Gut string oil

[threetone]

Hi TB,

I read just about every gut thread here on the forum but can't seem to find an awnser to this simple question;

What kind of oil do you guys use for your gut strings. Does someone have a brand name or some insight on were to get it or a link to an online shop perhaps?

Also, and here is the real gut newbie question;

I just fitted my bass with Chorda C. H. Strings, awesome sound!
But, are my G & D strings varnished or unvarnished ? :-) do they need oiling right from day one, or only for periodic maintenance?

Thanks TB - this place rocks.

[tito mangialajo]

on my Gamut Lyon I put natural almond oil (with no perfume, obviuosly) and is good.

[moles]

Walnut oil

[DoubleMIDI]

I read in a double bass forum (don't remember which one) that almond oil is the best (at least better than olive oil) and a good and (relatively) cheap source for it is baby oil (but better check the declared content).

Personally I would use it only on unvarnished strings (or varnished strings when the varnish has completly remove due to heavy damage of the varnish). I doubt the oil will get through the varnish, but maybe someone has personal experience with that?
If the varnish is damaged at a few areas the oil may get in there and the result is a string with varying mass over the length. That might result in some slightly out of tune notes on the string.

[DC Bass]

Almond oil- I got a little bottle at the local grocery store. I've used olive oil in the past too.

Joe

[Marcus Johnson]

I have a gigantic macadamia nut tree here in my back yard. I always meant to try just rubbing the strings with one of them when the guts were on the bass, but I never remembered to do it.

[moles]

You wanna be careful rubbing those nuts on anything in your back yard. Neighbours might complain...

:O

[kurt]

Better to do it in the yard than between sets on a gig!

But yeah, unscented pure almond oil here too.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by moles

You wanna be careful rubbing those nuts on anything in your back yard. Neighbours might complain...

:O

I just knew that was coming....

[JeffKissell]

I would add... you don't need much. I only ever oil my strings when I'm sanding/clipping hairs and it's not often.
I use plain, unscented mineral oil and then isopropyl alcohol (70%) to clean off rosin and/or oil between the end of the board and the bridge.
-Jeff

[JeffKissell]

Originally Posted by moles

You wanna be careful rubbing those nuts on anything in your back yard. Neighbours might complain...

:O

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

I just knew that was coming....

Marcus, is there a shot of your back yard in the "what we at talkbass look like" thread?
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...you wanna buy one from Warburton?
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[DC Bass]

Jeff, you made me LOL!

Good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read that!

Joe

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by JeffKissell

Marcus, is there a shot of your back yard in the "what we at talkbass look like" thread?
.
.
.
...you wanna buy one from Warburton?
.
.
.

At the risk of sinking this thread entirely... it was P Dub that originally mentioned the nut rubbing technique for gut strings in these forums ... (a Brazil nut, in his case, I think).

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

At the risk of sinking this thread entirely... it was P Dub that originally mentioned the nut rubbing technique for gut strings in these forums ... (a Brazil nut, in his case, I think).

Ya, 'twas myownslf who used a Brazil nut in the old days of playing on Artone guts.
Everything down Brazil way is great....the music, the chicks, the nuts, everything but the politics.

[JeffKissell]

Hey Paul,
Did players back in the days of gut strings obsess as much as we do about gear, especially strings? (Maybe it's the overwhelming amount choices available on the interwebz?)
-Jeff

[Mark Perna]

I've never used anything on mine but they are varnished. I have a bottle of almond oil at the ready but never used it.

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by JeffKissell

Hey Paul,
Did players back in the days of gut strings obsess as much as we do about gear, especially strings? (Maybe it's the overwhelming amount choices available on the interwebz?)
-Jeff

We dint use amps and PU's, Jeff, so that simplified that part, and no adjustable bridges up until around the mid 50's. No bow quivers. Yep, no where near the amount of choices of today. Very few jazz bassists used stools. No adjustable endpins or bent endpins as well. Guys used to carry around different lengths of wooden shafts for other guys to sit in with even. No fingered low C extenstions, just those terrible Horst mechanical extensions that required mutilating some beautiful scrolls and volutes and rattled like a muther. You could hear four or five bassists in an 8 bass section pop the open low C latch with a loud bang that sounded like a gun shot. Not as much to obsess about.
Cave man city, pretty much.

I turned 70 a coupla' days ago and after reading this post I feel like it.

Marcus, I hope this dint sink this thread entirely..

[JeffKissell]

Thanks much Paul and Happy Birthday!
-J

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Paul Warburton

Marcus, I hope this dint sink this thread entirely..

Nahh, I was more worried about all my nut rubbin' references.

[threetone]

Thanks for the replies.
I've got some Amond oil handy.