Hallo, can anybody can the strings this guy is playing on? That's the sound I'd like to achieve.
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From the string colors, they might be weedwhackers, but they sound like they have higher tension than that. Whatever they are, if you want that sound, you should look into guts or gut-like.
I enjoy that guy's "free-thumb" technique. I can't do that at that speed.
I enjoy that guy's "free-thumb" technique. I can't do that at that speed.
It is a nice technique, he does it well, as well as integrating the body slaps. His pizz technique reminds me of some fingerboard slapper techniques without the slapping.
The tone is amped to balance volume with the fiddle volume, the fiddle also being amped, so we're hearing unknown electric enhancements as well as actual acoustic bass sound. A little hard to judge the acoustic tone related to the setup and the strings because of that.
It's a great show though.
Did you notice he's only got 3 strings?
The tone is amped to balance volume with the fiddle volume, the fiddle also being amped, so we're hearing unknown electric enhancements as well as actual acoustic bass sound. A little hard to judge the acoustic tone related to the setup and the strings because of that.
It's a great show though.
Did you notice he's only got 3 strings?
Yeah they sound very tense but since he plays with 3 strings I wouldn't be surprised if he tuned them higher than they should. I currently mount GutALike Swingmaster, they're fine but sloppier than that and too dark. Gonna try Garbo next week, do you have suggestions with gut? Something cheap to begin with?
Yes! As I wrote, the 3 strings may even be tuned higher so that they sound that taut. Now I'll try and send some friend in Florence where these guys play, in order to inquire about his setup.
piubass, I like the Lenzner gut D and G, and they're relatively cheap. Even after trying Gamut Lyon D & G (more $$) I like the Lenzners better. I believe Lenzner also sell a plain A, but my plain A is a Gamut Pistoy ($$$), so I can't give you definitive experience with the Lenzner A. I expect it would be fine. Where it gets complicated is E, which is almost universally a wrapped gut. My Lenzner (wrapped) E and A both broke in the peg box right away, which would mean that I got two defective strings OR that I didn't prepare the nut well enough. The best steel alternative (less $$ and there's a "gut vibe") - for the lower strings is Evah Pirazzi Slap. All of the above will cost a lot more than Weedwhackers, though.
My experience with Garbo was an E. I was looking for a good pairing with my Lenzner/Gamut combination. The Garbo was way stiffer than I wanted and sounded, well, metallic. It was on my bass about 3 weeks.
As always, YMMV.
Ouch. "Metallic" is the last thing I'd like to hear. I'm having a used A for 10 euros. I'll let you know how it sounds. The Lenzners come at 350 euros here: not very expensive BUT expensive. Not an easy choice.
Ouch indeed. I've heard of Efrano, which I suspect are very similar. How much are those?
Nice find! I had never heard of them before. The manufacter appears to be selling only through his website (german only: Invalid Link Removed). I see all gut (G-D-A-E) or silver coated gut (A-E) in three different tensions (strong-medium-soft). Prices per set less than 300 euros. I'd like to try them.
Hervé Jeanne (who made the string matrix) got my Efrano Elite Medium set (two naked, two roundwound strings) and likes it.
When I visited Musikmesse Frankfurt this year I found a booth with a different name and heard that Efrano was a one man company and the owner is retiring. He found a woman, the only one in his relatives that learned to make gut strings, and passes the company on to her (now with a different name but keeping the established marketing name Efrano for products).
Here is the contact info I got:
SIKETHO
Saitenmacher [string maker]
Silke Keller-Thoß
Musiksaiten / Technische Darmsaiten [musical strings /technical gut strings]
Hauptstraße 16
08236 Ellefeld
Germany
+49-172-4023688 [mobile]
[email protected]
Invalid Link Removed
I talked to the woman about a tension mismatch of the high C to the regular set and she told me that I only need to specify the diameter I want and she will make it. So you can get custom made strings too. Might just take a bit longer than normal sets.
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I understand you've been using them. Why did you sell/give to Hervé? Was it because you weren't satisfied? I'd love to hear a clip.
I think I tried to stay away from gut mostly because of bad experience with high viola da gamba strings which often broke.
But the Efranos had too less tension for my taste, around 20 kp for the upper two and around 24 kp for the lower wound strings. And since I play a high C 5-string and the high C had a lot more tension than any string in this set, they didn't fit together.
But the strings are still mine (yet) even Hervé plays them for over a year now, I think.
That's the reason I talked to the lady about custom made strings. The high C is not bad, but the I need higher tension strings than their standard strong set.
I'm still a fan of my prototype set that later developed into the lower tension Polychromes. I just need to wait some years until Innovation develops (hopefully) the two strings that I didn't like tensionwise (and which are the base for the Polychromes).
And I have some old NOS Pirastro Gold/Gelb strings (low B/E/A) with a higher tension that I like (mostly for period music) and might look out for some D and G (and maybe high C) in the future that will math them if my extremely tight budget does allow that (read that can take years to come if at all).
No clips from me, but if you find a clip from Hervé from the last or this year you might hear them.
But the Efranos had too less tension for my taste, around 20 kp for the upper two and around 24 kp for the lower wound strings. And since I play a high C 5-string and the high C had a lot more tension than any string in this set, they didn't fit together.
But the strings are still mine (yet) even Hervé plays them for over a year now, I think.
That's the reason I talked to the lady about custom made strings. The high C is not bad, but the I need higher tension strings than their standard strong set.
I'm still a fan of my prototype set that later developed into the lower tension Polychromes. I just need to wait some years until Innovation develops (hopefully) the two strings that I didn't like tensionwise (and which are the base for the Polychromes).
And I have some old NOS Pirastro Gold/Gelb strings (low B/E/A) with a higher tension that I like (mostly for period music) and might look out for some D and G (and maybe high C) in the future that will math them if my extremely tight budget does allow that (read that can take years to come if at all).
No clips from me, but if you find a clip from Hervé from the last or this year you might hear them.
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I found this clip: where he declares to be using the Efranos. That's a chill out, bass electric-like playing style, not very useful for jazz evaluation. Anyway the strings do sound fat and focused. I understand Hervé has now found his ideal setting with G-D Pirastro Oliv + A-E Evah Pirazzi Slap. He talks about it in a video.
Tried a Garbo A today. The tone is rich but still too much sustain for me. The metallic soul tend to show up when I apply more force than usual. They also look dangerously thinned where the inner cord is naked at both ends. They guy who sold me the string also gave me an E and a D for free: they had already broken. They are not my strings but I reckon their sound is soft and rich, I understand why they are so appreciated. As for myself, I tend to look for a sharper, punchier attack.
So ... he threw in to the deal a couple of broken strings? Aren't you lucky!
Yes, I did not find the Garbo E that I tried to be gut-like at all.
This is a great clip, but unfortunately not that good for the judging acoustic sound of the strings. The bass is heavily amped and/or mic'ed in a studio setting and there's no way of knowing what all has been done during mastering to the tone. The sound is great, and the skill of the bassist is clear though!!!
