Lenzner gut strings?

[Stephen Edwards]

I was recently on Quinns Violins site and I was looking at different strings and I saw that Lenzner makes the cheapest gut strings that Quinns supplies. Are they cheap for a reason or are they worthwhile?

[Peck_Time]

I have Lenzner G and D on my bass with Evah E and A.
I like the Lenzners, I think they are a good basic gut string and great for getting a taste of the ups and downs of gut. I haven't tried Gamuts or Olivs etc.

The only downside for the Lenzners is that you have to tie a knot in the end yourself. The Lenzner plain gut A string is a real hoot as well!

[wineaux]

I have Lenzner guts on the D and G, Velvet Garbos on the E and A. I tried the guts on the strings too but they were too spongy and muddy for my liking.

I've played one bass with Gamuts and it was enough to make me decide to try the Gamut D and G the next time I mess around with strings. They've also been recommended by some folks I know and respect, so I'm game to give 'em a try.

[Mark Perna]

I've never tried Lenzners. I've been playing on Gamuts for the last 3 months and I'm loving them. I use Med G, Light D, silver wrapped medium A and silver wrapped medium E. I can play them almost like steels in that I can play all 4 strings up through thumb position. No bad or muddy notes all of the way up the neck on any string. And they have that fat gut sound. You can check out what my bass sounds like with Gamuts on my Myspace page. I have a few solo bass things posted.

They cost about twice as much as Lenzners though so they might be outside your price range.

mark

[Bass Barrister]

My teacher just put a complete set of Lenzners on his bass. This is the bass I use during lessons. Based on my one hour experience, they were easy to bow (used a KSB bow with black hair) and felt easy on the fingers. The G and D felt just a tad sticky and this might be an issue for fast pizz. My comparison strings are Evahs, Flexocores, and Obligatos.

I like them. They worked for Bottesini (not the Lenzners, of course).

[Jake deVilliers]

Of course not - the Lenzners were retained by Albinoni to take care of the house and the horses.

[Freddels]

Originally Posted by calivox

I've never tried Lenzners. I've been playing on Gamuts for the last 3 months and I'm loving them. I use Med G, Light D, silver wrapped medium A and silver wrapped medium E. I can play them almost like steels in that I can play all 4 strings up through thumb position. No bad or muddy notes all of the way up the neck on any string. And they have that fat gut sound. You can check out what my bass sounds like with Gamuts on my Myspace page. I have a few solo bass things posted.

They cost about twice as much as Lenzners though so they might be outside your price range.

mark

Sounds great. You're tearing it up on those tracks. Why only the light D? What's your string height?

[Mark Perna]

Originally Posted by Freddels

Sounds great. You're tearing it up on those tracks. Why only the light D? What's your string height?

When I first put gut on the bass, I used a medium D and it was the only string I was a little unhappy with. Just a little unhappy. It was useable but a bit thumpy. I tried the light D and there was a BIG difference. It is still thumpy compared to a steel D but it is MUCH more clear and focused than the medium D. I can use it all of the way up the neck and into thumb position. I was a little concerned that it would be floppy but it wasn't on my bass at all.

I have the string height pretty much as low as I can get it and not choke the bass. I lose a little volume like that but the clarity is massively improved. I was going more for a Scott Lafaro-like sound than a Paul Chambers-like sound. I don't think I got a Scott Lafaro-like sound but I'm very happy with it. I'm almost always amplified as well so the slight loss of volume doesn't really matter.

mark

[shakernow]

Originally Posted by Freddels

Sounds great. You're tearing it up on those tracks. Why only the light D? What's your string height?

I have a medium Gamut D on right now. Before I had a Clef D, which I think is very similar to the Lenzner D. IMHO, the Gamut medium D is only a very slght improvement. It is still quite thuddy and stiff and only just a bit clearer than the Clef going up the neck. I have read where others have had similar experiences with the medium gamut D and then moved to a gamut light D with better results.

[Jake deVilliers]

Mark, you kind of skipped Fred's question about string height. What are your string heights please?

Thanks, Jake

[Mark Perna]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

Mark, you kind of skipped Fred's question about string height. What are your string heights please?

Thanks, Jake

I don't check very often. The last time I checked they were 8-13 G to E. I'm pretty sure they are slightly higher now with the increased humidity. I just put them where they sound and feel right.

Mark

[Stephen Edwards]

Are the Lenzner E and A flatwound or roundwound?

