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Double Bass GUTS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!

#521
My set is the medium Pistoy G and light Pistoy D and I love it. You can hear them on the video I posted a week or so ago in this thread. I used the medium silver wrapped Gamuts when I used wrapped E/A and they were great too; just not during Winter.

You won't go wrong with what you're looking at. I really don't bow much so I'm not the guy to ask about arco stuff.

mark
 
#523
I have a Medium D and Heavy G varnished. At first I had both Medium but I felt like the G was too light for my freakishly large and strong hands. I got the heavy and it was a game changer. My bass was louder with it and I felt like the tone was richer and more complex. Plus the added tension took care of the feeling that the G was too light.
 
#525
Well, I did it, ordered a full set of medium gauge, figured
I might as well start there. Pistoy G and D, copper wrapped
E and A. Now its just a matter of the wait...

Although they aren't as sweet as Corelli bowed on my bass
(I think those might have been the sweetest), I've never
had any real problem bowing the Animas, so this should be
interesting. :D
 
#526
jfv said:
Well, I did it, ordered a full set of medium gauge, figured
I might as well start there. Pistoy G and D, copper wrapped
E and A. Now its just a matter of the wait...

Although they aren't as sweet as Corelli bowed on my bass
(I think those might have been the sweetest), I've never
had any real problem bowing the Animas, so this should be
interesting. :D
Click to expand...

i been playing a mixed pistoy/anima set for about a month now. this may improve as the strings age, but the only sore thumbs for me about arco playing with this combo are playing an open pistoy D in the middle of a passage, and playing in thumb position on the anima A. i have yet to have a post adjustment, so that could help too. you may not have this problem with copper wrapped guts. otherwise, i bet you'll dig'em.
 
#528
jfv said:
I haven't had a bass tuneup in quite some time, so I was
seriously considering taking it to my luthier when the strings
arrive and let him do a full setup for me, only downside is
I'm impatient and that might introduce another day wait :eek:
Click to expand...

That's really not a bad idea because he'll be able to make sure the bridge and nut slots are the appropriate size for the strings and do any bridge and/or post adjustments to compensate for the dramatically reduced tension the bass is going to have. That said, I didn't bother with my post at all and did my own bridge adjustments. As for the bridge and nut slots, the nut slots didn't need any adjustments and I only had to file the D bridge slot a very tiny amount for optimum string travel.

mark
 
#529
jfv said:
I haven't had a bass tuneup in quite some time, so I was seriously considering taking it to my luthier when the strings arrive and let him do a full setup for me, only downside is I'm impatient and that might introduce another day wait :eek:
Click to expand...
You've gone how long without a setup and waited how long to order and take delivery on the gut strings, and then you're concerned about just one more day? To quote the old Kung Fu TV show: Patience, Grasshopper!
 
#530
Looks like I'm drinking the koolaid now. As I wrote in the EP thread, D&G Olivs with Labella Black tapewound E&A. Surprisingly, the tensions are similar as is the girth. The sound seems to work ok. Now to let the D stop being to tubby and the E&A to mellow out the banjo sound.
 
#531
I've put the full set on myself, surprisingly enough the
string that needed a bit of Dremel work was the D, the
copper wrapped A and E were fine.

Have been tuning more than playing it seems like :)
So, I have Pistoy G, D, and the copper wrapped A and
E, all medium. The G is just wonderful, I now see what
people mean about the D, it seems kinda congested, especially
in the mid range, but I'm giving it some time. The E and
A I haven't made up my mind about yet, they have an odd
flavor, so to speak, and I need to wait some time I suppose
to see where they go.

LOL, the Animas are pretty crusty after 2 years of not moving
so I don't think they're gonna be usable if I'm unhappy...

Does the need to tune ever go away? With the Animas I could
have the bass sitting untouched for DAYS, and I'd pick it up
and it would be in tune, it got me spoiled :)
 
#533
jfv said:
Does the need to tune ever go away? With the Animas I could
have the bass sitting untouched for DAYS, and I'd pick it up
and it would be in tune, it got me spoiled :)
Click to expand...



Yes. They will get more stable on a daily basis. A week or two in and they'll be as stable as they're going to get. I have to tune before playing but rarely during anymore. The days of tuning monthly (like with Spiros) are gone though.

My solution to the tuning issue was to hook a tuner up to the effects out of my amp and leave it on. I could tune quietly between (and even during) tunes during the break in period.

mark
 
#534
You know, I'm already REALLY glad that I bought
a full set, the E and A are starting to sound REALLY
deep and powerful. More so than the Animas ever
did I'd say.

Another interesting thing, I find that the somewhat
stuffy D ends up sounding VERY warm under the bow.
In fact, although they have a different feel, and also
a bit different sound I find they all can sound just
beautiful when bowed properly. Something for me to
work on :)

Basically I'm thrilled right now, the first band rehearsal
with them on is Tuesday, and the first gig, which is
actually outside in a park here in Portland, will be
May 22.
 
#536
Guess I'm hooked. Just put spiros back to see what it's like after a week or so with guts. That oomph simply isn't there anymore. Yes I can hear myself clearly but it just doesn't have the same gusto as the Oliv G & D. No balls. EPs might be a little more meaty sounding that Spiros but still nowhere close to the Olives.

I went whole hog and got a Gamut set which should be arriving early next week. Copper heavy E, copper med + A, varnished lyon G & D. Can't wait - I think I'm gonna like this. If it's good enough for BIGGUS, it's good enough for me. ;)
 
#537
My Upton Standard Laminate 5 string came in yesterday, with the 5 string set of Gamut Guts on it that I had ordered and sent to Upton to be installed. Diapason Gut on the G, Lyon D, and Light gauge silverplated A/E and Low B/C string, all tension matched by Dan and Co to be right at 18kg.

This was a kind of leap of faith for me based off of the glowing real world reviews on TB. I had a 5 string set of Pirastro Olivs on my (now gone) BSX EUB, and they were a muddy mess (especially the B) compared to the Velvet Animas they wore the rest of the time. I was a little skeptical that gut would work at all on the Low B string, but figured if it didn't with the Gamuts I could get another Velvet B (which are amazing) to add to the rest of the set.

Well Dan outdid himself here. The Low B string is massive sounding, and with usable pitch clarity all the way up to the Low F# on that string. Perfectly blended with the rest of the set. I can't wait for these to open up over the next few weeks, as I already hear a huge difference today than I did yesterday afternoon as they stretch and settle.
Think I'm done on strings.
 

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