I did some time playing steels/spiros/whatever on a rental bass and I didn't at all feel comfortable. I worked on right hand and left hand technique, but still this feeling was there. I got my own bass, started out with jazzers which just felt wrong to me, then I got Obli's which felt OK. It was a true revelation getting my Velvet Garbos after four years of struggling with steels/high tension synthetics. The Garbos really let me to "come out" in a sense. I felt at home, and now when I play guts, that feeling is enhanced. What Uncletoad said is really true, in my case the change of strings really made an important difference in my musicianship and has helped me to fully express myself.
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Double Bass Gut Strings: Are They Worth It To Try? (part I)
- Thread starter Kevin Hsieh
- Start date
- Status
I did some time playing steels/spiros/whatever on a rental bass and I didn't at all feel comfortable. I worked on right hand and left hand technique, but still this feeling was there. I got my own bass, started out with jazzers which just felt wrong to me, then I got Obli's which felt OK. It was a true revelation getting my Velvet Garbos after four years of struggling with steels/high tension synthetics. The Garbos really let me to "come out" in a sense. I felt at home, and now when I play guts, that feeling is enhanced. What Uncletoad said is really true, in my case the change of strings really made an important difference in my musicianship and has helped me to fully express myself.
Yes, that's what I wonder too. I read that in the FAQ of the Aquila site that you could do this with wound strings. It's worth a try
There are other guys, slap players, who gig alot more than I do using Olives and I haven't heard any stories *so far* of them crapping out early. They are flatwound gut though, so we'll see.
I play with a fairly low action setup (7mm) and have a light slap style, and only slap about 30% of the time, so hopefully that works in my favor.
I will continue to practice and when my spiro/superflex/obli mix dies I will try other strings (probably EP weichs), but thank you for the advice.
I finally put the Pistoy G on. It sounds amazing. I don't know if that is because of something unique to the Pistoy or if it is because it is a new gut G. Compared to the 6 month old Lyon G it replaced, it is a little punchier with more defined mids but I suspect a new Lyon G would be too. The test will be in a couple of weeks when the new string has broken in and lost some of brighter mids that all new strings have.
The texture of the string is different. Where the Lyon is completely smooth, the Pistoy has tiny bumps all along the length of the string. There isn't any downside to the bumps as they don't get in the way of playing at all or affect the sound.
I haven't swapped the D out for the Pistoy D yet. I'm going to wait until the G stabilizes and then give the Pistoy D a try.
My next gig is Sunday so I'll get to practice on it for a couple of days before trying it on a job.
mark
The texture of the string is different. Where the Lyon is completely smooth, the Pistoy has tiny bumps all along the length of the string. There isn't any downside to the bumps as they don't get in the way of playing at all or affect the sound.
I haven't swapped the D out for the Pistoy D yet. I'm going to wait until the G stabilizes and then give the Pistoy D a try.
My next gig is Sunday so I'll get to practice on it for a couple of days before trying it on a job.
mark
I don't really have more details. It sounds like a new gut string. It does sound different than the 6 month old Lyon that it replaced. It has a bit more midrange content and it is punchier. However, even Lyons have a lot of midrange and punch when they are new which mellows out as they age. I fully expect the Pistoy to mellow as it breaks in as well. I don't have a lot of experience with new gut strings. I've only had one other new gut G (that would be the Lyon) and I really don't remember what it sounded like well enough to compare it to the new Pistoy.
What I can tell you is the differences now seem to be subtle. In other words, it's not like comparing Mittels to Dominants. As the string breaks in and it settles down, I'll have a better idea. What I'm hoping is the string keeps the midrange and the punch because I'm really digging it right now.
mark
What I can tell you is the differences now seem to be subtle. In other words, it's not like comparing Mittels to Dominants. As the string breaks in and it settles down, I'll have a better idea. What I'm hoping is the string keeps the midrange and the punch because I'm really digging it right now.
mark
I just put the Pistoy D on and it struck me as a bit different than the Lyon. It is MUCH more defined than the Lyon with less bloom around the note. First impressions are I'm really liking it.
mark
mark
Can I tell 'em about my Christmas present yet, Mark?
Or maybe I just did.
YOU DIDN'T ?!
Good Deal Mark
.... Didn't I tell you the Pistoys were pretty-good right-out-of-the-(poop)-chute 
. Keep reporting back in ..... I'm real-curious to hear your impressions of how they "age". I sure have been playing my Pistoy G & D and Anima A & E a lot over the past month. About six other players have tried out my Epi bass and they love the bass and the strings 
.Hey Marcus .... I just heard that President Obama moved Christmas to July 25th for this year only
.... Something about stimulating stagnant shoppers early to get The Economy rolling. Your order needs to be placed Right Now so the Gamut gut-elves can get to work !!YOU DIDN'T ?!
Actually, Mark did.... he very kindly sent me the Gamut Lyon G & D that he replaced with the Pistoys. He, like the rest of you, most likely got sick and tired of my endless threatening to make the leap to guts, and took matters into his own hands. For that, I am immeasurably grateful.
What this means is, now I'll be able to try premium guts on my own bass, way ahead of the schedule that I was likely to have if I'd had to buy them on my own. REALLY looking forward to it. Thanks Mark!
Actually, Mark did.... he very kindly sent me the Gamut Lyon G & D that he replaced with the Pistoys. He, like the rest of you, most likely got sick and tired of my endless threatening to make the leap to guts, and took matters into his own hands. For that, I am immeasurably grateful.
What this means is, now I'll be able to try premium guts on my own bass, way ahead of the schedule that I was likely to have if I'd had to buy them on my own. REALLY looking forward to it. Thanks Mark!
