I recently purchased a set of blast cult strings..2 steel ones plus 2 gut buckets..I am finding the steel ones unusable as they just make a horrid buzzing vibration on both of my basses..anyone have any ideas or experience in this..I have put the guts on and they are lovely albeit a little out of ballance with sbw e and a strings..
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Double Bass Blast cult tonemongers
- Thread starter petebanana
- Start date
I've never heard of "blast cult" strings. Are we talking about electric bass here, or upright?
Hi..they are upright bass strings especially for rockabilly slap style..not cheap I might add..the set is called tonemongers
You're in the wrong section. I've asked the moderator to move this to the "Double Bass" side.
I hate to break it to ya but $245 for a full set of guts with a wound E and A is actually really cheap. I don't want to blame the strings however as the problem may be with the bass, but disguised with other strings. Can you answer a couple questions?
1. How long did you leave the E and A on each bass?
2. How flat and true is your fingerboard? If you press down the string with one finger on each hand, about 6-10" apart at various points along the E, you should see a uniform sliver of light between the string and the board. The if the sliver changes shape drastically or you see dark areas (indicating high spots) that may be your problem, and could be made more apparent by the wrapped gut. This is not a knock on your instruments, wood moves and needs to be addressed periodically.
1. How long did you leave the E and A on each bass?
2. How flat and true is your fingerboard? If you press down the string with one finger on each hand, about 6-10" apart at various points along the E, you should see a uniform sliver of light between the string and the board. The if the sliver changes shape drastically or you see dark areas (indicating high spots) that may be your problem, and could be made more apparent by the wrapped gut. This is not a knock on your instruments, wood moves and needs to be addressed periodically.
Earl
Supporting Member
The E/A are not wound gut, they are low tension steel strings.
My mistake. Still, a low tension steel is more likely to have more excursion than a higher tension one, and may be causing a buzz off an uneven board.
Fingerboard relief and action. The bain of switching between thin high tension strings and thick low tension strings...
If your fingerboard relief is set for thick SBW strings, there might be too much relief for thinner steel strings, hence the buzzing of the E and A string; I'm guessing the buzzing eminates from closer to the end of the fingerboard.
If this is the case you might get by with higher action, but having a luthier reduce your relief would be the best solution.
However, it would be smart to decide first which strings you prefer, because relief adjustments are expensive and you can only do them so many times on a fingerboard -- they cost wood.
If your fingerboard relief is set for thick SBW strings, there might be too much relief for thinner steel strings, hence the buzzing of the E and A string; I'm guessing the buzzing eminates from closer to the end of the fingerboard.
If this is the case you might get by with higher action, but having a luthier reduce your relief would be the best solution.
However, it would be smart to decide first which strings you prefer, because relief adjustments are expensive and you can only do them so many times on a fingerboard -- they cost wood.
Thanks for all your replies..I have 2 basses.neither are particularly expensive..I think both made in China.(primavera and a cheaper gear 4 music)..with weedwackers both feel and sound ok..maybe it's time to bite the bullet and get a more upmarket bass..am thinking duke ...or blast cult if I win the lottery..i can't get any interest from local luthiers here in spain..and if its going to be expensive I may be throwing good money after bad..I just thought it weird that both my basses behave the same with these tonemonger strings..
Earl
Supporting Member
Those E/A strings are pretty terrible in my opinion and if the problem is the same on both basses it may be the strings. If the gut G/D are working then try Spirocore E/A. They come up used here often.
Try to find a quality ply bass, then put the money into having a good luthier set it up, reinforce it where necessary, add a second soundpost for feedback ect. Even in Spain you should be able to find a Shen or Eastman plywood bass, an old Kay or Engle would also suit your needs.
You don't have to spend $5000+ for a decent working ply bass.
You don't have to spend $5000+ for a decent working ply bass.
Try a set of all-synthetic Pirastro slaps-they're quite gutlike, and they're also actual double bass strings. A luthier can then dress your fingerboard, cut the bridge properly, and make your bass playable.
Theres a set in the classifieds for $175 right now you should jump on that petebanana.
Probably worth mentioning, while they may only be Kevlar core gator line with some special treatments, and they may not be pricey/high-brow enough for some folks, Superior Bassworks (SBW) Deluxe "Dirty Guts" strings are respected and well liked by a lot of RAB, PSYB and roots players. Depending on the bass, depending on how it is played and setup, and depending on how it is mic'ed or amplified, they can actually play and sound decent, even compared to real guts.
Even though SBW Deluxe Dirty Guts cost significantly less than $100US for a bump set of 6 strings, they are just as much real double bass strings as the most complicated synthetics or steel strings. The point being, they are made from available raw materials just like the next company's strings, and they are made for and widely used on double basses. Just because we may not be in the target group that loves and uses a brand of strings doesn't mean they aren't real double bass strings.
For the OP (who has been using SBW strings), while I am not strong on RAB, I do slap, pizz and occasionally arco for mostly roots genre. I use SBW Deluxe Dirty guts D and G over Innovation Silver Slaps E and A -- I've tried other string sets and mixes, and keep coming back to this mix. The Dirty Guts D and G are strong and clear and mix well with the SilverSlaps E and A for tone, volume and touch, and for those who care as I do, they bow surprisingly well.
Even though SBW Deluxe Dirty Guts cost significantly less than $100US for a bump set of 6 strings, they are just as much real double bass strings as the most complicated synthetics or steel strings. The point being, they are made from available raw materials just like the next company's strings, and they are made for and widely used on double basses. Just because we may not be in the target group that loves and uses a brand of strings doesn't mean they aren't real double bass strings.
For the OP (who has been using SBW strings), while I am not strong on RAB, I do slap, pizz and occasionally arco for mostly roots genre. I use SBW Deluxe Dirty guts D and G over Innovation Silver Slaps E and A -- I've tried other string sets and mixes, and keep coming back to this mix. The Dirty Guts D and G are strong and clear and mix well with the SilverSlaps E and A for tone, volume and touch, and for those who care as I do, they bow surprisingly well.
I would like to try the silver slap e and a with my guts ..I have 2 sets of superior bassworks and do like them but e and a are a bit lost volume wise..I wish I hadn't forked out on the tonemongers now..thanks to you all for taking time ..ill keep an eye out for silverslaps..