[Jake deVilliers]

Thanks Mark - I just wanted to have a picture to go with the great sound I hear on your MySpace grooves.

[Mark Perna]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

Thanks Mark - I just wanted to have a picture to go with the great sound I hear on your MySpace grooves.

No problem Jake. I think they are a little higher now than when I recorded the stuff on Myspace. Humidity went from mid 40's to mid 50's since then and the bass is a little swollen. I usually don't mess around with the adjusters too much unless things get way out of control. I usually set them when the weather changes and leave them alone. The one thing I've had to continually adjust is the bridge angle. With all of the tuning I have to do now (sometimes between tunes on a gig if the room is hot), it gets pulled toward the fingerboard from the vertical. It's very slight but resetting makes a MAJOR difference in string tension and how quickly the bass speaks. Whenever I notice the bass getting thumpy and hard to play, I gently re-angle the bridge ever so slightly and everything goes back to normal. It's such a normal procedure now that I'll do it between tunes on a gig.

mark

[Gearhead43]

The Lenzners are a good quality basic gut string, that are affordable and used by tons of Roots music players like myself. Don't expect "singing" sustain or bright tone - they sound alot like old-school gut strings which is why I like them.

I am using an Olive E&A ($$$) and Lenzner D&G for the Honky Tonk & Western Swing I play and they sound great together.

I was using a plain E&A also for slap, but for pizz I like wound bottom strings better.

The best guts I have are the Artones and Red O Rays in my gut stash, and if someone would start making them again they'd get rich quick. Something about the NOS guts were just better IMO.

Some day when this bass starts making me the big bucks (haha) I would love to try some heavy gauge Gamuts though.

[AndreasH]

Originally Posted by Gearhead43

The Lenzners are a good quality basic gut string, that are affordable and used by tons of Roots music players like myself. Don't expect "singing" sustain or bright tone - they sound alot like old-school gut strings which is why I like them.

I am using an Olive E&A ($$$) and Lenzner D&G for the Honky Tonk & Western Swing I play and they sound great together.

I was using a plain E&A also for slap, but for pizz I like wound bottom strings better.

The best guts I have are the Artones and Red O Rays in my gut stash, and if someone would start making them again they'd get rich quick. Something about the NOS guts were just better IMO.

Some day when this bass starts making me the big bucks (haha) I would love to try some heavy gauge Gamuts though.

How does the Lenzners compare to Artones? (Probably a stupid question but I've only tried Gamuts and Artones so far! )

[larssonanton]

Just got the Lenzner G and D gut strings I ordered from stringmail.co.uk. The problem is that I got the D "jazz" string, instead of the standard D. I think it's wrapped in some kind of nylon. My intention for the strings is to match them up with Innovation Super Silver A and E, and to play pizz and slap on them.

Is anyone familiar with the tension and feeling on the "Jazz" string? Should I put it on, or replace it with the standard string?

/Anton

[Gearhead43]

Originally Posted by AndreasH

How does the Lenzners compare to Artones? (Probably a stupid question but I've only tried Gamuts and Artones so far! )

The Lenzners are more thumpy, especially the D - maybe a bit less "sustain" , although I'm not interested in alot of sustain. To me, that ultra-percussive woody fat tone I hear on old big band, country, blues, R&B , gypsy jazz, and rockabilly records is what double bass is supposed to sound like, dig? I'm not a fan of that whiny steel sound. My ears are adjusted the other way I guess.

The Lenzners are smooth finished but not babies-ass smooth like the Artones. Lenzners are more beer-budget (for guts) , but still nicely made.

The Artones are the best I have ever played hands down. Really wish they still made them. I am saving mine for recording and using the Olive/Lenzner combo for gigging. I actually need an Artone or Red O Ray G string because the one I had was old and frayed. Red O Rays are very nice too when you can find them.

Guts are the only string I know that sound perfect whether slapping or pizz. Some nylons (Innovations, etc) sound pretty "gut like" played pizz but get twangy when slapped. No "boing boing" for me, thanks. Yuck.

Guts are worth the pain in the ass, for me anyway.

[Stephen Edwards]

Anton, I just checked out your myspace and the music is great! Regarding the tension there are tension charts posted on the string gauge sticky if that helps.

[larssonanton]

Originally Posted by Stephen Edwards

Anton, I just checked out your myspace and the music is great! Regarding the tension there are tension charts posted on the string gauge sticky if that helps.

Well, thank you Stephen!