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

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#662
Even I have to admit this; the guts was a bit of a struggle at the gig tonight. I do not say that I don't freakin' love them, because I do. Anyway, it was an outdoor gig, lots of humidity and the guts were sticky as hell. Some things were just a bit hard to accomplish. I've been thinking about going back to Garbos temporaily with a varnished Gamut lyon G just to prove to myself that I love my guts. Because I love my guts, right!? :ninja:
 
#663
AndreasH said:
Even I have to admit this; the guts was a bit of a struggle at the gig tonight. I do not say that I don't freakin' love them, because I do. Anyway, it was an outdoor gig, lots of humidity and the guts were sticky as hell. Some things were just a bit hard to accomplish. I've been thinking about going back to Garbos temporaily with a varnished Gamut lyon G just to prove to myself that I love my guts. Because I love my guts, right!? :ninja:
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I've been having problems with humidity as well but not so much with the strings. They're a little stickier but it really hasn't bothered me so much. I've been using a Stat-B pickup and the cork swells up with the humidity and squashes the amplified tone among other nasty sonic issues. It got so bad last week that it started phasing with itself. It sounded like I had a chorus on the amp. I had to stop using it. I've been looking for an alternative. I've put both a Realist and a Planetwing on. The Realist is body heavy which gives a nice thump but without much string snap and the string snap is a HUGE part of the sound (plus it can't take really high volumes without feeding back). The Planetwing pickup sounds kind of piezo-y which I don't like or get with either the Stat (which is still on) or the Realist. The Planetwing can take higher volumes without feeding back which is a plus for those outside gigs that are at ear bleeding volumes. I've also tried mixing and matching. Running two pickups at once. The Realist as the primary and then mixing some Stat or Planetwing or AMT (which is also still on there) into the signal. The results don't exactly suck but they aren't all that great either.

The best sound I've gotten so far was the Stat all by itself when the humidity was 40% or so. It was heaven. I'm jonesing for the fall. Everything just sounds better. I'm not missing steel strings (because my steel string bass sounded like dog doo in high humidity as well--thumpy with no sizzle). It's times like these when I miss playing slab. Plug it in and it sounds the same everywhere regardless of the weather. I played a slab gig today (second one this year and about my 5th in the last 3 years). If my slab skills hadn't deteriorated to almost nothing... (I don't practice slab ever; I just dig it out and play it when someone calls for it so I generally lay hands on it twice a year whether I need the practice or not), I'd probably think more seriously about doing a "Steve Swallow".

Say, Andreas, what happened to the Artones?

mark
 
#665
Marcus Johnson said:
I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

I've had gummy humid days on every string I've played, including Spiros. Sometimes the bass just feels like it's filled with John Madden's old wet socks. I know it's more pronounced with guts.
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Varnished guts (like the ones you'll be putting on and the ones I have) aren't that bad in humidity compared to unvarnished ones. They get a little sticky but nothing you can't deal with. It's the bass itself that gets thumpy in my case. It loses a lot of midrange and requires a lot more effort to get it to speak and this is just as true with Spiros as with guts. In some ways it is worse with Spiros because the loss of midrange sizzle is MUCH more prominent. There isn't much midrange sizzle to lose with guts. The big problem with guts is going from air conditioning to outside back to air conditioning. The wrapped guts freak out for a while until they stabilize again.

You're always in high humidity so your bass is probably set up for it and, more importantly, you are used to it. Mine is a dream in the fall, winter and spring when the humidity is low to middling. I get so depressed in the late summer from the humidity that I want to retire from playing. But it'll be fall soon and the humidity will drop to around 40% and everything will be SMOKIN' again. I can wait. I just hope there will still be gigs to be had then. Two of my regular gigs went belly up in the last couple of weeks and a third is on life support.

mark
 
#667
Well, this has happened before and I always find new gigs. The worst was I had a regular 4 night per week gig and I was so busy with it that I rarely took any other gigs. After a while people stopped calling me for anything else because I was always booked. Then the place closed.

It was a bit of a struggle for a couple of months but things picked up again eventually. Fortunately, I don't rely on gig money to live on so I'm not going to starve or anything. My skills deteriorate when I don't have regular gigs and THAT has me worried. Practicing at home is great and necessary but no substitute for playing on the gig.

mark
 
#668
calivox said:
Say, Andreas, what happened to the Artones?

mark
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The Artones are on my bass, except for the E-string. What happened was that the strings got sticky and slowed me down. I think the D-string needs some sanding in the pizz area, it's getting a bit too rough. Altough, I got my old varnished Gamut Lyon G back from a friend who bought it from me, tried it and took it off. It feels good to just have it for future experimentation. I'm also looking forward to try the varnished gut again :rolleyes:
 
#671
Marcus Johnson said:
100% humidity today on Maui.... do you think it would be a good time to put on the gut set, for tonight's gig? :D
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Sure. They'll have plenty of time to settle in. Go ahead. Try it. Oh, and video tape it for us as well...you know as documentation of your first gig with gut strings. We PROMISE not to laugh our behinds off as you futilely try to play in tune as the strings gummily stretch like over fatigued rubber bands. Really. Promise.

mark
 
#674
Marcus Johnson said:
LOL.... how true. Although I might have to scrape through a coat of mold to discover the rust...

I don't know how much worse guts would have been last night... the Evahs felt like molasses, as would any string in this weather. I just kept wiping everything down. C'mon, tradewinds! :cool:
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My bass feels like a girl who is retaining lots of water right now... (that time of the month)Very bloated and swampy:eek:

If I don't wipe my strings off all the time, they will rust out here. Guess that's why I change maybe more often than guys on the mainland.:cool:
 
#675
Update:

A month or so ago, I put a Lyon G and D on my other bass (the '28 Juzek) but left the E and A Mittels on. I didn't like it, thought the bass wasn't up for gut and put the Spiro G and D back on (and the bass went back to sitting in the corner).

With no gigs until September 4 (yowza-longest layoff in a while), I decided to use the layoff to experiment and put the medium Lyon G and the light Lyon D back on. Ditching the Spiros this time, I put the Garbo E and A that I bought a while back to use if the wrapped A and E that I have on the '74 go belly up in the humidity (the wrapped A and E are doing just fine in the humidity). The Garbos mixed with the Lyons on this bass sound amazing. I've never used Garbos before. They just roar. I'm really digging them. The Garbo A and E sound a lot like the wrapped Gamut guts but with more volume, punch and a bit more growl. Being smooth, they are also easier on the fingers to play. I see why you guys who match gut D and G with Garbos like the combination so much.

Initially, I tried the Pistoy G but there is just something missing with the Pistoy G. It was much easier to play fast with the Pistoy but the sound just wasn't making it for me. The Lyon G, on the other, hand sounds fantastic although it is a bit floppier and requires a more refined touch to get around on it. I'm back to doing scales and scales and more scales (and a few arpeggios) to get my touch happening on it.

mark
 
#680
Last night would have been a nightmare... It was about a hundred zillion degrees Fahrenheit in that joint. good fun, though. The air smelled funny. :D

Oh, I have to say this for public record.... Band Of Horses, the band that opened for us, in addition to being a great band, is one of the finest groups of human beings on the planet.
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