Double Bass Gamut vs. Spiro Red question?

[FritzM]

I keep going back and forth between using my Spirocore med. setup and wanting to go back to the Gamut pistoy G&D / Anima A&E setup. The issue is:

Gamut G Pistoy medium = my favorite string of all time!
Gamut D Pistoy light = maybe my least favorite of all time.

Is there any other choice for the D? I mean that will feel right tension wise and not feel too thin. I like the Gamut G and the Animas very much, but the D has no sustain and doesn't bloom like the G. I have read through all of the "Gut" threads and can't really find a solution.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Jason Sypher]

Have you tried different guages? Do you have a similar problem with other brands of D strings. Could be a soundpost adjustment.

 

[FritzM]

No problem with the spiro med D string. Actually, I have tried the Gamuts on two different basses, same results. I was curious how the Anima D would feel next to the Gamut G.

 

[HateyMcAmp]

I ran Anima E-D with a plain gut Chorda G for about 6 months. Its a really nice combo, and the tension skip didn't bother me. It doesn't have the womp of the gut D, but it spoke much more evenly on my bass than even a Pistoy. You could also consider the Garbo D, which is thicker and darker sounding.

 

[shaktipat]

You might want to try to call Gamut. I found Dan to be very helpful.

 

[marco zomer]

Hello

I've played the Gamut/Anima setup for some time and realy liked it. I used the Gamut Mediums. But yes, there is always this thing with the D string. Not so clear etc.
I went back to my Eudoxa D and plain gut G with Eudoxa on the bottum (and before this setup with Evahs on the bottum).

In your situation with Animas on the bottum I'm not sure a Eudoxa D will work out well. Eudoxa also has more tension.
I think a Garbo D or a Anima D is the best alternative for you.
Or maybe an Evah D.

Or just stick with the Gamuts. These are still nice strings.

 

[Nathan Levine]

I loved the combo of Animas on the bottom with Gamuts or Dlugoleckis on the top. It was a really excellent alternative to full guts. It is so dry in the winter here in AK that the gut would shrink faster than the metal wrapping and i would need to scurry back to Animas, wait for the humidity to return to normal levels, and get the low strings re-wrapped before heading back to gut.

When I started messing about with 5ths tuning I started off with Compas 180's on the bottom and Dlugoleckis on the top. This was a nice combo to get started on. The low strings bowed well but still had a nice pizz thump. A chance to buy a set of Gennsler strings arose and I jumped. When they arrived the high A string was messed up so I ran the 3 low strings with the Dlugolecki A while I waited for Gerold to make me another A. Wow! All the problems with the tubby unclear pure gut D string were gone and replaced with an extremely warm sounding string that retained the clarity of the lower strings with the added bonus of extremely better bowability. The Dlugolecki high A had a zing to it that I really liked so I kept it on until the Gennsler A arrived.

All that to say 3 Animas and a Gamut G sounds like a great idea to me! Good luck with all this madness. But perhaps it's just time for an old set of Spiros and to simply be done with it all.

 

[swervy jervy]

Nathan, l sent you a pm. Thanks.

 

[drurb]

I keep going back and forth between using my Spirocore med. setup and wanting to go back to the Gamut pistoy G&D / Anima A&E setup.

Save yourself a bunch of time, anxiety, and money. Leave the Spiro mitts on the bass and go play. Taking the experience of many here into consideration, the result often seems to be that, in the end, we come home to Spiros. You already like them. I suggest that you leave them right there.

I think that players often overlook the extent to which we can and do adapt our playing to a set of strings. I think that accounts for the fact that, after leaving on a type of string for an extended time, everything seems to "settle in." Yes, the physical properties are reaching equilibrium but the player is changing as well.

When I switched back to Spiros after using other strings, of course, things seemed a bit strange. Over weeks (months) things improved dramatically. Was it me or was it the strings? I believe it was both.

 

[Jason Sypher]

DRURB: Exactly.