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Double Bass GUTS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!

#1,222
Thanks for the tip! Can I ask what is it about E.P slaps that your left hand doesn`t like?

I have a set of synthetic Evah slaps and I tried the E ( A too at some point ) with gut tops. It`s good but I have my concerns about their longevity and durability as I have managed to break 2 Evahs when swapping strings and some say here on TB that they start loosing volume quite early. I`ll keep the set anyways as my gigging backup strings. That they do extremely well as they feel and sound close enough to guts, but once played in they behave somewhat like steels tuning-wise, and are easy to play in just about every aspect. I have nothing but bad experiences with wound gut and I hate the sticky roundwound feel. Scandinavian weather can be anything from extremely cold and dry to hot and humid, also. I like Animas and Garbos a lot, but they have this very real breakage thing and aren`t too wonderful under the bow ( tone is fine and very suitable for gut top strings, but they lack volume and clarity ). Some people aren`t too much into bowing gut or spiros, but those are what I`m most used to and don`t have problem with. I don`t play any classical stuff, but find myself bowing more and more in groups that I play in. Gauges doesn`t matter if it`s about lower strings and as long as the bass is bowable, but I prefer fat gauges on upper strings. Another reason for prefering spiro E is that I occasionally play drop D tuning and use a downtuned 3/4 spiro mittel E for that. Tension is very close to downtuned 4/4 solo spiro, feel and tone are close and swapping happens fast especially if I use A string peg for the lowest string.

For me, as I`m used to plain gut DG sound and feel, there really are no substitudes, and I have had only one weird humidity experience with them. A boutique 2,00mm string turned into hairy black mess and dropped tuning a fourth after my bass spent a early summer night in a ancient restored cowshed.

Anyway, thanks for your help @sevenyearsdown, i picked you up from the thread when I saw that you played a Lenzner plain A at some point :)
 
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#1,223
I just couldn't get used to the smaller gauge, and stiffer core. I was so used to plain gut or synthetic that it was uncomfortable for me up in keys like Bbm. In addition to that, the E just wasn't great on my bass. I really like to lay into my E at times and grind that sucker off the board. The Evah didnt like that. However the tone and tension were very close. They are very nice strings, just not my cup of tea. Results could very on other basses.

I too hated wrapped gut, but again gut presents challenges you have to adjust to. The wound A in my Lenzner set was trash. I switched to plain gut quickly because of it. The wound E was decent, but a fingerboard eater. That and the dry season eventually caused issues.

I dealt with the challenges of gut for a while because I love the tone and tension, so I'm not trying to sound anti gut. I loved them for a while.
 
#1,224
I can see that. For me, synthetic Evah slaps are very high quality gut-likes that are very easy and even to pluck, slap or bow. But then they start to sound a little dull and lifeless and I add gut G or DG, and those make the low strings sound more dull, lifeless and powerless. Great strings overall, but not my cup of tea either.
 
#1,230
Thanks again, everyone!

Jeff Kissell said:
Reiska,
Take your experiences with the plain gut A and use them to inform how you play on the Spirocores. I also used a plain A for a short time and it forever changed how I play any string with regards to getting a big, warm blooming note... even on a bass with steel strings and low string heights.
-Jeff
Click to expand...

That`s a great idea and very true! Spiros will mellow with time, as my strings are pretty new, but the couple of weeks I wrestled with a plain A during my first trial really forced me to re-think my approach and try things I would never do with steels. It has been great as my aim has been to relearn my right hand technique to a more relaxed one, and that was exactly what this beast of an string needed. I`m allready, after that little time, capable of getting warmer pizz tones from my lower spiros, especially the A, and I will continue exploring that. Thanks for sharing!

Jason Sypher said:
It's a sound compromise. There truly isn't a perfect set up. I ended up making string decisions based on what my bands need from me and not what I want to hear in the practice room. For me that means spiro reds. There are things I don't like, at times, but they get the job done consistently and mix well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, and thank you for showing me the right direction with this plain A issue! This is a tried and true compromise, I`ve never been this happy with my setup. In my musical reality those upper plain guts are what people wan`t to hear, if they`re interested in the first place. BTW, I really dig what you are doing on the bass and have stolen a couple of ideas from your YT stuff, that imitating horn bass with a bow, for example. Love the music and your playing is just great.

DoubleMIDI said:
What about a downtuned Evah Solo B for the A position?
Click to expand...

Thanks DM but I`ll stick with these spiros for next, hmmm wait, ten years? :)

Reiska
 
#1,231
Steal away, "it'd be rude not to" (as my good friend says)!

