eudoxa care

[brianh]

Recently I've been using and enjoying a set of Eudoxa (silver on gut) strings. Now the the heat is on in the house the bass tends to go sharp when I'm not playing (and when I'm playing too....). Would it make sense to tune the string down a bit after playing? I'm worried about the windings breaking as is the problem with these strings.

Any other insight into the care of these strings would be great.

Thanks
Brian

[Marc Piane]

I'm interested too. This is my first winter with Eudoxas.

A buddy of mine uses olivs and he said he never tunes down when he is not playing. All Summer and Fall I just made sure to visit my bass a few times a day and check the tuning. I have the bass in my hands several times a day for gigs, teaching, or practicing so it is easy for me to do though.

[David Kaczorowski]

I've been using olivs and eudoxas for years. There was a time when I experimented with detuning when not playing. All that did was make the bass more comfortable with lower tension, making it sound a little tight or choked tuned at pitch. That was probably 5 years ago. I stopped and have never had a problem. In my experience, only very old age abuse is going to break one of these strings.

[brianh]

On another note, most of the gigs I do are (unfortunately) fairly low-key club dates and restaurants and I typically do not use an amplifier. I'm not against amps, but I just don't really need one and I like the sound of digging in.

Maybe 1-2 times a week though I will do something a bit bigger, at a jazz club or something where I will use an amp. It seems that these strings don't amplify as well as they sound acoustically. Anyone else notice this? When amplified, they lose clarity and focus and frankly are hard to hear. Sometimes I feel the bass is louder unamplified....

Does anyone have suggestions on how to get a good amp tone from Eudoxas? I'm using a Full Circle and an Eden/Epifani rig...

[Marc Piane]

I have never heard any amplified tone as good as the real thing. I use steel on the E and A so it is a little different but I feel like the top two amplify really well. I have heard that the lower ones get muddy though. That is part of the reason why I stuck with steel on the bottom.

[David Kaczorowski]

Originally Posted by brianh

Maybe 1-2 times a week though I will do something a bit bigger, at a jazz club or something where I will use an amp. It seems that these strings don't amplify as well as they sound acoustically. Anyone else notice this? When amplified, they lose clarity and focus and frankly are hard to hear. Sometimes I feel the bass is louder unamplified....

Does anyone have suggestions on how to get a good amp tone from Eudoxas? I'm using a Full Circle and an Eden/Epifani rig...

It might just be how the sound is from your vantage point. There's a good chance they sound great out in the room and to the rest of the band.

I use a mic 99% of the time. A friend of mine uses Oliv E and A strings with a Realist and everything is just fine.

[brianh]

Originally Posted by David Kaczorowski

It might just be how the sound is from your vantage point. There's a good chance they sound great out in the room and to the rest of the band.

You might be right about this. I do think bassists often evaluate their sound too much by what they hear from where they're standing....but thats often all you get. I should probably have a friend make a room recording at a gig sometme.

Do you run you mic through an amp or the house? I rarely play at clubs that could/would run my mic through the house.

[David Kaczorowski]

I plug the mic into an AI contra.

[brianh]

I'm thinking of taking the Eudoxas off for a week or two and trying some EPs...do you think this will be bad for the Eudoxas when I put them back on?

[David Kaczorowski]

shouldn't be a problem

[anonymous12251111]

Originally Posted by brianh

Recently I've been using and enjoying a set of Eudoxa (silver on gut) strings. Now the the heat is on in the house the bass tends to go sharp when I'm not playing (and when I'm playing too....). Would it make sense to tune the string down a bit after playing? I'm worried about the windings breaking as is the problem with these strings.

Any other insight into the care of these strings would be great.

Thanks
Brian

heat makes gut strings go flat, cold makes gut strings go sharp.

[KSB - Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Calvin Marks

heat makes gut strings go flat, cold makes gut strings go sharp.

Heat also makes the Bass Swell and can go sharp as well. I played outdoors last night with traditional Gut on my Lombardi Bass (Italy 1981). The Bass kept going sharp, not flat.

I think if the Back expands the Neck drops a hair and the strings go lower on the FB and then goes flat. If the Top expands the bridge goes higher and the strings go sharp.

I can't explain why last night in the park the Bass when sharp but it was warm all afternoon and evening.

[bonaventura]

Originally Posted by Calvin Marks

heat makes gut strings go flat, cold makes gut strings go sharp.

yes, but dryer air makes them go sharp while an increase in humidity will make them go flat.

[KSB - Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by bonaventura

yes, but dryer air makes them go sharp while an increase in humidity will make them go flat.

Like an old Jewish man in Miami once said.."It's not the Heat, it's the Humidity!"

[anonymous12251111]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

Like an old Jewish man in Miami once said.."It's not the Heat, it's the Humidity!"

lol!!