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Double Bass Gamut strings Maintainance?
- Thread starter NielsDale
- Start date
and they are amazing- they sound better and better ;but how to take care of them?
Here is my special maintenance regimen: I do absolutely NOTHING. I don't even wipe them down. The D is a year old. The G is only about 7 months. A is over a year old and the E is a 10 month old Garbo so nevermind about that one. I have had NO problems with the strings and so far they've lasted longer than any set of Spiros I've ever used.
My D and G are varnished, if that makes a difference.
mark
My D and G are varnished, if that makes a difference.
mark
Same here. So far, I've seen only ONE little tiny hair that needed trimming, and this is a set that's been played hard by me on a nightly basis, and by Mark before that. Mine are varnished too. I'll wipe off any rosin gunk that's accumulated, but that's it. Headache-free guts.
i agree the Gamuts really are low maintenance.
you might want to keep an eye out for little hairs on the unwound buts. not that there are many, but once in a while i find a hair splitting off. i use 800 weight sandpaper to brush lightly running against the direction of the hair until it is smooth.
also, maybe once a year i notice the guts are getting dry (they look dry, feel dry, and they get lighter in color) and i rub on a drop of Pirastro string oil. other oils will work too.
but i don't know what would result if i did nothing like Mark. i've heard guts can unravel if a hair is not trimmed or removed. and i do not really know the benefit of the oil, except they feel smoother after the oil.
you might want to keep an eye out for little hairs on the unwound buts. not that there are many, but once in a while i find a hair splitting off. i use 800 weight sandpaper to brush lightly running against the direction of the hair until it is smooth.
also, maybe once a year i notice the guts are getting dry (they look dry, feel dry, and they get lighter in color) and i rub on a drop of Pirastro string oil. other oils will work too.
but i don't know what would result if i did nothing like Mark. i've heard guts can unravel if a hair is not trimmed or removed. and i do not really know the benefit of the oil, except they feel smoother after the oil.
I have clipped a couple of hairs using nail clippers. I've not seen any on the Pistoys I'm using now. I did see a couple when I was using Lyons. Very rare though. I don't oil the strings. I'm not sure oil would do anything on a varnished string anyway other than make it slippery.
mark
mark
My advice after a bad experience with oil is to leave them alone. Trim or sand the whiskers as needed to keep them from unraveling and play on.
MollyKay
Supporting Member
I have three years playing time on my full set of Gamut medium lights with nary a whimper
they are great strings. My 1940 Epiphone just booms with these strings. The worn out sandpaper to keep the hairs away works better then the nail clippers for me. I have not used oil on the strings but do wipe them down.
Last Thursday night at an open jam I felt like I barely had to touch the G string and I was stupid loud. The bass and the strings make me a much better player then I really am I have no plans to change this combination.
Last Thursday night at an open jam I felt like I barely had to touch the G string and I was stupid loud. The bass and the strings make me a much better player then I really am I have no plans to change this combination.
I also use thin sandpaper for the hairs and after i put on a rag a bit of Baby Oil and apply on the strings. i do this maybe every 4 months or so, i prefer baby oil to olive oil, olive oil will eventually get rancid and baby oil smell better.
just my $0.02 of course
Nuno
just my $0.02 of course
Nuno
I posted this on the other gut string thread but i thought it would be of some interest here too, so ill re-post it here too, if its not allowed, please erase the post.
I would like to write something that i think (i dont know, didnt read all pages right now) that no one posted is that gut strings will stretch and will get thinner with time, so the tension will get lower. Im noticing this with the G Gut string that we now have, the gauge of the string is 2,25 mm, after 3 months of being on the bass, the string has a bit less than 2,10 mm and feels a little lighter now. its pretty stable now for a couple of weeks.
Nuno
I would like to write something that i think (i dont know, didnt read all pages right now
) that no one posted is that gut strings will stretch and will get thinner with time, so the tension will get lower. Im noticing this with the G Gut string that we now have, the gauge of the string is 2,25 mm, after 3 months of being on the bass, the string has a bit less than 2,10 mm and feels a little lighter now. its pretty stable now for a couple of weeks.Nuno
Molly's got the right idea, I think. When we pay this much for a set of strings, we worry more about taking care of them, which leads to over-maintenance.
How do you guys feel about really fine steel wool on your strings, like the 0000 variety? I did it once and enjoyed the results, but don't wanna overdo it if people have had bad experiences.
Also, what grain sandpaper are we talkin' here? 1000+ or lower than that?
Also, what grain sandpaper are we talkin' here? 1000+ or lower than that?
I use 600 grit - and only if they absolutely need it, which with the varnished Gamuts is very rare, if ever, needed. With cheaper unvarnished guts it's needed more often and I do oil those.
I find that the sanding takes off the hairs much more effectively when the gut is dry - then I oil afterwards.
I find that the sanding takes off the hairs much more effectively when the gut is dry - then I oil afterwards.
