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

[Marcus Johnson]

(after I ordered them of course)

You learn quickly. If you're gonna catch some **** anyway, might as well get what you want.

 

[Adam Booker]

No, it's the "unmarring" part that's expensive. You have to pay to leave.

So true!

 

[Uncletoad]

You learn quickly. If you're gonna catch some **** anyway, might as well get what you want.

That only works when your trousers remain zipped.

 

[Adam Booker]

You learn quickly. If you're gonna catch some **** anyway, might as well get what you want.

So true!

This ain't my first rodeo either.

 

[AndreasH]

Now I've had my bass strung up with all guts for about one month or so. I think I'm going back to Velvets on the bottom after all.

I miss the reliability of the Velvets and I also miss the sustain. And, on my bass, the Garbos seem to get the wood going more than wrapped gut do. And most important, it wasn't really the sound I was going for after all. I'm also very interested going back to Garbos as a whole set to see what I think about it now when I've played guts for real. When I removed my Garbos, I was still in love with them. Great strings. NOTE: I'm not ditchhing the guts, just the bottom ones.

 

[Menacewarf]

I've been playing on a full set of Anima's for a few weeks and finally have a bow back and feel like I can offer some impressions.

The bow is really not that bad. In fact in thumb position on my bass I'm getting way more volume, and more importantly for me, a rich tone which just rips me back one or two hundread years . The tone is a tiny bit flat from note to note in thumb possition like one would expect from a Stunal hybrid or it may just be technique. Regardless I am impressed. To use the cliche, it's the closest to "the sound I hear in my head" of anything I have tried yet.

While surprisingly good in thumb position with the bow, the Animas are SICK for all the simandl notes on the A, D, and G up to about the first E on the G string. With the bow it is dreamy in this range...The shape of the tone moving from string to string is like watching water move over a rapid. Shifting some in timbre here and there but always zeroing back to a center.

The E string bowing is the only hitch for me so far. The Ab is murder to get good tone, the E is easy and so on...

I think with work I can make the Ab and G sound better. It is only two ugly notes right ?

The pizz as Ive mentioned is great. I struggle with intonation a bit at times but the solid cutting tone can really help (and hurt ). Having got a bow back I'm excited to get back to work dealing with the intonation.

 

[Gearhead43]

I think it's VERY cool to see some jazz cats playing guts (and liking them) in this day and age. Most of the jazz I can get into was played on guts, actually most of the music I love, regardless of genre was. (no offense )

To me, that huge woody gut tone on old records is what bass is supposed to sound like, and what drew me into playing the big bass.

For us Roots/Country/Blues type bassists guts are probably as common as Spiros are for jazz players.

I totally understand the disadvantages for working players, especially in certain climates, but for some guys getting that sound in your head is just not gonna be the most "practical" way.

 

[chris dammann]

the E and A anima's will get more solid pitch the older they get. It took the Anima set a month to really shine on my bass. I loved them-- on my bass they took a little to much downward pressure for ravaged hands to handle with the bow-- but they did sound good.

 

[Menacewarf]

Cool Chris. These strings were used but they don't feel old.

Like you say it is as much left hand as it is right. The string hight is med-high as it should be with these strings so I really am just going to have to get my ballence, hand and arm all just right to get that Ab down all the way and then and only then I will know it's an all bow problem.

I get tempted to use lots of rosin because the Animas sound so good when they are MoVinG but I have been trying to hold off on more than 1 or 2 swipes so I can learn to finness them into moving without getting that SCRATCH. Again this goes mostly for the E string, and to a lesser degree thumb position. The main simandl notes rip on my bass.

 

[AndreasH]

I get tempted to use lots of rosin because the Animas sound so good when they are MoVinG but I have been trying to hold off on more than 1 or 2 swipes so I can learn to finness them into moving without getting that SCRATCH. Again this goes mostly for the E string, and to a lesser degree thumb position. The main simandl notes rip on my bass.

I used Garbos for a while which is less bowable than Animas. I find that you can't apply to much pressure on the bowing hand to make them sound good. When I practiced this, the scratchiness was reduced and the volume was increased. I also found that Carlsson (or Nyman) works better for these type of strings rather than Pops.

 

[TenorClef]

I tried all guts (plain guts that is), I ripped the E plain gut off after 2 minutes and binned it. The G & D plain gut are actually pretty good, no complaints at all, the plain A i'm still undecided, its ok but i may go back to my Supernil wrapped A, i'm thinking the best compromise is gut G & D and synthetic A & E Supernil for me any way.

 

[chris dammann]

I used Garbos for a while which is less bowable than Animas. I find that you can't apply to much pressure on the bowing hand to make them sound good. When I practiced this, the scratchiness was reduced and the volume was increased. I also found that Carlsson (or Nyman) works better for these type of strings rather than Pops.

I found the complete opposite to be true about bowing the Anima's on my bass. Just goes to show you, you never know how anything will work until you try it. I love the Carlsson's rosin.

 

[Bobby King]

To quote Pacino, “Every time I try to get out, they keep pulling me back in”

I've got a plain gut D and G on my bass again, I've fallen off the wagon. But -- I had the best sound on last night's gig since....the last time I used guts!

This all started when Francois gave me some Sensicore strings which I really like for my E&A, they are punchy, with a little growl (but not whiney) and they have a nice comfortable tension. I was using EPs on the G&D, then an EP D and gut G. This is where the trouble started The sound of the plain G seemed to go with the Sensicores even better than the EPs. I went and bought a Lenzner D from Bob Gollihur and put it on...this is a great setup, and you can buy all of these strings new for no more than a set of EPs or Spiros.

