Gut concerns

[clementscb]

Hey guys ive been considering getting gut strings for awhile. the problem is i dont know anyone in my area that plays on guts, so i was hoping you guys could help me out.

First off i am mostly a jazz musician but i also do a good amount of orchestral work, not just practicing but i gig in a few orchestras around town. now ive heard many different things about how guts react to the bow, some people tell me they are horrible for bowed work and others tell me they are just the same as steel strings. im interested in what u guys have to say.

my last question has to do with my pickup. i use a k and k bass max on my bass and run it through a mark bass combo amp. my question is will the pickup work with gut strings. im not super familiar with the mechanics on how a pickup like the bass max works but i thought that it had to pick up the vibrations from metal strings. is this true?

If i do go for guts ive been looking at the new Carlos Henriquez strings by pirastro. If u guys could give me any info u have about these strings or other gut sets that you think i should try instead i would really apprciate it

thanks guys

Charles

[PaulKing]

K+K BassMax will work perfectly with gut or any other type of string.

Piezo pick-ups react to the physical vibration of the bridge, whatever the string is made of.

Magnetic pickups (guitar style) rely on movement of a metal string in the magnetic field of the pickup. So they do not work with gut or synthetic strings.

That's half your answer.

[Mark Perna]

+1 on the Bassmax

I've never tried the CH Chordas so I don't have any personal experience with them however they are one of the big three gut strings and should be great.

I don't bow very much and what little I do bow isn't in a section. The only issue with gut that I could see is that you may have a hard time blending with a bunch of steel stringed basses. Arco on gut strings solo works great according to my friends who do that sort of thing.

mark

[clementscb]

Thanks for the info guys. It's good to know that the pickup would work atleast. Does anybody else out there happen to have more experience using guts in a section or happen to know how they blend with basses with steel strings. Also does any one have any 2 cents on how guts work for solo classical playing.

[Eric Hochberg]

This has been discussed on Ken Smiths forum.

[JtheJazzMan]

Only gut or wrapped gut too? Wrapped gut design is great for bowing but make sure your credit card has plenty of spare balance....

[Nathan Parker]

Originally Posted by clementscb

Thanks for the info guys. It's good to know that the pickup would work atleast. Does anybody else out there happen to have more experience using guts in a section or happen to know how they blend with basses with steel strings. Also does any one have any 2 cents on how guts work for solo classical playing.

I suggest you do some research and see what the majority of professional orchestral players use and in what situations. That's going to give you a much more accurate idea of what works.

[salcott]

I played guts (Gamut) in a section with a community orchestra-no one complained, and my stand partner (Bel Cantos) really liked the blend between the two of us.

[Norre]

I use a K&K BassMax and have Carlos Henriquez Chordas on my bass. However I don't play arco, so I can't comment on that. I like the amplified sound of the strings. The unamplified sound ... mmm ... I can live with but it's not great IMHO.
The D string sounds strange, escpecially in thumb position.
Muddy, almost dead with a funky echo-like vibe, with no sustain at all. The D strings is also bigger than the A string. The A string on my bass sounds almost metallic. Not good at all ... could be my bass. The G and E sound great, go figure. Also the A and E string get out of tune A LOT! But I guess all wrapped gut strings are like that. Don't know, this is my first experience with gut strings.
At rehearsal I have to retune in between every song. I've been thinking about changing the D, A and maybe the E string to Garbos or EP weichs.
A friend of mine, a retired professional orchestra and opera player, played it and he said it was very hard work to make them sound good with a bow.
Hope this helps.

Ciao

[Mark Perna]

Originally Posted by Nathan Parker

I suggest you do some research and see what the majority of professional orchestral players use and in what situations. That's going to give you a much more accurate idea of what works.

I'll save you some trouble, they don't use gut.

[davpal]

Originally Posted by Norre

I use a K&K BassMax and have Carlos Henriquez Chordas on my bass. However I don't play arco, so I can't comment on that. I like the amplified sound of the strings. The unamplified sound ... mmm ... I can live with but it's not great IMHO.
The D string sounds strange, escpecially in thumb position.
Muddy, almost dead with a funky echo-like vibe, with no sustain at all. The D strings is also bigger than the A string. The A string on my bass sounds almost metallic. Not good at all ... could be my bass. The G and E sound great, go figure. Also the A and E string get out of tune A LOT! But I guess all wrapped gut strings are like that. Don't know, this is my first experience with gut strings.
At rehearsal I have to retune in between every song. I've been thinking about changing the D, A and maybe the E string to Garbos or EP weichs.
A friend of mine, a retired professional orchestra and opera player, played it and he said it was very hard work to make them sound good with a bow.
Hope this helps.

Ciao

How long have you had the Chordas? I found that my Eudoxas have taken about 6 months to break in.... and I think the hot, humid weather helped a lot. They really sound great now and are much softer under the fingers. They bow very easily now but were very difficult when new. So, maybe your strings just need a little more time? And the tuning is much more stable too - not the same as steel but will hold pitch most of the night.

[Nathan Parker]

Originally Posted by calivox

I'll save you some trouble, they don't use gut.

I am aware of that. Just trying to find a diplomatic way of saying : Plain gut strings suck for orchestral work. If they didn't, professionals would use them.

But, the fancy wound gut seems to be quasi popular. I know there are some videos floatin' around of the principal from LSO playing some solo stuff with Eudoxa's.

[Norre]

How long have you had the Chordas?

A couple of months now, can't remember the exact date. The G and D are stable, more or less, but the A and E not.

I'll save you some trouble, they don't use gut.

+1. I know some arco players and none of them use guts

[Mark Perna]

Originally Posted by Nathan Parker

I am aware of that. Just trying to find a diplomatic way of saying : Plain gut strings suck for orchestral work. If they didn't, professionals would use them.

But, the fancy wound gut seems to be quasi popular. I know there are some videos floatin' around of the principal from LSO playing some solo stuff with Eudoxa's.

I don't know about "suck" but the tonal qualities of bowed gut are certainly different from steel or steel wrapped strings. Despite Salcott's experience, I think most orchestral players feel that gut and steel don't blend well enough for the sectional sound they are trying to achieve. Orchestral bassists in the 50's were actually pressured to switch to steel. I actually find plain gut easier to bow than Spiros but I'm a jazz pizz player and really don't use the bow much if at all and never outside of the practice room and I don't spend ANY time all trying to find the compromise string that will maximize my arco and pizz playing. It is all about the pizz with me and my set up is maximized for pizz. I use Gamut Pistoy D/G and Garbo A/E.

makr

[clementscb]

well thanks for all the info guys. i think im probably going to stick to the EP or maybe switch to the EP weichs. it seems like there would be too many problems if i switched to guts considering how much orchestral playing i do and seein that all of the guys i play with use steel.

[Bergerman]

I too have gut concerns.

After watching video of my band's last performance, it seems that mine is quite a bit larger that I thought it was!