Ok to do pizz/arco 50/50 on guts? String recommendations?

[Dave Speranza]

Hi. I am thinking about getting gut strings. I have been trying to read all I can on here. I typically think of myself as a "mostly pizz" guy because I am a jazz player and all my work is usually jazz (no arco solos, lol) however I have noticed that i do spend more time than I realized playing arco. I play in the orchestra at school and of course I practice a lot with the bow.

So perhaps its not 50/50 but I'm not a "95% pizz" person. Somewhere in between there. I have read about problems with the winding on wrapped guts, is this a factor for what I want to do?

I know there will be challenges playing orchestral music on gut however I asked my conductor about it and he encouraged me to go gut so if he doesn't have a problem with it I can manage. Also I am pretty much the only bass player who shows up on a regular basis so I don't have a whole lot of concern with blending issues.

I am thinking I want plain gut G, D, and the consensus seems to be wrapped E, A. Are there some good strings to be recommended? I have played Dlugolecki's G and D on other guys basses and I love em, but I havent used the bow.

[kwd]

Go for it. I love gut for both arco and pizz. I went back to metal because I was just getting into the Petracchi book and bowing plain gut was just too volatile in thumb position. At the same time, my teacher said that my arco technique improved significantly during the 6 months I had gut strings. I had plain gut economy -read Efrano- G,D,A strings and a Innovation 140B E. I will no doubt return to gut after I get passed this phase in my study.

[Phil Rowan]

I would say, for cost sake, try a Pirastro Chorda G, Efrano D, and Spiro Mediums for the E and A. I think you'll find that, as you break in the E and A, you'll get a sound that is close enough to gut, and maybe even a little more defined than gut (when they get old at least). That way you'll never have to replace the E and A, thus saving you some money. Just my .02

[Phil Rowan]

PS Dlugolecki's are worth the extra $. If you're not into Spiro E and A, a dark orchestral string would probably do the job.

[Anonymous75966]

For the last month or so I've been playing a borrowed bass strung with a Dlugolecki plain gut G, Anima D and A, and Spirocore E - I also tried it with a plain gut D but found it too thumpy for my taste. It's a surprisingly balanced and bowable setup and the G is actually the easiest string to start with the bow (but also the easiest to scratch with too much pressure).

Originally Posted by kwd

... my teacher said that my arco technique improved significantly during the 6 months I had gut strings.

I've definitely had to fine-tune my RH control and economy of motion playing on this setup, for pizz as well as arco - lots of stuff to learn there. I'd guess that if you can learn to play orchestra parts on plain gut you should be able to bow anything.

[dfp]

if you get a plain gut D that is not too thick, it will improve your tone vs. thump ratio, i'm using a plain G and D that are .083" and .100", respectively, and they are a great match to each other, and even to the med. spiro A and E i have on... from what i can gather, that .100" is pretty light for a plain gut D, but i think that's key to why it sounds so balanced with the rest of the bass... plus the tensions are not too far off between the G and D, so it's a great pair... a little tension disparity with the spiros i can deal with

they are a trial set from La Bella (from KSB, thanks) so i don't know if they are anything like the "over the counter" La Bellas, but i can actually get some arco stuff happening with these, and it's been so much fun i'm greatly encouraged to try the varnished Gamuts, which are said to be much better than average for bowing, as far as plain gut is concerned. anyone compared them to Dlugolecki's guts?

i should say that for arco stuff, i'm not doing orchestral sized playing, more solo voice kind of approach, i think it would be a bit more challenging to get the guts to respond to the heavier demands of the orchestra situation. but folk used to, of course...

[Adrian Cho]

I used Gamuts - mostly pizz but some arco. The sound of arco plain gut is not for everyone. It's awfully hard to blend into a section with that kind of sound.

[Adrian Cho]

I've never compared Dluglolecki to the Gamuts but I do know that Damian doesn't offer varnished strings because I asked him. After experiencing the (unvarnished) Efranos, I couldn't imagine playing on anything else than varnished strings.