Double Bass Gamut metal wound low strings vs Pistoy low strings

[JBarz]

Hey gang,

Here I am 90% happy with my setup running almost full guts in 5ths on a Kay 5 string.

The custom low G Gamut wound string does a good job bridging the Spiro RM weich low C and the Gamut Pistoy D, but the tuning instability of the wound gut is driving me crazy. The plain gut and the Spiro stay in tune, but the wound G is all over the place constantly.

I am needing someone to talk me off the proverbial ledge here : A custom low G Pistoy (4mm +) is over $300.

Would I love this string as much as I think I would or is this just my last bit of latent GAS escaping? I should probably just keep tuning and be content with my already excellent wound low G?

Pardon my neurosis (as always)

 

[AGCurry]

How long have you had the wound low G on the bass, and how long are you willing to wait for improvement?

My experience with wound Gamuts is that it took about three months for some stability to arrive; and by stability, I mean that:
1. Usually, one tuning before rehearsal or concert is enough;
2. Sometimes, I need to tune once again after a couple of tunes;
3. Leaving the bass in the venue overnight before a concert really helps.

And I have tried unwound Pistoy A and E. They (especially E) are not for the faint of heart.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

Embrace the chaos and make sure the bridge and nut slots are perfectly smooth and the correct size. Don’t give the windings any reason to get hung up.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

What about a Spiro or Obligato low G from their fifths sets?
A regular Evah Pirazzi A tuned down to G (check the tension with my excel file) might be possible too.

 

[SVT4001]

Hey gang,

Here I am 90% happy with my setup running almost full guts in 5ths on a Kay 5 string.

The custom low G Gamut wound string does a good job bridging the Spiro RM weich low C and the Gamut Pistoy D, but the tuning instability of the wound gut is driving me crazy. The plain gut and the Spiro stay in tune, but the wound G is all over the place constantly.

I am needing someone to talk me off the proverbial ledge here : A custom low G Pistoy (4mm +) is over $300.

Would I love this string as much as I think I would or is this just my last bit of latent GAS escaping? I should probably just keep tuning and be content with my already excellent wound low G?

Pardon my neurosis (as always)

 

[Eli Brockway]

I am needing someone to talk me off the proverbial ledge here : A custom low G Pistoy (4mm +) is over $300.

Would I love this string as much as I think I would or is this just my last bit of latent GAS escaping? I should probably just keep tuning and be content with my already excellent wound low G?

Unless you were planning to start getting serious with the bow on it, I'd probably just stick to the wound G and give it more time to relax.

What gauge are you thinking of for unwound? I know that the standard Heavy+ Pistoy low A is only 4.06mm, and that's already over $300 anyways; a true custom order I would assume would be even more. If you're wanting heavier than that, Aquila offers up to 4.6mm on the unsplit lamb gut, 140 euros (so a little over $150 USD). Even cheaper if you take the beef gut route. And I haven't heard anybody say anything bad about Aquila's guts.

 

[JBarz]

The wound string has been on there about a month - not long. I hope it does settle more ‘cause honestly I can’t hang with 1/2 step out of tune every time I sit down with it.

I’m all about these guts. Bowing was the only thing holding me back, but I’m growing to love that sound now, too. I’m going to put full gut on my carved Shen now, too, and be done with it the back-and-forth for a while (as if!).

Armed with the self control of a gnat, I went ahead and ordered that Pistoy low G. I told them at least 4.25mm or whatever they think best. I’ll letchya’ll know what the verdict is when she arrives, for sure.

 

[SVT4001]

The wound string has been on there about a month - not long. I hope it does settle more ‘cause honestly I can’t hang with 1/2 step out of tune every time I sit down with it.

I’m all about these guts. Bowing was the only thing holding me back, but I’m growing to love that sound now, too. I’m going to put full gut on my carved Shen now, too, and be done with it the back-and-forth for a while (as if!).

Armed with the self control of a gnat, I went ahead and ordered that Pistoy low G. I told them at least 4.25mm or whatever they think best. I’ll letchya’ll know what the verdict is when she arrives, for sure.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I'm getting anxiety just thinking about metal wound gut.

 

[JBarz]

I'm getting anxiety just thinking about metal wound gut.

Dont get me wrong, it’s a wonderful string. Other than the tuning instability, there’s very little complain about. There’s just something that the plain Pistoy D string does, like a quickness to speak with just the slightest touch that I find very appealing. The wrapped gut and the spiro just take a bit more convincing to motivate them to get in motion and I’m trying to maximize the ‘subtle’ and ‘intimate’ nature of my relationship with this particular axe, if that makes any sense. But yeah, anxiety is sh*t for the birds, for sure.

