Double Bass First gut strings

[thomphoto]

Just received my first set of lenzner gut strings from String Emporium. When I attempted to tie the knot in the g and d string they seemed to be stiff and brittle. When I bent the string it felt like it was cracking. I oiled them with mineral oil, but that did not help. Is this normal for a new gut string?

 

[Reiska]

Just received my first set of lenzner gut strings from String Emporium. When I attempted to tie the knot in the g and d string they seemed to be stiff and brittle. When I bent the string it felt like it was cracking. I oiled them with mineral oil, but that did not help. Is this normal for a new gut string?

Hi, yes it is, and some brands are more like that than others. That depends on how the strings are twisted. Lenzners will get less stiff after initial break-in perioid. Totally no problem with bending the string on where you are knotting it, that`s part of the deal. Just avoid extreme bending of the string if you decide to put it back to the sleeve.

I`ve had plain guts that looked like roadkill when I received them, like daylight showing from the gaps in the string. Just cleaned and twisted the string back, and voila, completely functioning gut string on my bass a couple of days later. If you take care of them they will propably last a long time. This is particularly true for fatter strings like D`s and plain A`s.

Good luck!

 

[Jay Corwin]

I wouldn't use mineral oils.

The ends can feel stiff and feel brittle when you're tying the knots. That's normal.

 

[thomphoto]

Thanks, thats a relief. What oil do you use?

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

If you’re worried about tying them you can soak the ends in warm water just long enough to soften them, get a good knot, and let them dry again before putting them on your bass. Don’t oversoak them.

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, I have to wonder about any musician who’s thinking about restringing their bass at 7 on a Saturday morning.

 

[thomphoto]

Been up since 5 am. Got a gig tonight (bluegrass) so not changing the strings until later. Got about a week dry spell after that so the guts should settle in a little by then. Thanks for the help, this is a great forum for this beginner upright player.

 

[Jay Corwin]

Thanks, thats a relief. What oil do you use?

I use almond oil. I think that most players use oils derived from plant sources. Just don't use anything with synthetics in it.

Lightly oil, and wipe down excess if it looks like they are weeping.

Clean the hairs up as they sprout. Some guys use nail clippers. I use super fine grit sandpaper, 1500 grit.

You can comb through older threads and see what others do. See what works for you.

 

[Reiska]

I`ve understood that it`s best to use oil with neutral ph. I used linenseed oil, but couldn`t find it easily enough anymore, so I bought walnut oil. So far so good.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Check organic baby oil, that’s usually almond oil. Just check that nothing else is in there.

 

[Bigbassguy]

yes, oil them when getting dry. i do mine at least twice a week. they will last a long time.
my 2 cents
j

 

[210superair]

I've got a question for the gut Arco fellas. When I do oil my strings, Arco is out for at least 24 hours it seems.

Am I nuts?

 

[juusokasperi]

I wouldn't oil the area where I bow. I oil my strings with almond oil but don't oil the area between the fingerboard and the bridge.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I've got a question for the gut Arco fellas. When I do oil my strings, Arco is out for at least 24 hours it seems.

Am I nuts?

Let the oil soak for a bit then wipe the area thoroughly with a paper towel (and a touch of rubbing alcohol if needed.) No need to wait 24 hrs.

 

[Inky13]

yes, oil them when getting dry. i do mine at least twice a week. they will last a long time.
my 2 cents
j

Can I ask you what you consider a long time?
Lifetime steel guy here thinking about switching to synthetics such as Evah slaps, but have always been curious about guts.

 

[duckyincarnate]

Can I ask you what you consider a long time?
Lifetime steel guy here thinking about switching to synthetics such as Evah slaps, but have always been curious about guts.

I used to play plain gut Lenzners (now switched to steel strings) and I got about two, sometimes three years out of them with infrequent maintenance and heavy use.

 

[210superair]

Let the oil soak for a bit then wipe the area thoroughly with a paper towel (and a touch of rubbing alcohol if needed.) No need to wait 24 hrs.

I do that, but the pull just isn't the same for me until they sit for a day or so after drying.

So you oil the area between the bridge and fb?

Man, for some reason yesterday my bass was off, and I measured the scale length, and it was off almost 3/4! Not even sure how I managed to do that with the bridge still standing straight, but I did somehow.... Lol. Got it back where it belongs and sounded like a different bass. Weird.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

...So you oil the area between the bridge and fb?...

Almost never.

I wipe them down frequently but the full "clean with alcohol, oil, clip/sand hairs" is on an as needed basis, which for me is only every coupla months or so depending on the season and my schedule. Sometimes I hit them with a little oil and a quick wipe down if it's been especially dry or before a bunch of outdoor gigs but I don't have a weekly/daily routine.

 

[AGCurry]

The only reason to oil strings is to keep them from drying out. If the air is humid enough most of the time, the strings will not dry out. Unless you keep your bass outside in a very dry climate (which you wouldn't want to do even with steel strings), oiling gut isn't necessary.

If you are oiling, you do not want to soak the string with oil. If oil soaks into the string, that will result in false intonation because you are actually changing the string's mass in the oiled area.

Using alcohol after oiling defeats the purpose of the oil; alcohol is the universal solvent, so it could end up drying your strings out (resulting in the need for oil!).

 

[Jeff Kissell]

To clarify, I only use a small amount of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to remove grime from the strings and fingerboard prior to oiling. And it can be used, if needed, to remove any residual surface oil between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge for the bow.

 

[juusokasperi]

Can I ask you what you consider a long time?
Lifetime steel guy here thinking about switching to synthetics such as Evah slaps, but have always been curious about guts.

I've had the same Gamut Lyon G string for about 3 years if I recall correctly, and it's still in very good shape - only reason I don't have it on my bass now is that about a month ago I wanted to try the Gamut Pistoys. It almost feels like it's just better than it was new but that's just in my experience. With wound gut I've had more issues. I've been using the same Chorda E for two years but I'm already going on my second A string now and it's already looking like it needs to be replaced. If I understand correctly, the problem is that the gut core reacts to humidity so it shrinks during the wintertime but the windings stay the same so they get loose. I heard from Ben Wolfe that applying a bit of lemon juice on the string would swell up the gut core back into size but I haven't tried that yet.

Dan Larson from Gamut recommended applying a light coating of almond oil every fortnight or so, putting it on the string in the evening and wiping it off the next morning. That should keep the surface of the string coated so it'll be more durable.