I had to sell my Strunal bass earlier this year so all I have is my Shen plywood bass now, but I really like this bass, in some ways better than the Strunal, which was a hybrid with a carved top. I've used mostly steels and synthetics on the Shen in the past because arco was a priority. This is my first go-round with a gut setup on this bass. I'm getting better response on the plain gut D when I hit A's and Bbs, still a little thuddy, but better than the Strunal. I've raised the action up a bit and had to use a little Superglue in the G slot to get that string higher proportionately (I find this is usually necessary with gut).

I have to say, this type of setup is what I'm most at home with, and it's the way I hear upright. All the notes are punchy, big and full, I can hear everything on the G string, no whine, no annoying overtones through the amp, great for slapping. But there are drawbacks -- I've been bowing on the plain gut and it takes a lot of effort to get a good sound, it's a somewhat different technique. I think you need to use more bow speed and less pressure. We'll see if this remains doable into the future. Also, I noticed after last night's gig that my right forearm was a bit cramped. That used to happen to me at times whan I played on gut previously. I do miss the tension of Spiros and find that the greater tension can be a little hard on your fingertips, but it's actually easier on your forearm and wrist. Gut requires a different effort to control. I need to work on it again.

I recommend the Sensicore E&A to all you gutheads out there. Maybe they just go well with my bass, but they are one of the best strings I've used with plain guts on top.

 

[Gearhead43]

That Sensicore E&A, gut D&G combo has been nicknamed "The Nashville setup" for bass, Bobby. I think Dave Roe has the same string combo, and a couple other guys from there also.

Seems to be a good combo for all-around playing, especially if you slap some, and play Rootsy stuff.

I use Olives on the E&A, Lenzner D&G and really, really like this for Country and slap. The Olives would be too dark and thumpy for Jazz though I would think. (depending on what kinda Jazz you play )

 

[Mark Perna]

Welcome back to the dark side BK!

mark

 

[Kevin Hsieh]

Trying to figure out whether or not it was my G buzzing, I switched my unknown-age unknown maker gut G with a Gamut Lyon G.

Ho-Ho-Holy Carp!!! I thought my bass was loud before...
but no! the Garbo E and A were already shaking the floor before. Now the G string fills the room with punchy gut goodness.

positives of the day - bass sounds huge

negatives of the day - it wasn't the old string that was buzzing. it might be a loose bass bar...

 

[Uncletoad]

Trying to figure out whether or not it was my G buzzing, I switched my unknown-age unknown maker gut G with a Gamut Lyon G.

Ho-Ho-Holy Carp!!! I thought my bass was loud before...
but no! the Garbo E and A were already shaking the floor before. Now the G string fills the room with punchy gut goodness.

positives of the day - bass sounds huge

negatives of the day - it wasn't the old string that was buzzing. it might be a loose bass bar...

I'd put money on an open top or back seam. It's not uncommon for a top or back seam to open, bassbars are a little more difficult to unhinge than the thin glue on the top.

 

[Bobby King]

That Sensicore E&A, gut D&G combo has been nicknamed "The Nashville setup" for bass, Bobby. I think Dave Roe has the same string combo, and a couple other guys from there also.

Seems to be a good combo for all-around playing, especially if you slap some, and play Rootsy stuff.

I use Olives on the E&A, Lenzner D&G and really, really like this for Country and slap. The Olives would be too dark and thumpy for Jazz though I would think. (depending on what kinda Jazz you play )

That's right, Dave told me he uses the Sensicores. I wound up trying this setup because Francois gave me some free Sensicores to try (I wasn't just trying to be a Dave wannabe )

The Sensicores have some growl and sustain, but they still have enough punchy fundamental that matches well with gut. Those Olive E&As are pretty darn dark and thumpy! I play lots of rootsy stuff, and I also love to play Nat Cole-type jazz and Louis Jordan jump blues. This setup is very well suited to that sound. Then I do an Elvis show twice a week where I need to slap in the first section of the show, and then do all the RCA, Bob Moore stuff. I really can appreciate and enjoy Spirocores, but this setup is more where I live.

Another opinion: I think Evah Pirazzi and Olive D&G strings are a lot darker sounding than plain guts. They produce a certain type of sustain that plain guts dont have, and they are far better for arco, but they lack the brighter "snap" of a plain gut string.

Arco on the plain gut is still a challenge, but I'm trying!

 

[AndreasH]

Hey, Bobby! How would you compare Sensicores to Velvets on the bottom? Tone, tension etc...

I'm not sure if I'm going to ditch the bottom wound guts or not. I like them right now, a week ago I doubted it was what I was looking for. I still miss my Velvets, but I do like my guts right now.

 

[Bobby King]

Hi Andreas!

The Sensicores are somewhat like Obligatos, with a smooth flatwound finish, and a similar diameter and tension. I prefer their sound though -- it's punchier and less whiney. No "rolling" issues like Obligatos either. They bow better than Velvets (although pairing them with guts creates other bowing issues ) Of course, I really like Animas and Garbos too, but I've sold all of the ones I had Sensicores sure cost less $$. Velvets have their own kind of sound...I guess I'd say that Sensicores are a little less bright and sustaining than Anima, but more focused and not as "puffy" as Garbo. They also have a good slap tone and feel.

I'm not saying that they're the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it was a nice surprise to find an affordable string that I'd never tried, and that I like quite a bit. They may or may not work for you.