Opinions on different brands of plain gut.

[Bobby King]

Can I get some opinions on the available brands of plain gut strings? Without discussing boutique brands like Larson and Dlugolecki (expensive!), what have your experiences been regarding quality, bowability, diameter, etc.? Some of the brands that I know of are: LaBella, Lemur's "European Gut" (usually Efrano), Goetz (which you don't see much anymore), Lenzner, Pirastro Chorda, Clef. Thoughts? Other brands I'm not aware of?

Thanks!

[bejoyous]

Adrian Cho's website has a review of the various gut strings he's tried. http://www.adriancho.com/StringInfo.html

[Alexi David]

Sorry Bobby, but I must mention the boutique strings! I have Dlugolecki plain D & G, and.............no contest, better than the rest, especially if one is doing any arco.

The lenzners were not that great. Red-O-Rays are great, though no longer made. The chorda G is a bit too fat for my taste, but otherwise a good string.

Interestingly enough, when the tynex winding on my Kaplan Golden Spirals broke off, I used the strings as they were with the gut core. Worked great! High-tension varnished gut!

[gomez hacienda]

The Clef guts, D & G are very nice...they seem to be of high quality. I gave them a few quick runs thru an oiled rag over the last 4mos and I've since gotten no 'hairs'. The sound is consistent and tuning stability is very good. That being said, the A & E strings in the set are virtually worthless for old school jazz. Maybe for slap or some very low volume folk music, etc. They're just too fat and floppy. I wish I could buy them separately.

gomez

[bassdogEmer]

hi - I am currently using a Labella plain gut G and D. I love them. tension wise theyare great and they sound and bow nice. I do have the little hairs tho..I have oiled them but I gig every night just about. Do you guys know how to get rid of those little hairs??? how do you all handle that?? also - do the efrano's or lenzners or whatever NOT ave those little hairs??? do I needa varnished gut?? what is a varnished gut anyways??
p.s. the Labella A and E I didn't like.

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by bassdogEmer

hi - I am currently using a Labella plain gut G and D. I love them. tension wise theyare great and they sound and bow nice. I do have the little hairs tho..I have oiled them but I gig every night just about. Do you guys know how to get rid of those little hairs??? how do you all handle that?? also - do the efrano's or lenzners or whatever NOT ave those little hairs??? do I needa varnished gut?? what is a varnished gut anyways??
p.s. the Labella A and E I didn't like.

My varnished Dlugoleckis rarely get any hairs...varnised is the way to go

To get rid of 'em, just clip 'em with a nail clipper

[bassdogEmer]

Cool- thanks - which Dlugoleckis do you go with?? How do i tell if the guts are varnished or not??

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by bassdogEmer

Cool- thanks - which Dlugoleckis do you go with?? How do i tell if the guts are varnished or not??

Varnished guts are real smooth and show almost no hairs. They're slick to the touch. They also last longer. These Dlugoleckis are real expensive but if you try em, you'll see why it's worth it if you're serious about gut - ESPECIALLY if you do arco!

I dunno what kind are mine - I got em in a trade - they're varnished, and on the thick side. G & D.

[kwd]

Originally Posted by Alexi David

These Dlugoleckis are real expensive but if you try em, you'll see why it's worth it if you're serious about gut - ESPECIALLY if you do arco!

I buy in to the 'you get what you pay for' theory for gut strings. After a few adjustments, I grew to love the sound of bowed plain gut. The wall I ran into with lower priced plain gut was arco. I had a hard time bowing them in higher positions. They were just too volatile. Can you offer some comparisons of bowing the decidedly boutique Dlugs against -say- Efranos in higher positions?

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by kwd

I buy in to the 'you get what you pay for' theory for gut strings. After a few adjustments, I grew to love the sound of bowed plain gut. The wall I ran into with lower priced plain gut was arco. I had a hard time bowing them in higher positions. They were just too volatile. Can you offer some comparisons of bowing the decidedly boutique Dlugs against -say- Efranos in higher positions?

A world of difference. I agree, the biggest difference is with the arco. With the Dlugoleckis it becomes much easier to start the string in higher positions, and the sound is smoother will less scratch and abrasion. Of course it's still no picnic , but once you get into it, once you spend some nasty months adjusting, one can find that the arco gut sound is unbeatable - and I'd never try it again on cheaper strings!

I play a 5-string with a High C. That High C is made by Red-O-Ray, which are no longer available. That string sounds amazing. By using that High-C, I can do a lot of stuff in lower positions, so the bass just siiiiiiiiiiings, with a Cello-like sonority - the best of both worlds! I will eventually try Dlugolecki's High C strings. Also, The ones I have are higher tension, which for me aids the sound and playability greatly.

[joe_sorren]

GAMUT!

I love them for pizz...I haven't tried them for arco yet.

[Adrian Cho]

Gamuts are by far the best of any I've tried. Excellent quality that shows that there really is a big difference between low and high end gut stirngs, and a large range of options available on gauge size, construction, etc. I'm using the Gamut Lyon varnished Light gauge. Great for pizz and arco although the Gamut Pistoy would probably be better for all arco. Speak to Dan Larson, he's a great resource.

[Adrian Cho]

BTW, Damian Dlugolecki doesn't do varnished strings - I asked him. Dan Larson (Gamut) does. Varnished is way better - I can't imagine why anyone would want to use unvarnished gut. They have a pain to maintain, don't last as long and are harder to bow.

