Thanks again for the offer, Mark.... I really appreciate it. And I'm absolutely sure that I would love the Gamoots.
The only fly in the ointment is the usual one
I'll start squirrelling away some $$$ for the next string change.
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Double Bass Gut Strings: Are They Worth It To Try? (part I)
- Thread starter Kevin Hsieh
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Thanks again for the offer, Mark.... I really appreciate it. And I'm absolutely sure that I would love the Gamoots.
The only fly in the ointment is the usual one
I'll start squirrelling away some $$$ for the next string change.
Andreas:
I've only had a chance to check out a couple of the tunes on your site (I'm going to try to listen to the rest tonight) but I wanted to let you know that I'm totally digging your music. Do you have any CDs available?
mark
I've only had a chance to check out a couple of the tunes on your site (I'm going to try to listen to the rest tonight) but I wanted to let you know that I'm totally digging your music. Do you have any CDs available?
mark
Andreas:
I've had your and the Fride Hanberger sites play non-stop for the last hour or so. I love your music. It has an ECM vibe to it that I guess comes naturally to you guys but is something I've tried to cop but not very successfully. It's jazz but with some clearly different influences.
If you have any CDs available, I'd like to buy any or all of them.
The guts, naturally, sound great.
mark
I've had your and the Fride Hanberger sites play non-stop for the last hour or so. I love your music. It has an ECM vibe to it that I guess comes naturally to you guys but is something I've tried to cop but not very successfully. It's jazz but with some clearly different influences.
If you have any CDs available, I'd like to buy any or all of them.
The guts, naturally, sound great.
mark
Wow, thanks Mark, that's really flattering
We're not really that established (or rich!) to have released any Cd's... Yet 
But I'll give you a shout if we do! Thanks again for the kind words 
I got my regular Chorda E that I bought from a fellow TBer today, so now I'm all gut 
First impressions. I put it on today, tuned it, and played. This is a thick bastard. It feels very strange to play a string this thick. .140 inch. I can't imagine how a full set of regular Chordas would feel. My Artones is generally thicker than a Chorda set (The D is the same, A and G are thicker.) and it feels kind of unbalanced. I would love to try a Carlos Henriquez set someday. I can't say that I don't like it because I really do. It has a very thick tone (as thick as the string) with a HUGE fundamental and it responds very well arco and sounds almost like a low reed instrument! In some way, the D and G feels so easy to play, but the A doesn't sound as good as it did with the Garbo underneath. The Chorda E is somewhat unfocused, but I hope it will get better as it breaks in. And then again, this is only my first impressions.
First impressions. I put it on today, tuned it, and played. This is a thick bastard. It feels very strange to play a string this thick. .140 inch. I can't imagine how a full set of regular Chordas would feel. My Artones is generally thicker than a Chorda set (The D is the same, A and G are thicker.) and it feels kind of unbalanced. I would love to try a Carlos Henriquez set someday. I can't say that I don't like it because I really do. It has a very thick tone (as thick as the string
) with a HUGE fundamental and it responds very well arco and sounds almost like a low reed instrument! In some way, the D and G feels so easy to play, but the A doesn't sound as good as it did with the Garbo underneath. The Chorda E is somewhat unfocused, but I hope it will get better as it breaks in. And then again, this is only my first impressions.Andreas, I didn't want to let any more time pass without saying that I really dig your tracks as well. I was a huge ECM fan when their records became widely available, and your stuff sounds like it would fit right in their catalog, as Mark pointed out. Very nice.
So here's a question that I'd like to pose for all of you gut guys; often, the lifespan of gut strings is depicted as being a matter of months. Yet, I've played some gut strings that were probably as old as I am, and they seemed fine. It's a dichotomy that I don't really understand. I'd like to hear from some of you guys that have played guts for an extended period.
Still trying to sock away the $$$ for my own foray into the world of gutty goodness. Selling that unused vintage Steinberger XL bass under my bed would sure help me down the path.
So here's a question that I'd like to pose for all of you gut guys; often, the lifespan of gut strings is depicted as being a matter of months. Yet, I've played some gut strings that were probably as old as I am, and they seemed fine. It's a dichotomy that I don't really understand. I'd like to hear from some of you guys that have played guts for an extended period.