Mark,
you're a saint
welcome to the dark side marcus
report in
Almost. He's getting the medium Lyon G I've been using and the medium Lyon D that I took off a couple of months ago in favor of the light Lyon D. The medium D has very few miles on it. The G is a little beaten up but still sounds great. He's on his own for the A and E but I figure he's WAY ahead of the game now.
For now, I'm keeping the perfectly broken in and smokin' light Lyon D which is the one replaced by the Pistoy until the Pistoy question is answered.
Marcus is thanking me now but really I'm just an enabler. He'll put these things on and pretty soon he'll be mortgaging his house to get an A and E and then he'll have to try a light D and then probably a Pistoy G and D. After that, he'll have to try the Carlos Chordas. By then, he'll have lost both his family and home and he'll be cursing my name while huddling under a bridge somewhere plotting how to get the bread to get a medium+ Lyon D. Fortunately he lives in Hawaii and let's face it, if you gotta be homeless, Hawaii's one of the better places to be particularly compared to someplace like Chicago in the winter.
As for the Great Pistoy Question:
I've been playing my fingers into dust breaking the Pistoys in (did you expect anything different?) and some more differences are becoming noticeable. First the Pistoys are not as loud as the Lyons, there is less bloom and they are strikingly more focused; particularly the D. Until I get them on a gig (have to wait until Sunday afternoon), I really won't know if I like them better or not but they are definitely different. They are also a little stiffer. Despite the greater focus, these things are still gut strings and don't sound anything like steel.
At this point (and remember, I'm only a couple of hours in on these babies), I'm really liking the D but I'm not sure about the G. On the one hand, I kind of miss the bloom on the G. On the other, this is a little closer to that tight Scott LaFaro sound that I covet. The Pistoy D seems to match the sound of the A and E better than the Lyon and it actually would match the Lyon G really well if I still had the Lyon G on (I have another Lyon G on the shelf so if I end up not likely the Pistoy G, I have a new Lyon to go back to). The Pistoys also seem to be easier to intonate.
I'm going to keep pounding on the strings and I'll keep posting my impressions as I go and as they break in.
mark
For now, I'm keeping the perfectly broken in and smokin' light Lyon D which is the one replaced by the Pistoy until the Pistoy question is answered.
Marcus is thanking me now but really I'm just an enabler. He'll put these things on and pretty soon he'll be mortgaging his house to get an A and E and then he'll have to try a light D and then probably a Pistoy G and D. After that, he'll have to try the Carlos Chordas. By then, he'll have lost both his family and home and he'll be cursing my name while huddling under a bridge somewhere plotting how to get the bread to get a medium+ Lyon D. Fortunately he lives in Hawaii and let's face it, if you gotta be homeless, Hawaii's one of the better places to be particularly compared to someplace like Chicago in the winter.
As for the Great Pistoy Question:
I've been playing my fingers into dust breaking the Pistoys in (did you expect anything different?) and some more differences are becoming noticeable. First the Pistoys are not as loud as the Lyons, there is less bloom and they are strikingly more focused; particularly the D. Until I get them on a gig (have to wait until Sunday afternoon), I really won't know if I like them better or not but they are definitely different. They are also a little stiffer. Despite the greater focus, these things are still gut strings and don't sound anything like steel.
At this point (and remember, I'm only a couple of hours in on these babies), I'm really liking the D but I'm not sure about the G. On the one hand, I kind of miss the bloom on the G. On the other, this is a little closer to that tight Scott LaFaro sound that I covet. The Pistoy D seems to match the sound of the A and E better than the Lyon and it actually would match the Lyon G really well if I still had the Lyon G on (I have another Lyon G on the shelf so if I end up not likely the Pistoy G, I have a new Lyon to go back to). The Pistoys also seem to be easier to intonate.
I'm going to keep pounding on the strings and I'll keep posting my impressions as I go and as they break in.
mark
Jake deVilliers
Commercial User
- May 24, 2006
- 6,349
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- Owner of The Bass Spa, String Repairman at Long & McQuade Vancouver
Then why do I keep hearing that Steppenwolf song in my head as I read this thread!
Great Canadian band, by the way!
...He, like the rest of you, most likely got sick and tired of my endless threatening to make the leap to guts, and took matters into his own hands. For that, I am immeasurably grateful...
Gawd!...
FINALLY!
Grateful does not even begin to describe... Marcus you been killin' me, KILLIN' me!
Mark it remains to be seen if you are a force for good or a force for evil... I guess it depends on your definition of evil
-J
Well, color me flabbergasted.
I don't think I'm a particularly good guy. I'm not sure why I merit the extreme generosity and good will displayed by my fellow TBers the last couple of days. Maybe something from a former life?....
I got a PM this morning from Kevin Hseih. He has a set of wrapped E & A guts that he is sending me as a gift, to complete the package initiated by Mark with the G & D. I'm just dumbfounded, and humbled by all of this.
That's about all I can say right now.... I need to process this a little bit.
I don't think I'm a particularly good guy. I'm not sure why I merit the extreme generosity and good will displayed by my fellow TBers the last couple of days. Maybe something from a former life?....
I got a PM this morning from Kevin Hseih. He has a set of wrapped E & A guts that he is sending me as a gift, to complete the package initiated by Mark with the G & D. I'm just dumbfounded, and humbled by all of this.
That's about all I can say right now.... I need to process this a little bit.
Well whaddya know! A friend of mine who spent a lot of time in Large Group Awareness Training (LGAT) business calls it "The Green End of a Reasonable Scam". 
Whine, and ye shall recieve.
Know it's time to manifest a second upright, because you're not gonna wanna give up the EP Weichs, right?
Whine, and ye shall recieve.
Know it's time to manifest a second upright, because you're not gonna wanna give up the EP Weichs, right?
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