[bassdogEmer]

thanks to all of you for the advice. funny thing - I was just hired to score and perform the music for two theater projects here in NYC this fall and they both require bowing so I had to ditch the guts at least temporarily - bowing them was such a pain in the A$$ compared to metal strings. I did like them but they are not versatile at all . I recorded as a sideman on a film score last week that required bowing and I had a miserable time keeping the intonation in line with the other strings... the guts just don't stack up bowing if your in a pressure situation. - I do love them for PIZZ tho....arr looks like I should have kept the bass I just sold to have as my 'gut' bass!
thanks again fellas for all the help

[M Ramsey]

Originally Posted by Bobby King

Can I get some opinions on the available brands of plain gut strings? Without discussing boutique brands like Larson and Dlugolecki (expensive!), what have your experiences been regarding quality, bowability, diameter, etc.? Some of the brands that I know of are: LaBella, Lemur's "European Gut" (usually Efrano), Goetz (which you don't see much anymore), Lenzner, Pirastro Chorda, Clef. Thoughts? Other brands I'm not aware of?

Thanks!

Bobby makes a remark above excluding the Gamut strings made by Larson.

Although I haven't bitten and bought a set of these strings, I may at some point. I talked with Kent Blanton about these strings a month or so back. He said that Larson would make bigger diameter strings if asked. Kent told Larson that many of the "old" gut strings (the ones that Kent and Dennis Crouch like to use and find) are of a much larger diameter than most "modern" gut strings.

I traded some strings with Kent when we last spoke and I got one set (G & D) which are very big. I haven't tried them yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Since you are in Nashville Bobby, give Kent a call and see if he can help you.

Also, if these guts are taken care of very well, they can last 20-30 years, so $425 over that period of time would equal to about $21-$14 per year. Now, mind you, I'm talking about the good quality gut strings.

YMMV

[Bobby King]

Hi Mike!

Thanks for the info.

You know, last week I broke down and ordered a Larson G&D. (like $190 for 2 strings, yikes!!) I'll post a report after I try them. I also like to bow and the varnished Larson gut come highly recommeded.

I don't particularly like huge diameter strings. I've had a lot of "new old stock" strings and there's been a variety of diameters and still good quality. The Roth E string I have on now is fairly light for a wound E but it's great! I've had Labella, Goetz and other wound Es and I'll play a G note on the E string and just get a thud. The Roth gets a nice clear pitch and even a little sustain, too!

I'm not really sure what aspects of material and construction were different in days of old. I understand that gut is made somewhat like yarn with thin stings of boiled sheep innards (yuk) woven together. According to Dan Larson, a sufficient amount of twist in the gut core is very important and this is often lacking in newer strings.

BTW, have you seen Kent Blanton's bass with that drum head thing attached to it?

[M Ramsey]

Bobby,

The older gut strings were quite bigger in diameter (I don't know specific numbers) than more "modern" gut strings. This would increase the tension but it wouldn't be THAT much more significant. Bigger string, bigger tension, bigger volume.

I think these increases in diameter would benefit the pizz players more so than the arco players. With bigger strings, more or "higher" action would be needed to allow the strings to ocillate freely, thus minimizing the buzzing on the fingerboard.

My son, Aaron (currently playing bass for Randy Kohrs) told me I would need to get adjusted to the larger diameters of gut when I was switching a couple of years back. That was no problem for me. The best part for me was the lower tension underneath the left hand. I can live with that as well.

I doubt I'll ever play steel strings again. I use Velvet Garbos or Animas on one bass when I know I'll have to play outside in the heat and humidity. They are simulated guts and suit me fine for that purpose. When I saw Kent we were trading strings. I gave him a set of E & A from Velvets and I got 2 G and 2 G gut strings.

Most of the strings that Kent Blanton and Dennis Crouch play are the "older" gut strings of the 40's-60's. If I do ever break down and buy a set of Larson strings (and I may someday) I'll get him to make me some of the big diameter strings. Kent has already had Larson to do this for him. At $425 for a complete set of strings, that sounds like quite an investment. But, if they last 20-30 years (like the old strings can) that breaks down to $21-$14 per year on strings. I can live with that.

Kent had his recently acquired King bass with him when I saw him in June. He did have the "drum head thing" attached. It appears to be made of some layers of fiberglass fabric. I don't know if it was solid fiberglass or just some fiberglass fabric on top of a piece of foam. He then uses a small snare brush between some fingers of the right hand to get the percussive tap as he pulls notes.

Was it "Lightning Chance" that had this contraption on his bass years ago?

[Bobby King]

Hey Mike,

That's great that your son is playing with Randy Kohrs. Randy is extremely talented. We played together in Holly Dunn's band several years back. He's a character!

I understand that that drum contraption on the bass came about because years ago you weren't allowed to have drums on the Grand Old Opry. Lightning Chance or whoever it was rigged that thing up and hit it with a brush between bass plucks to sneak in some percussion. I'll bet Kent knows the whole history.

[M Ramsey]

Here's a link to video of Roy Huskey and John Hartford, banjo, bass and voice on "Gentle on My Mind."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fXXkybycsU&NR

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by M Ramsey

Here's a link to video of Roy Huskey and John Hartford, banjo, bass and voice on "Gentle on My Mind."

Sh-t! That's fantastic. Such a deep delicate art.