I put on the E string, but took it back off in favor of my old Evah Slap E string. Thanks for making the recording, and I might give these another try.
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Double Bass GUTS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!
- Thread starter Marc Piane
- Start date
I put on the E string, but took it back off in favor of my old Evah Slap E string. Thanks for making the recording, and I might give these another try.
For complicated reasons, I am having to use a bass with "steel" strings (D'Darrios, I think) for an opera highlights concert. A) I hate the sound compared to the gut set on my own bass; and B) my fingers are trashed by the end of the session.
Why isn't everyone playing guts? The world would be a much better place!
Why isn't everyone playing guts? The world would be a much better place!
For complicated reasons, I am having to use a bass with "steel" strings (D'Darrios, I think) for an opera highlights concert. A) I hate the sound compared to the gut set on my own bass; and B) my fingers are trashed by the end of the session.
Why isn't everyone playing guts? The world would be a much better place!
I'm with you, Louis. I have a great time bowing guts. My ONLY reservations are:
1. Tuning instability. I won't play guts in performance unless I can have my bass in the venue for hours in advance. Rehearsal last night, the E string went more than a half-step sharp during the first half hour. The good news is that the tympani, tubas, and trombones were so freaking loud that I seemed to be the only one who noticed, and by the time we ran the Stamitz and the Holst, tuning was resolved.
2. For me, at least, they don't work ideally on every bass. I use guts on my cheapest bass because its inherent timbre (kinda dark) augments what I like about the strings' core sound, making it easy to relax and simply draw out the notes. My most-expensive bass doesn't seem to like the guts as well, and I have to be more conscious of how I put bow to string.
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There are Double Bass strings from Aquila in both Beef and Lamb. I'd probably go with the Beef as its slightly cheaper.
I think I posted somewhere else, that over a recent weekend I had both of my basses out and was messing around with them with 2 other people. I had thought I was getting a pretty decent tone bowing my guts on my ply, but listening head-to-head, I hadn't realized how it paled compared to the EP Weichs on my hybrid.
OTOH, as good as the hybrid sounded, when it comes to oldtime/bluegrass, I prefer the sound of all I can do pizz/slap w/ the guts on the ply.
So nice to have the luxury of 2 basses set up differently.
The tuning thing is a nightmare, Andy, but my strings have mostly stabilized (after 3 years). The upside is that it has made much more conscientious about my intonation... but the snark tuner is never far from hand!!
So if I keep the strings on for 3 years, I can expect less trouble? I didn't know that "time heals" after the first couple of weeks of stretching.
Do you attach the Snark to the bridge? Even while playing?
I don't keep the snark on the bridge. It seems to mute things a bit; and mostly it's micro tuning between numbers or movements. The worst thing is when (either) the stage heats up because the lights have been on or,worse, they turn the air conditioning on midway. It was actually about after a year that I found the strings to stay pretty constant from one day to the next, but, as you said, I get there way early to let them acclimate to whatever the hall is.
I had a full set of Gamut guts for a while, but even after six months the tuning issues with the wound E and A continued to be frustrating. I now have Aquila Gold Springs Synthetic 22 Series Copper Wound E and A. Closest strings I’ve found to the feel and tone of gut strings. A great match for the Gamut D and G. I’ve tried all of the usual recommendations for E and A strings. I’m done searching. I’m primarily a pizz player, so I can’t provide and useful comments on arco response.
I found that wound gut A's were harder to keep in tune than raw gut ones (I use a Spiro Weich Ext E/C). I don't why or of that was just me.
I barely have to adjust mine day to day and my bass and the strings on them have never had much trouble adjusting to new environments quickly, so not really.
Having the nut and bridge slots really dialed in helps a ton with tuning variations, especially with wound E and A.
[QUOTE="LouisF, post: 27412218, member: 31736"
Why isn't everyone playing guts? The world would be a much better place![/QUOTE]
I know why I’m not playing them. Although I do love the sound of gut strings and was a longtime defender of the faith, I find that they do not mix well in so many situations in which I find myself. For jazz and blues I’m not sure you can get a better sounding or functioning string. But for everything else I find the core sound of steels sits better in a variety of situations. And when it comes to bowing I can get a lot more dynamics out of a steel string, more color, more variety. This, in particular, above thumb position.
Why isn't everyone playing guts? The world would be a much better place!
[/QUOTE]I know why I’m not playing them. Although I do love the sound of gut strings and was a longtime defender of the faith, I find that they do not mix well in so many situations in which I find myself. For jazz and blues I’m not sure you can get a better sounding or functioning string. But for everything else I find the core sound of steels sits better in a variety of situations. And when it comes to bowing I can get a lot more dynamics out of a steel string, more color, more variety. This, in particular, above thumb position.
