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Double Bass Another Tailgut Question

krfoss

krfoss

Supporting Member
Nov 29, 2007
3,041
4,506
Orange County, CA
#1
I have a rigid metal wire tailgut on my upright, and have been board and antsy to tinker. What impact will braided nylon (similar to that sold on Gollihur) have on my sound. Does anyone have any experience or advice on this?
 
#2
I used a braided steel tailgut, then nylon, adjustable steel, and now have a braided nylon (?) tailgut that was crafted by Jed Kriegel. There were many other adjustments that he did to my bass as well (new tailpiece being a big one, raised saddle, etc.) so I can't comment on how that one component specifically changed the sound. That said, my bass is mellower overall. This tailgut feels very sturdy compared to some of the others I've used! Others should chime in, but I like what I've got so far.
 
#3
IME the steel monofilament costs you pizz volume, can make the bass feel stiff and mutes the high end frequencies.

A Kevlar tailgut will allow the tailpiece vibrate freely and should loosen up the feel, but some feel they mute the highs.

I haven't gone crazy experimenting, but a braided steel tailgut is far and away my favorite.
 
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#4
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
IME the steel monofilament costs you pizz volume, can make the bass feel stiff and mutes the high end frequencies.

A Kevlar tailgut will allow the tailpiece vibrate freely and should loosen up the feel, but some feel they mute the highs.

I haven't gone crazy experimenting, but a braided steel tailgut is far and away my favorite.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. How noticable would it be after a change of tailgut? You say the monifilament can stiffen up the bass a bit, but a change prob won't make it a wide open bass, right?

I'll switch out the wire soon to see how it changes the sound.
 
#11
I think it's not only weight, but stiffness. Ebony and boxwood are similarly dense, but ebony is harder. Also TP length and tailgut length can make a big difference, and there are "tuned" and "tunable" tailpieces, wire tailpieces, etc. Some European builders in fact use ebonized birch, saying lighter is better. So, there are really as many opinions out there as a certain body part. You just have to experiment and see what works for you.
 
#12
dkziemann said:
I used a braided steel tailgut, then nylon, adjustable steel, and now have a braided nylon (?) tailgut that was crafted by Jed Kriegel.
Click to expand...

My bass was also set up by Jed and he uses a material called vectran. I looks similar to braided nylon or kevlar but from my research, and Jed's explanation it seems that vectran has almost no stretch when tension is applied, or after tension has been applied for a period of time. I can't really speak to the difference in sound compared to steel or anything because I only had my bass for a few months before Jed did a complete set up of my bass. It seems anything is better than rigid metal though.
 
#13
Mgaisbacher said:
My bass was also set up by Jed and he uses a material called vectran. I looks similar to braided nylon or kevlar but from my research, and Jed's explanation it seems that vectran has almost no stretch when tension is applied, or after tension has been applied for a period of time. I can't really speak to the difference in sound compared to steel or anything because I only had my bass for a few months before Jed did a complete set up of my bass. It seems anything is better than rigid metal though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! Sounds right to me :)
 
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