...With that said, I`m definently back to plain gut ADG, with a Evah slap E. Got a new bridge fitted week ago for this setup and I haven`t had too much time to mess with it as it has been basically the busiest time of the year. The bass sounds now better than ever, it was really good when I picked it up from the luthier, but after maintaining the strings and raising the action full turn last week it got really good. First of all, sustain is great, better than with any plain ADG setup before, bowing is easier than with ANY setup before, the bass is LOUD AS ALL HELL overall. No need to overdo anything on the right hand, relaxed touch with as precise as possible left hand delivers the room filling, and with the bow I can feel the floor moving when messing on the A string. I literally lolled when I picked up the bass first time today, like what happened?
These are the cheapest trustworthy guts available, my set of Efrano medium ADG / Evah slap E costs exactly 250€ delivered here. Efranos ( and other cheapo guts ) do get bashed on TB frequently, but my experience isn`t like that all. These do sound great and play easy, especially arco. With that in mind, I know what to expect and how to deal with the outcome with plain guts and how completely different they are when compared to standard modern strings. I wouldn`t recommend the cheap end guts for a gut beginner anymore. If Pistoys, Dlugoleckis or Chorda C.H`s doesn`t make it clear what it is about these strings, the Efranos wouldn`t be anything but more of a PITA to get rid off. That`s how my Efrano plain E is, I didn`t jump to the deepest end and try enough with it because all of it would have been too much.
For me, guts are not a option anymore, they`re the default. One needs to hear the DB like that, and be obsessive enough to overcome the obstacles and widen the landscape. That`s how I hear the instrument, that`s my expectation of the tone of DB, what I expect to hear when I pick up one, what I want to hear in the mix. Feel is another important factor, no Spirocore, Obligato or Velvet can deliver that much sound, be as dynamical and colourful while beeing weather-light to play. You can play on guts very quiet and still deliver a room filling bass-y tone in all registers. Or you can get to the other end of the spectrum, with the help of your own frequency zone in the mix and a physical setup that doesn`t kill you even when extreme. That`s one thing, when you have room under the strings you have room for variation on your right hand, you have options for the outcome. I don`t think a Spiro red G at 5 mm`s would be like that, for me at least. This comes from someone who would absolutely be exclusively using a full set of Spiro weichs if guts were not the end-all of it.
Amped tone is another thing. If you want your DB sound like bass quitar, plug your Spiro stringed bass with a piezo to any bass amp. If you want the same sounding like double bass, string it with guts. My experience is that great amped Spirocore DB tone comes only with a mic, or in mix with the piezo. With Spiros you need the grace felix, tonedexter, cable made out of unicorns pubic hair, 4000 on the amp and a red carpet to walk all this stuff on. Then, any pile of s**t that can be called a bass amp will do just fine with guts, if it can take the DB in the first place. That`s my experience and YMMV
These are the cheapest trustworthy guts available, my set of Efrano medium ADG / Evah slap E costs exactly 250€ delivered here. Efranos ( and other cheapo guts ) do get bashed on TB frequently, but my experience isn`t like that all. These do sound great and play easy, especially arco. With that in mind, I know what to expect and how to deal with the outcome with plain guts and how completely different they are when compared to standard modern strings. I wouldn`t recommend the cheap end guts for a gut beginner anymore. If Pistoys, Dlugoleckis or Chorda C.H`s doesn`t make it clear what it is about these strings, the Efranos wouldn`t be anything but more of a PITA to get rid off. That`s how my Efrano plain E is, I didn`t jump to the deepest end and try enough with it because all of it would have been too much.
For me, guts are not a option anymore, they`re the default. One needs to hear the DB like that, and be obsessive enough to overcome the obstacles and widen the landscape. That`s how I hear the instrument, that`s my expectation of the tone of DB, what I expect to hear when I pick up one, what I want to hear in the mix. Feel is another important factor, no Spirocore, Obligato or Velvet can deliver that much sound, be as dynamical and colourful while beeing weather-light to play. You can play on guts very quiet and still deliver a room filling bass-y tone in all registers. Or you can get to the other end of the spectrum, with the help of your own frequency zone in the mix and a physical setup that doesn`t kill you even when extreme. That`s one thing, when you have room under the strings you have room for variation on your right hand, you have options for the outcome. I don`t think a Spiro red G at 5 mm`s would be like that, for me at least. This comes from someone who would absolutely be exclusively using a full set of Spiro weichs if guts were not the end-all of it.
Amped tone is another thing. If you want your DB sound like bass quitar, plug your Spiro stringed bass with a piezo to any bass amp. If you want the same sounding like double bass, string it with guts. My experience is that great amped Spirocore DB tone comes only with a mic, or in mix with the piezo. With Spiros you need the grace felix, tonedexter, cable made out of unicorns pubic hair, 4000 on the amp and a red carpet to walk all this stuff on. Then, any pile of s**t that can be called a bass amp will do just fine with guts, if it can take the DB in the first place. That`s my experience and YMMV
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