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Double Bass Gut Strings: Are They Worth It To Try? (part I)

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#583
The continuing saga of the Great Pistoy Experiment.

The Great Pistoy Experiment has been halved. I caved and put on a new Lyon G. Based on my brief time with the Lyon G/Pistoy D combo, I can say my preliminary findings are: I LIKE IT! As I thought, the Pistoy D matches the Lyon G really well. The Pistoy G turned out to be a little too simple and direct sounding for what I'm trying to do. That simpler character seems to work with the D though. If I were playing something other than jazz, the Pistoy G would be nice I think but I like the Lyon better for jazz.

Once again, these are preliminary results. The Lyon G hasn't even stretched out yet but it has that characteristic gut sound that I love. Wednesday's gig is the test. I liked the Pistoy G until I played it with other people.

mark
 
#584
You bastards are making me want to take them back out the drawer. Especially since I'm playing the ply bass and it doesn't have the goods on the G string like it does with Gut.

I miss my ancient bass.

Good thing I have no idea where they are. We just moved and the place is a disaster. I can't find a goddamn thing.
 
#585
Great sounding stuff, Kevin. You're one of those guys who play guts and make me think, "that sound really isn't my personal goal, but I like the way it sounds here a lot when you do it". Kudos to you for following your sound. :)

EDIT: Toad, before you do anything, go reread all your old posts on this subject, and then the ones about coming back to more pedestrian strings. All 12,403 of them. If you still want to go back down this road after that, then it was meant to be.
 
#586
Yea, I know. Every time I play the Cleveland on a gig I lust for a G string that works on it. It starts to disappear at A and is worthless above C unless I have a Stark Flex on there or a Gamut Gut or an Oliv G.
 
#589
Uncletoad said:
Yea, like I haven't driven down this road before...
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Yes, the Gamut Guts thread is some pleasent reading and played a big roll in making me go gut nuts :D I kind of regret selling my Lyon G. Damn fine string. Probably the best I've ever tried. Maybe I'll buy it back? :rollno:

Right now, I want to try an Aquila set, Carlos Chordas and a Gamut pistoy D... That's just too much :(
 
#590
Uncletoad said:
Yea, I know. Every time I play the Cleveland on a gig I lust for a G string that works on it. It starts to disappear at A and is worthless above C unless I have a Stark Flex on there or a Gamut Gut or an Oliv G.
Click to expand...

I thought New Standard Cleveland Basses were designed to sound great with any kind of string.
 
#591
calivox said:
The continuing saga of the Great Pistoy Experiment.

The Great Pistoy Experiment has been halved. I caved and put on a new Lyon G. Based on my brief time with the Lyon G/Pistoy D combo, I can say my preliminary findings are: I LIKE IT! As I thought, the Pistoy D matches the Lyon G really well. The Pistoy G turned out to be a little too simple and direct sounding for what I'm trying to do. That simpler character seems to work with the D though. If I were playing something other than jazz, the Pistoy G would be nice I think but I like the Lyon better for jazz.

Once again, these are preliminary results. The Lyon G hasn't even stretched out yet but it has that characteristic gut sound that I love. Wednesday's gig is the test. I liked the Pistoy G until I played it with other people.

mark
Click to expand...

Keep us posted Mark! This the most interesting/exciting moment in my relatively short TB history.

Have you tried the Pistoy(s) with the bow yet?
 
#592
AndreasH said:
Keep us posted Mark! This the most interesting/exciting moment in my relatively short TB history.

Have you tried the Pistoy(s) with the bow yet?
Click to expand...

Ok. I've been playing the heck out of the bass today and the Lyon G/Pistoy D combo is fan-freakin'-tastic. The Pistoy D (and I have a light D) sounds a lot like the Lyon G only lower in pitch. There isn't the change in timbre that you have going from the Lyon G to the Lyon D. I haven't gigged with this combo yet (next gig is Wednesday) so anything I say now might change after that.

My relationship with the bow is complex. I started with the bow about 30 years ago playing in high school orchestra. Gave up on the bow for many years after high school. Bought another bow in January or February. Messed around with it until about April or shortly after I switched to guts. I stopped using it again because I didn't like the dampening effect the rosin had on my pizz sound. After bowing, the pizz would be darker and thuddier until I got a wet paper towel and scrubbed all of that crap off. I found this true of both steel and gut strings. Besides, my bowing, to put it charitably, sucked. It was very clear I was NEVER going to use it in public and I have plenty of pizz intonation exercises so I don't need it for that. Am I missing out on an important part of the bass experience? If I am, I don't care. It is so far down on my list of things that I don't care about that I don't care that I don't care. That was a long winded way of saying that I haven't tried bowing the Pistoys. Based on my extremely limited experience bowing though, they'd probably be pretty good under the bow.

mark
 
#594
chris dammann said:
the pistoys are heaven under the bow. ...The pistoys grab the string in a really wonderful way.
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You of course mean the bassist grabs the bow which grabs the pistoys? :D

Anyway, i get you, yeah, and this is exactly what Dan Larson was talking about, how the Pistoys are the more bowable string (as between them and the Lyons). He said the Lyons are a bit stiffer and brighter, maybe louder, but definitely more of a pizz string and the Pistoys are softer, more fundamental with less mid-range, "darker" but more bowable.

That's me paraphrasing a phone call i had with him a year ago... I am now getting keen on trying the Pistoys, hmmm. :hmm:
 
#597
txstatebass said:
Now you've done it. Been married for four days and already had to explain to the wife why I want gut strings (after I ordered them of course). I really hate you guys. Seems like I go through this once a year...
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Getting married once a year? That has to be more expensive than playing with Gut strings.
 
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