

I also have a 1930's King.

I've found that a lower tension string works best with the longer scale basses, so solo gauge is a good idea. Guts tend to be lower tension so they'll always be good too. I've also used Corelli 370s on my King and they sound really good, but they're a steel string.

If you want to start using gut here's some advice: buy really good gut strings. Strings lilke LaBella and Efrano and Gotz are really second rate compared to custom guts like Gamut and Dlugolecki. The custom guts are very expensive (but Labella isn't that cheap either) but they are well worth the extra.

My recommendation, Gamut plain G&D with silver wound E&A in light gauge. Maybe light+ for the G. I've tried all the guts I could find over the years and this is the way to go IMO.

Be warned though if you play a lot outdoors, guts are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes which make them go out of tune and require frequent tuning. So, synthetic cores like Anima or Garbo are something to consider. Also Innovation Super Silvers, Rockabillys and Labella Supernils all have a "gut-like" sound and feel. Much cheaper too.

Good luck

[armybass]

I learned how to play on an old King and it was also a 43 inch scale. It was my first bass and I had it all through college and for ten years after that. I loved that bass and it sounded so good. I am actually having a bit of trouble getting used to my 41 inch scale carved bass and wind up using my Englehardt more because it is a 42. What a huge difference and inch or two can make.

[Bobby King]

You know, the scale on the old Kings and Standards is really more like 43.5" or 43.75" (if your bridge is at the center point of the F holes). It can be a b**ch on your left hand, especially in first position!

[lostinbass]

Just another bluegrass guy adding his two cents worth to reinforce some of the earlier comments and make a recommendation of my own...
Although I don't own an American Standard or a King, I am lucky enough to have purchased a New Standard Cleveland a while back, which as we all know is another big bodied plywood, but with a standard string length.
Since owning this bass, I've been thru Spirocores, Dominants (orchestras), a full set of Lenzner guts, and currently am using a set of Innovation Super Silvers (the 140SS set).
I've been very happy with the Innovations so far - approx 40 hrs playing time. A little early to make a judgement, probably, but they are a very comfortable string to play on with a nice "thump" for bluegrass that seems to be improving as they settle in. I guess I'd rate them as medium tension, especially having come from the Dominants which to me have quite a stiff feel and are definitely higher tension.
I loved the gut sound and feel on my Cleveland, and had them on all of last winter and into the spring and summer months. I bailed out though, and went back to Dominants shortly before our band began a string of outdoor festival gigs. As Bobby and Mike mentioned, as the heat and humidity increased, so did the tuning hassles, compounded by the fact that I do most of the emcee work between songs (while everyone else retunes, moves their capos, etc).
Another factor to consider is that going from Dominant Solos, which are a extremely small diameter string, to larger diameter gut or hybrid strings may be pretty weird for awhile. Maybe another reason to try a cheaper set of hybrids (like the Innovations) to see if you like the fatter strings before sinking a ton of money into guts.
So, hope this doesn't confuse the issue, just wanted to offer my experiences. Take it with a grain of salt from a fellow 'grasser who's gone thru four different types of strings in the last 1-1/2 years.
And congratulations on finding your American Standard - hope it turns out sounding and playing great. I'm saving my pennies and keeping my eyes open and hope to someday compliment the best of the new (the Cleveland) with the best of the old.

[MollyKay]

Thanks for the good advice and insight on string choices. I really think I am going to try a set of gut strings on the AS bass. I expect they will feel fat and low tension until I get used to them. My string of choice on my ‘37 Kay bass is the Thomastik weich which I am sure will feel skinny after playing on gut. The AS bass came with nylon strings that I am unfamiliar with, the E string had red wrapping, the A string had orange wrapping, the D string had black wrapping and the G string had dark purple wrapping. These nylon strings are really low tension and flubbery (is that a word?).

I too hope the AS bass is as good as I have heard them described…if you have seen my other questions you would see I have a passion for American plywood basses (I know the “junk food” of basses). I take in unplayable plywood basses and rehab them with my husband back to playing condition. I have several different brands of American basses and am amazed at how different they are constructed and how they all play and sound different…so far my favorite is my 1935 King with the big thick neck…I don’t know why, but I love this bass for bluegrass. You can feel the low vibration and boom of this bass when you lean into it…awesome.

[bassdogEmer]

hi Molly- I owned a bass with a 44 inch string and found that the gut strings were really good for a bass like that due to the lower tension of the strings. I did try the dominants but I could never get them to paly or feel right. I love the Labella guts - nice strings. send me a PM if want cuz i have a bunch of new and old guts for sale from Labella as well as a brand new set of Garbo's
cheers

[lostinbass]

Hmmm, let's see - a 1935 King, a 1937 Kay, and now a '37 Standard - seems though I've heard you mention an Epiphone somewhere along the line, too.
"Junk food"? - sounds more like a smorgasboard to me!
What a great hobby, and definitely not one that you'd find alot of couples doing together.
As far as those that would look down their noses at these instruments are concerned, I say great - just leaves more of them for the rest of us common folk.
Maybe I should be looking for a "fixer-upper"....

[MollyKay]

LOL! Yes I have several American plywood basses...I did say it was a passion and my husband and I are a great team...I find the old unplayable basses, he fixes them up and then I get the pleasure of playing them. I'll attach a picture so you can see they are fixer uppers. All the basses I have taken in were unplayable and needed repairs and a good set up. My husband is not a luthier but he has 30+ years as a welder, fabricator and cabinet maker...if I can draw it, he can build it. So far it has been lots of fun