 

[SVT4001]

Dont get me wrong, it’s a wonderful string. Other than the tuning instability, there’s very little complain about. There’s just something that the plain Pistoy D string does, like a quickness to speak with just the slightest touch that I find very appealing. The wrapped gut and the spiro just take a bit more convincing to motivate them to get in motion and I’m trying to maximize the ‘subtle’ and ‘intimate’ nature of my relationship with this particular axe, if that makes any sense. But yeah, anxiety is sh*t for the birds, for sure.

I concur! Metal wound gut are cool, especially Eudoxa! Sweet baby Jesus, what a string!!!
I was skeptical of the round windings on Gamut strings, but the metals are soft enough that I wasn't too worried about damaging my fingerboard.
That said, Pistoys are truly amazing in every aspect!

 

[Eli Brockway]

I was skeptical of the round windings on Gamut strings, but the metals are soft enough that I wasn't too worried about damaging my fingerboard.

Skeptical of the historical solution? Dang, man.

 

[SVT4001]

Skeptical of the historical solution? Dang, man.

Maybe "skeptical" was a poor word choice. I have seen round wound electric bass strings completely destroy fingerboards in short order, which is why I got a Pedulla when I wanted a fretless slab. I switched to Gamuts after bad QC experiences with Eudoxa and Oliv, both of which are flat wound, gut core strings, but I went "one at a time" from the G on down. I tried a few different E and A strings, and finally settled on Pistoy A, D, and G, and a copper wound E. I tried a Pistoy E, but I couldn't make it work. It sucks to spend so much money on strings, but here we are...
And, I don't play period music with them- I play straight ahead jazz and country and western...I play them for the sound and feel, so being historically correct was never a concern.

 

[SVT4001]

Maybe "skeptical" was a poor word choice. I have seen round wound electric bass strings completely destroy fingerboards in short order, which is why I got a Pedulla when I wanted a fretless slab. I switched to Gamuts after bad QC experiences with Eudoxa and Oliv, both of which are flat wound, gut core strings, but I went "one at a time" from the G on down. I tried a few different E and A strings, and finally settled on Pistoy A, D, and G, and a copper wound E. I tried a Pistoy E, but I couldn't make it work. It sucks to spend so much money on strings, but here we are...
And, I don't play period music with them- I play straight ahead jazz and country and western...I play them for the sound and feel, so being historically correct was never a concern.

Lauging at myself, "I don't play period music...", by that I mean baroque. Straight ahead jazz and C&W are pretty much "period" music these days! lol!

 

[Eli Brockway]

Maybe "skeptical" was a poor word choice. I have seen round wound electric bass strings completely destroy fingerboards in short order, which is why I got a Pedulla when I wanted a fretless slab. I switched to Gamuts after bad QC experiences with Eudoxa and Oliv, both of which are flat wound, gut core strings, but I went "one at a time" from the G on down. I tried a few different E and A strings, and finally settled on Pistoy A, D, and G, and a copper wound E. I tried a Pistoy E, but I couldn't make it work. It sucks to spend so much money on strings, but here we are...
And, I don't play period music with them- I play straight ahead jazz and country and western...I play them for the sound and feel, so being historically correct was never a concern.

For what it's worth, by "historical solution" that includes everything from when the first started doing metal wound low strings so that they didn't have to be so huge up until steel strings started taking over. So, congratulations, playing with a wire wound gut string, you're still being historically correct for the genres you're playing!

Also, yeah, it's one thing if you've got stainless or even nickel rounds on a rosewood board, it's another thing when it's copper or silver-plated copper or actual silver on a thick ebony board over a soft gut core.

 

[JBarz]

This big ole honkin Gamut Pistoy low G string just came in today. 3 hours into stretch, the tuning is starting to settle more. It’s incredible - everything I was missing from the wound G, especially under the bow. Looking forward to how it settles in the upcoming months, as it’s really far too early to come to any real conclusions about tone/feel - but the initial impressions are promising!

 

[LouisF]

Yeah... I'm finally trading up this summer from my Gotz/Lenzner 3.85 raw A to Toro (Italian) 4.2 plain A--- putting a week aside for tuning!!

 

[JBarz]

Ok, the tuning is pretty stable now. FAR more stable than the wound G ever was, at any rate.

This string is magic, for sure. They did a banger job blending the low C Spirocore with the Pistoy med D: tension is spot on, tone is clean and clear and balanced, they polished it to a smooth texture which is surprisingly satisfying, and like, no joke, it feels like it is imbued with some sort of other-worldly charm. 10/10, would recommend to any gut enthusiast.

I’ll post a video once I finish working up this tune.

 

[JBarz]

As promised, “A Sleepin’ Bee” Harold Arlen. I’ve been listening to a lot of Slam Stewart and Major Holley singin’ and bowin’— pardon my indulgence.

 

[JBarz]

sorry, I listened back to this recording the other day and got all self-conscious about my weak-sauce arco chops and I deleted it. I’m actively trying to get over being so self-conscious and critical of my playing and where I’m at developmentally, so I changed my mind and put it back up, lol. pardon my neurosis as always…