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Double Bass GUTS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!

#661
Marcus Johnson said:
Mmmm. The other thing may be that (on my bass at least) the bass sounds like a bass throughout its whole range, even in the higher registers. It doesn't thin out.
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That's it right there - the thickness of sound even up in the nosebleeds. Only gut and Velvets seem able to supply that tone anywhere on the fingerboard.
 
#663
Jake deVilliers said:
That's it right there - the thickness of sound even up in the nosebleeds. Only gut and Velvets seem able to supply that tone anywhere on the fingerboard.
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Yea Guts both plain and Oliv wrapped can do that, a little less so with the Velvets I think although certainly better than a Spirocore.

Nothing gets that plain gut pop other than plain gut though. It's the thing I miss most about my Oliv D/G compromise.
 
#664
Welp.... I tried jacking up my string heights again just to make it easier to hear my intonation (which seems to help a bit). Made for some fun Mingus like sound and turns the Cleve into an even bigger cannon. The neighbors finally officially complained about "the guitar playing" next door. Yeah, the Lyons were prolly rattling things in their house. That **** is LOUD! Esp on the mid-range on the G&D. Floor rattles, things on the shelf start to bounce around. Would prolly beat up a Spiro Stark E, take it's money, and eat it's lunch. Pretty bad ass.

Unfortunately, it's not the sound I am neccessarily hearing in my head. Swapped the G&D back to Olives and I'm liking things much more. Maybe I just like metal wrap. The Olive's play real nice with the Gamut A & Heavy E. Back to arco!
 
#667
It's not Toad... funny the Olives bring the tension up and the sound characteristics are all very similar. Def a helluvalot closer than Olives + Spiros. It's like all gut but still sorta modern sounding. You lose the gut twang but gain a little more clarity. As Gamut the Med+A and Heavy E go real deep but still sound smooth. I think having metal wrap on all the strings makes a diff. I just went with a Heavy E as I know my cleve likes a bigger/louder E. I feel like I'm not fighting the bass as much trying nail my intonation.

Just been a day but so far really liking it. We'll see when the G&D darken and loosen up.
 
#668
So much has been said here about the great Gamut plain strings on top, with a variety of other choices on the E & A. It's rare that you see it flipped, with the Gamuts on the lowers, maybe because of the price... But the copper Gamuts E & A I'm using now are easily the best lower strings I've ever used, regardless of the composition. The pizz is absolutely perfect; great definition all over the fingerboard, nice warmth, great sustain and full tone with just the right amount growl. The arco is beautiful, very rich and full. If you prefer a wound string on top, I'd think that Olivs would be very nice. Not a cheap set, though!
 
#669
There are times when I play and feel like the Olivs are really dishing out serious mojo and the spiros on the bottom end up thin.

Then there are other times when the Olivs get swampy and don't have the definition on the front of the note I like from Spiros, make me want to toss them and go back to all spiros.

Just can't have it all all the time.

So I just leave it alone and keep playing.
 
#671
Marcus Johnson said:
If you prefer a wound string on top, I'd think that Olivs would be very nice. Not a cheap set, though!
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Well, I don't think it's any more expensive than a full set of Gamuts.

Yeah I'll have to agree - the E & A Copper wound are pretty dang good. Better than a Stark E/Mitt A. I've only had a month and it seems like the sound is still developing, esp on the Heavy E. It just keeps getting deeper/richer sounding.

And oh yeah... look ma... no hairs! :cool:
 
#673
engedi1 said:
I think Marcus's experience with wound guts shows us all that our real problem is not living in Hawaii! If we all living in a place where the temperature and humidity were basically the same year round there would be fewer problems. ( not just with strings!) I propose a mass pilgrimage of bass players to Hawaii.
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That's true. I'm not sure how all this would play out if I lived in the real world.

C'mon out, I have a big back yard. I'll do some kalua pig on the Weber grill.... :cool:
 
#675
I just went ahead and ordered an A and E from Damian Dlugolecki to go with the G and D I already have. He recommended a new version he's making with two layers of winding around the gut core, for a higher tension string. Never thought I'd spend this much on strings but if they last twice as long as the Animas they're replacing, I'll be happy. I'll report here once I get them on.
 
#677
Hello Talkbass

I´ve been lurking around for some time now and really appreciate this worldwide community of double bass players. I ve learned a lot (not only in the strings section ;)). Thank you everybody. I just felt I need to add my 2 cents to this gutfiesta.

A month ago I decided to order cheap guts from Efrano (heavy G, medium D) and after putting them on thought immediately "This is the way bass is supposed to sound like". I had tried various different steels and synthetics before, but was always hesitant to try real gut because of the tuning issues and bowability. The guts replaced the upper strings of a Velvet Blue set.

After a couple of concerts, jam sessions and rehearsals (blues, latin and other mostly pizzicato stuff) later I can say that at least for my needs, this combo really works. The pizzicato sound is really loud, fat and percussive. The tuning has been surprisingly stable (maybe the Blues on A and E help there) and, after a bit of practice, arco is doable, the stings start quite nicely and I like the grainy old school sound.

Maybe the most important aspect is that the sound of my bass really inspires me to practice at home, the room is shaking and rattling. Guts really are fun to play.

Best Regards

PS: I hope you won´t find me too soon in the Evah pirazzi megathread...
 
#680
Marcus Johnson said:
Ahhhhhhhhh. Just played a very nice rental bass on a road gig, strung with Spiro Mittels. It was fine for 90 minutes. To those of you who use them, cool, I get it. I did too, for a long long time.

But boy... it's good to be home.
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And exactly when, where and for what gig did you play this non gut string double bass? Sorry I missed you Marcus. I saw every one the night before prior to my gig. Your just so busy playing bass on Maui that you could only come over for the one night. Oh well, we will hook up one of these days.

All the Best Marcus!
 

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