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Double Bass Gut Longevity
- Thread starter Marcus Johnson
- Start date
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
Got an extra cat laying around you don't need?So... now what should I play?
So... now what should I play?
Have you tried the Spirocores? They're supposed to kinda gut-like after they break in...
-J
After a couple of years playing guts, Spiros will kill your hands. I played an outside gig with my Travel bass a couple of weeks ago with Spiros on it. Fortunately, it was only an hour. By the end of the hour, I could barely solo.
If you want, I'll send you my old Pistoy G. I'd like it back but you can use it until you can get a new G or a new set or whatever your long term plans are. I can overnight it to you tomorrow.
mark
You are da man, as always. Thanks, Mark.
I have some backups in the drawer... Spiros, Evahs, Oblis... so I'll cobble something together for now.
I've played Spiros on rental basses recently... it didn't kill me as much as I thought it would. My bass... Arnold set it up so beautifully, just about any string works great on it. I want to get the fresh Gamut set going too... but check it out... I can buy a set of new Mittels now at under $200, play everything I need to play without compromise (including arco), sound great, tune the bass once a year, and not even think about buying strings again until my younger daughter heads off to college (she's just starting high school). I have to say... the idea has a lot of appeal to me.
I have some backups in the drawer... Spiros, Evahs, Oblis... so I'll cobble something together for now.
I've played Spiros on rental basses recently... it didn't kill me as much as I thought it would. My bass... Arnold set it up so beautifully, just about any string works great on it. I want to get the fresh Gamut set going too... but check it out... I can buy a set of new Mittels now at under $200, play everything I need to play without compromise (including arco), sound great, tune the bass once a year
, and not even think about buying strings again until my younger daughter heads off to college (she's just starting high school). I have to say... the idea has a lot of appeal to me.
You are da man, as always. Thanks, Mark.
I have some backups in the drawer... Spiros, Evahs, Oblis... so I'll cobble something together for now.
I've played Spiros on rental basses recently... it didn't kill me as much as I thought it would. My bass... Arnold set it up so beautifully, just about any string works great on it. I want to get the fresh Gamut set going too... but check it out... I can buy a set of new Mittels now at under $200, play everything I need to play without compromise (including arco), sound great, tune the bass once a year
Man, what a sell out... I was so close to nominating you for convert of the year.
Just get the damn Pistoys already! As soon as you drop coin on a new set of Spiros you'll be back here thinking out loud about how great the gut was and the tuning isn't such a big deal, blah, blah, blah...
You are da man, as always. Thanks, Mark.
I have some backups in the drawer... Spiros, Evahs, Oblis... so I'll cobble something together for now.
I've played Spiros on rental basses recently... it didn't kill me as much as I thought it would. My bass... Arnold set it up so beautifully, just about any string works great on it. I want to get the fresh Gamut set going too... but check it out... I can buy a set of new Mittels now at under $200, play everything I need to play without compromise (including arco), sound great, tune the bass once a year
You won't have THE SOUND anymore. No more shaking the floor acoustically. No more deep bottom end. No more HUGE "thup" at the beginning of the note. The few times I've played on Spiros recently only reinforce how much I love gut. Amplified, you'll remember very quickly how finicky they are with the room you're playing in and how gut sounds good pretty much anywhere. They're only $200 though. On the other hand, you could probably get another 10 years out of your D, A and E and for ONLY $80 get a brand new Gamut G.
No pressure.
I hear y'all. Spiros do not = Gamuts, not by a long shot. They are great for what they are.
Here's what I'll do... run what I have around the house (some kind of bastard mix of Spiros and Pirastros) While they're on there, I'll order new Gamut tops, probably try Pistoys this time, and have the lower Gamuts rewound with fresh copper. Then I'll string it up and enjoy the full monty all at once.
I'm really lucky to have a bass that sounds and plays great with just about anything on it.
Here's what I'll do... run what I have around the house (some kind of bastard mix of Spiros and Pirastros) While they're on there, I'll order new Gamut tops, probably try Pistoys this time, and have the lower Gamuts rewound with fresh copper. Then I'll string it up and enjoy the full monty all at once.
I'm really lucky to have a bass that sounds and plays great with just about anything on it.
Marcus Johnson said:
I love the Pistoys but they aren't the Lyons. They respond and recover faster, are more pliable and have less bloom to the note. They are less old school than the Lyons. More LaFaro, less PC. I loved the Pistoy D right away. I didn't like the G so much at first. Now I wouldn't use any other G. It is MUCH easier to play fast on the Pistoys.
You know what was interesting? Having the Lyon D as my highest solo voice last night. In its normal capacity during soling, it's usually a place that I pass through on the way to the strings above or below. It wasn't until I played a bunch of solo stuff on it, including a fair amount of thumb position stuff, that I realized how dark it is. It sounded beautiful in its own right, and I'm glad it had a night to sing a little.
That G string decision... Lyon vs. Pistoy... that might be the hardest one to make when the time comes.
That G string decision... Lyon vs. Pistoy... that might be the hardest one to make when the time comes.
Working my way through the string drawer. Ugh. Obli G is just uninspiring. The D is actually not bad. The Spiros on the bottom.... well, they sound like Spiros. Great. I can do all my Drew Gress licks.
Mark and Jeff... message received. I need to get my voice back.
Mark and Jeff... message received. I need to get my voice back.
I think you oughtta try a Dlugolecki or a Chorda. Probably the Chorda, as if I recall correctly, you like the varnished gut strings.
I uses a full set of Chorda's. I alternate between the regular and the Carlos ones. I have the light ones (the Carlos ones) on now, as my strings are pretty high, and I think the regulars would be too hard on my hands at the moment.