Most of us have gone through the string thing. It has to be done. But I think it's invaluable learning to become more flexible with your sound because it is so rare that we get the sound we love, even from night to night. We are at the New Orleans Jazz Fest today. Last year we played a set that sounded absolutely HORRIFIC on stage. So bad that we all just laughed while we were playing. We couldn't hear anything and what would could hear sounded like tin on a tin roof, but we kept our cool, remained supportive of each other onstage and bore down on the set list. We were surprised by the kind audience response. We had to leave suddenly so we had no time to mingle or get any feedback on the show. Eight months later someone informed us that the whole live set was released as a record! Apparently we made a big impression and this year we are a headliner at the same tent. I haven't heard the CD and would still be afraid to hear it, but it's likely a testament to being able to play with joy and spirit even with a sound you hate! Definitely get your sound right and make your instrument feel great in your hands...it might be a life raft on some gigs! But don't waste too much time trying to be perfect. Rather, learn more music, listen to more music, interact with more musicians and get comfortable with yourself. That's what's going to get you down the road...
 
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#1,232
Jason Sypher said:
Steal away, "it'd be rude not to" (as my good friend says)!

Most of us have gone through the string thing. It has to be done. But I think it's invaluable learning to become more flexible with your sound because it is so rare that we get the sound we love, even from night to night. We are at the New Orleans Jazz Fest today. Last year we played a set that sounded absolutely HORRIFIC on stage. So bad that we all just laughed while we were playing. We couldn't hear anything and what would could hear sounded like tin on a tin roof, but we kept our cool, remained supportive of each other onstage and bore down on the set list. We were surprised by the kind audience response. We had to leave suddenly so we had no time to mingle or get any feedback on the show. Eight months later someone informed us that the whole live set was released as a record! Apparently we made a big impression and this year we are a headliner at the same tent. I haven't heard the CD and would still be afraid to hear it, but it's likely a testament to being able to play with joy and spirit even with a sound you hate! Definitely get your sound right and make your instrument feel great in your hands...it might be a life raft on some gigs! But don't waste too much time trying to be perfect. Rather, learn more music, listen to more music, interact with more musicians and get comfortable with yourself. That's what's going to get you down the road...
Click to expand...

Thank you for the permission, pointers and the story, wisdom, music. I`m the kind who`s all anal about everything, not only DB setup. I propably should tattoo those last sentences on my forehead, just for a reminder. And yeah, it really feels absurd when you go thru that most screwed up gig and get extremely positive response from the listeners afterwards!

Have a good one, all the best for you!

Reiska
 
#1,234
Since 2 years I am playing Lenzner unwrapped guts on my pretty old czech hybrid (why did I not do so 30 years ago?). Upon a lengthy stay at the luthiers, I am rembered of my old problem: Out of the package, the G string felt/sounded kind of thin, hard, brittle. Perhaps I am now solving it by mounting a Garbo gut G I had laying around and never tried. But do others reckognise the problem? And what would your suggestion be for a meaty, full, soft sounding G string be?
 
#1,235
Arrrg. Saw Chasing Trane last nite (good movie!), and the sound of all those gut strings was intoxicating. I've gotta try some. Where to start? The choices seem overwhelming. I've got a 40 year old Pollman, currently use Zyex Light, bow a little, and am not wealthy.
 
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#1,237
lurk said:
Arrrg. Saw Chasing Trane last nite (good movie!), and the sound of all those gut strings was intoxicating. I've gotta try some. Where to start? The choices seem overwhelming. I've got a 40 year old Pollman, currently use Zyex Light, bow a little, and am not wealthy.
Click to expand...

If I were you I`d get some generic plain gut D and G ( like Efrano, Lenzner, Götz etc ) and use the Zyex EA, tension match is propably fine. Read all information you find here on TB, keep those strings on at least for a month and practise like crazy.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/gamut-guts.286803/
 
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#1,239
Ahhh, played rehearsals yesterday ( warm spring day that turned cold in the evening ), tuned my bass with 4/4 Spiro solo EA + generic plain gut DG against a plectrum banjo. Walked home app 1 mile with my bass on this trolley thingy and put my bass to it`s corner in my music room. Took my bass to the living room today ( a lot colder than yesterday, a little snow falling every now and then ) for a warm up practise and voila, perfectly in tune. Let`s see if it holds the tuning after similar trip today. It`s just so good in every aspect!!!
 

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