Still trying to sock away the $$$ for my own foray into the world of gutty goodness. Selling that unused vintage Steinberger XL bass under my bed would sure help me down the path.
Thanks Marcus!
I've used mine for nearly 6 months, I don't think they're even near the end! They're only getting better and better!
This is my theory: People who like to talk about the short lifespan of guts is the ones probably not taking care of their gut strings. Expecting them to be as steel strings. Not oiling them when they need to, not clipping the "hairs" off... This will most likely cause the strings to dry and wear out more quickly. Ofcourse, guts being organic material, they don't "last" as long as steel. But I think, if you struggle to keep them alive, they'll last until they simply break.
I agree with Andreas, the "short lifespan" of gut strings has been very exaggerated. They can last for years if taken care of properly, IMO. Oil them, clip the hairs. You can sand them with 600 grit very lightly, only if they get really ratty. Sanding works best when the gut is allowed to get dry, and we are only talking a couple passes here - sand too much and you'll only make them worse.
The wound strings can be a problem in dry climates though, so maybe thats where the stigma comes from. Where I live I have not had any issues with loose windings.
The wound strings can be a problem in dry climates though, so maybe thats where the stigma comes from. Where I live I have not had any issues with loose windings.
+1
Sanding is great. Just a little bit. I did that once when the pizz area was feeling a bit rough and a few small "hairs" had developed.
The only thing I've got with my wound strings is tuning instability. (The unwound is actually very stable) Except when getting my Artones, the E was very tired and didn't last for half an hour... The A is still fresh though!
It occurs to me that some of the "short lifespan" stigma may come from members of the violin community that use guts.... that would make more sense.
My double bass never leaves the humid climes of the Hawai'ian islands, so I don't think that the wound lower strings would pose a problem. There are lots of La Bella guts users out here in the "local music" community... I don't think any of them has ever changed strings, unless they break. I also know that Ben Wolfe likes to play them until they explode.
PS.... just checked.... relative humidity here in Ha'iku is presently 78%..... I think I'd be okay....
My double bass never leaves the humid climes of the Hawai'ian islands, so I don't think that the wound lower strings would pose a problem. There are lots of La Bella guts users out here in the "local music" community... I don't think any of them has ever changed strings, unless they break. I also know that Ben Wolfe likes to play them until they explode.
PS.... just checked.... relative humidity here in Ha'iku is presently 78%..... I think I'd be okay....
My D, A and E are only 3 months old so it is premature for me to make any grand pronouncements on them. My G has been on and off the bass at least 3 times and I probably have 6 months of use on it although only the last 3 full time. They haven't changed at all since they settled in. I get the feeling that these things are going to last a long time. I should mention that I like fresh strings and only get about 6 months out of a set of Spiros.
mark
mark
Wow... that's about when I start liking them! You should set up a business.... "Aged Spiros R Us".
I was just reading Carlos Henriquez' gut thread over at Ken's Korner. First of all... gotta love that guy's spirit. Talk about playing from the heart. And boy, can he play!
I feel that I've been playing long enough that I can make friends with any string. Maybe not weedwhackers..... yes, I've played them.
Carlos, at some point in the Ken thread, alludes to the fact that some players don't devote enough time to learning how to play guts. (Not you guys..... you're on the front lines, along with 'Toad, Jeff Kissell, and some others, and I really appreciate that). As I've mentioned ad nauseum, I've played a fair amount of mid-level guts on questionable basses over the years. I've never really had any problems, and as a matter of fact, have always really enjoyed the experience. It's worth noting; one time I was playing in rehearsal for a show with the great Hawaiian singer Amy Hanaiali'i, and my dear friend and guitarist extraordinaire Chino Montero was there. The bass was a black sprayed ply, fitted with La Bella guts. I played for a bit, and Chino said "Look at da smile on dat buggah.... he's home". It was true.So I guess it's inevitable at some point. Full set. As much as I love my Evahs, there are some things that I'm missing. I don't mind stepping on my own thang on stage for awhile during the learning process. I just want to do it on this bass before I'm done.
Yeah yeah I know. I just feel like I'm flogging myself with Spiros when they hit about 6 months. I used that example only to point out that guts are likely going to last A LOT longer than Spiros for me. I also offered Marc Piane my old Spiros but he never took me up on it. I think he thought I was kidding.
