varnished gut: to be...or not to be

[bassdogEmer]

hey - what is varnished gut?? who uses it ?? how is it different or whats it good for??? is plain better??

[kwd]

Originally Posted by bassdogEmer

hey - what is varnished gut?? who uses it ?? how is it different or whats it good for??? is plain better??

I've used Efranos(varnished). It's a better choice if you're using a bow. The varnished surface doesn't have the characteristic irregularities of unvarnished gut.

[bassdogEmer]

Originally Posted by kwd

I've used Efranos(varnished). It's a better choice if you're using a bow. The varnished surface doesn't have the characteristic irregularities of unvarnished gut.

so then ...does this ALSO make it better for pizz?? is it like nylon covered gut???

[M Ramsey]

Andrew asks:

>hey - what is varnished gut?? who uses it ?? how is it different or whats it good for??? is plain better??<

I can't say it's better, but here are the differences. When playing pizz with gut strings (plain G & D) sometimes the gut starts to fray or unravel. Then, you have to get out your 400 grit sandpaper and sort of polish off the strings, lest it continues to fray and then the string breaks. Varnish will help to reduce this happening when playing pizz.

I have a Gamut G Lyon that is varnished, but haven't put it on my bass yet. I do know that I like the nylon wrapped G and D strings, since this wrap keeps the string from fraying off as I have described.

Uh, Barry Bales, bassist for Alison Krauss, uses the Gamut varnished strings on one of his basses. I played his bass when he was over here buying a bass I recommended to him last September. He had Gamuts on his number 669 American Standard which he traded for number 167 American Standard. He didn't trade strings, though.

[ctxbass]

Bassdog,

Take a look at the Chorda D&G you have for sale. I'm not sure if the coating is varnish, but it is similar.

[jmpiwonka]

i have a varnished gut G string (gamut) and it is starting to fray a bit, is the proper procedure to clip the hairs with fingernail clippers or something and then sand down a bit?

[kwd]

Originally Posted by bassdogEmer

so then ...does this ALSO make it better for pizz?? is it like nylon covered gut???

Sorry, can't say. When I bought those strings I don't remember seeing anything in the threads about sound differences or varnished being better for pizz. All I knew was that I needed something bowable.

When the strings arrived there was a black -looked like nylon- material covering the strings. Most of that material has worn off but the sound hasn't changed.

[ctxbass]

Originally Posted by jmpiwonka

i have a varnished gut G string (gamut) and it is starting to fray a bit, is the proper procedure to clip the hairs with fingernail clippers or something and then sand down a bit?

From David Gage's website:

"There has been a substantial return to gut strings over the last 10 years. Mainly a new breed of younger players looking for that Paul Chambers sound. A leading proponent of this approach is Ben Wolfe. Ben (who uses a complete set of Pirastro Chorda gut strings)is going for and gets that thick, meaty Chambers sound including that slight buzz you hear in many of Chambers recordings. He's discovered that the buzz is from frayed old strings. So don't fix that buzz! "

I usually just clip them and let it go at that, though I never had much need to with Chordas. If you do sand, be sure to go only in the direction that won't catch the strand and pull it loose again.