My only concern for you is the humidity. While you won't have any problems with the strings drying out, you may have some problem keeping the E and A in tune (D and G shouldn't be a problem). The humidity here went from mid-40's where I had no problems with any of the strings to mid-50's and the E and A are giving me some problems. Nothing that can't be adjusted for but I have to keep a constant vigilance for pitch drift. I have no idea what mid '70s humidity will do to the strings. My offer will remain on the table. You buy the same Gamut set that I use and if for any reason they aren't working for you, I'll buy them from you at the price you paid for them. The offer goes for individual strings as well if you want to swap one out for something else.
I do have a suggestion for you. If you do buy the full set, don't put all four on at once. Put the D and G on first and let them settle for at least a day or so of hard playing/practicing. Then put the E and A on. Otherwise, you'll have a frustrating mess of overcooked spaghetti for strings that'll make the stretching out of the EPs look like a nice relaxing day at the beach. You could do it but it'll be frustrating. When I have to replace strings, I plan on doing it no more than two at a time so that I always have at least two strings that are stretched out.
You also won't have that much trouble playing them even at first. Yeah, you might want to cry on your first couple of fast Rhythm changes tunes if the sax player decides to Coltrane it out and play 50 choruses at 300 bpm. The touch is different but within a few weeks of hard practice your technical ability will leap beyond Spiro-Weich-Eddie-Fingers territory. Except, and this is the big difference, you'll get the Eddie Fingers experience with a huge fat sound.
I had to really practice playing fast. I worked my fingers to the bone playing scales, scale fragments and arpeggios for about 3 weeks before I could really fly on it. At first it was like running through quicksand, now it is the most natural thing in the world. I played a gig last night where the above referenced sax player did the 50 choruses of Room 608 at about 300 bpm. I even took a couple of eighth note choruses after all of that. The big secret is to just relax as much as possible. The sound really doesn't get any bigger if you pull harder. It'll be huge with a light touch. You just have to get used to the lighter string tension and the spongier right hand feel. A few weeks (it was about 3 for me) and you'll be flying.
mark
My only concern for you is the humidity. While you won't have any problems with the strings drying out, you may have some problem keeping the E and A in tune (D and G shouldn't be a problem). The humidity here went from mid-40's where I had no problems with any of the strings to mid-50's and the E and A are giving me some problems. Nothing that can't be adjusted for but I have to keep a constant vigilance for pitch drift. I have no idea what mid '70s humidity will do to the strings. My offer will remain on the table. You buy the same Gamut set that I use and if for any reason they aren't working for you, I'll buy them from you at the price you paid for them. The offer goes for individual strings as well if you want to swap one out for something else.
I do have a suggestion for you. If you do buy the full set, don't put all four on at once. Put the D and G on first and let them settle for at least a day or so of hard playing/practicing. Then put the E and A on. Otherwise, you'll have a frustrating mess of overcooked spaghetti for strings that'll make the stretching out of the EPs look like a nice relaxing day at the beach. You could do it but it'll be frustrating. When I have to replace strings, I plan on doing it no more than two at a time so that I always have at least two strings that are stretched out.
You also won't have that much trouble playing them even at first. Yeah, you might want to cry on your first couple of fast Rhythm changes tunes if the sax player decides to Coltrane it out and play 50 choruses at 300 bpm. The touch is different but within a few weeks of hard practice your technical ability will leap beyond Spiro-Weich-Eddie-Fingers territory. Except, and this is the big difference, you'll get the Eddie Fingers experience with a huge fat sound.
I had to really practice playing fast. I worked my fingers to the bone playing scales, scale fragments and arpeggios for about 3 weeks before I could really fly on it. At first it was like running through quicksand, now it is the most natural thing in the world. I played a gig last night where the above referenced sax player did the 50 choruses of Room 608 at about 300 bpm. I even took a couple of eighth note choruses after all of that. The big secret is to just relax as much as possible. The sound really doesn't get any bigger if you pull harder. It'll be huge with a light touch. You just have to get used to the lighter string tension and the spongier right hand feel. A few weeks (it was about 3 for me) and you'll be flying.
mark
Mark...somebody should photoshop a little photo of you, with devil horns and a trident, sitting on my shoulder, whispering "C'mon... do it"...
I don't know if I could do it one half set at a time. I'm really a full-on belly flop into the deep end kind of guy. I'm pretty good at twisting tuners on the fly. I do a fair amount of that already, unless Spiros are on the bass. It's just part of the gig for me. Ken advised me to go for the full gut set, get the full frontal right off the bat. Hey... I'm a jazz bassist... I thrive on chaos.
I really appreciate the offer... and your posts are really helpful. It will happen at some point. I have a section of flat roof to reshingle, and some rotting piers to replace on my house... but the guts are on my shopping list. And I seriously doubt that I'll end up selling them to you. It's just that sound. It's been in my head for my whole life.
I don't know if I could do it one half set at a time. I'm really a full-on belly flop into the deep end kind of guy. I'm pretty good at twisting tuners on the fly. I do a fair amount of that already, unless Spiros are on the bass. It's just part of the gig for me. Ken advised me to go for the full gut set, get the full frontal right off the bat. Hey... I'm a jazz bassist... I thrive on chaos.
I really appreciate the offer... and your posts are really helpful. It will happen at some point. I have a section of flat roof to reshingle, and some rotting piers to replace on my house... but the guts are on my shopping list. And I seriously doubt that I'll end up selling them to you. It's just that sound. It's been in my head for my whole life.
Mark...somebody should photoshop a little photo of you, with devil horns and a trident, sitting on my shoulder, whispering "C'mon... do it"...
That's me!
Chaos it is! Actually, I wasn't suggesting that you go out and gig with half a set but to put them on when you have a day or two between gigs and let the D and G settle for a day or two (which really won't be nearly enough time to fully settle-that will take weeks) before putting the E and A on. You'll get most of the gut effect with the D and G and you'll appreciate the E and A more when you do put them on with a sort of stable D and G. Believe me, these things REALLY stretch.
The first couple of weeks, I had to tune between tunes on gigs-sometimes as much as a half step. I actually ran a tuner out of the effect out of my Focus and just left it on and would sometimes tune on the fly during a tune and always between every tune. I was still trying to get used to where the bass sat in the mix so I couldn't always tell if I was out of tune while everyone else was playing. I've gotten used to it now.
Oh and I have no doubt that I won't be buying your strings either. I'm just here for piece of mind.
mark
I've owned 2 sets of Dlugolecki gut strings. The first set is about 2 1/2 years old and is currently on a friend's Shen Willow. They were on my Cleveland for over a year. The E string from that set broke about 2 months after he put it on and Damian replaced it at cost- that's after more than a year and 2 different basses. That's pretty F'in cool!
The set that is on my Cleveland has been on what, about six months and I haven't done a thing to them except wiped them off once or twice, no hairs so far. In my case the E & A go sharp as they warm up and they never stay in tune as well as the D & G. The last week or so I've tuned up the bass to the D string every day 'cause it's always in tune.
Marcus I think you should try the "Carlos" Chorda set. Your La Scala will just sing! It'll probably make us all cry with it's beauty!! I think as they settle in you won't even notice what you thought you might miss from the steel strings.
>
-J
The set that is on my Cleveland has been on what, about six months and I haven't done a thing to them except wiped them off once or twice, no hairs so far. In my case the E & A go sharp as they warm up and they never stay in tune as well as the D & G. The last week or so I've tuned up the bass to the D string every day 'cause it's always in tune.
Marcus I think you should try the "Carlos" Chorda set. Your La Scala will just sing! It'll probably make us all cry with it's beauty!! I think as they settle in you won't even notice what you thought you might miss from the steel strings.
>
-J
They're on my list of possibles. I'm tending to lean towards the Gamuts for a very strange reason.... they're made in Duluth, Minnesota, which is pretty close to my birth home in northern Wisconsin. I spoke to Dan Larson about driving up there and checking out his little shop of horrors at some point. Obviously, I'm not a member of PETA.
But, the pics I've seen of his Pistoy strings are a strong influence as well. They look gorgeous. Damian's strings are on the list as well, based solely on the online buzz.What's the street price for the Carlos set?
You don't want to know.
But any of these all gut sets are pricey and not for the faint of heart.
I think about five large/American... but you have to order direct?!? I'm not sure but I sure am curious! You probably can't go wrong with any of the higher end string sets though.
-J
-J
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