Double Bass GUTS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!

[groooooove]

i'm loving the guts on my viola da gamba more and more lately.

i would've tried guts on my bass already if i could figure out what to buy.

I need a real hybrid for orchestra and jazz playing.

between the cost, need to mod the nut/bridge slots, and uncertainty of which string to buy, i've just stuck with the tempera hybrids.

quick/modern string bow response with good pizz sustain seems possible with certain guts but i can never tell which.

P.S. has anyone used a gimped bass string? where the wire is wrapped inside the gut to give a barber-pole like appearance? My viol teacher uses this C string (between plain and wrapped gut) and it works nicely. I know gamut has made them before but i doubt very many of them.

 

[LouisF]

I recommend starting with Gotz strings; they got me through my first 3 or 4 years of orchestral playing (as Principal in one orchestra) before I moved on to hand made Italian strings

 

[groooooove]

I recommend starting with Gotz strings; they got me through my first 3 or 4 years of orchestral playing (as Principal in one orchestra) before I moved on to hand made Italian strings

i always sort of assumed i'd buy from gamut... not really sure why? they seem to have a good reputation - though the D1 string for my viol did break out of nowhere after only a few weeks use.

looking into gotz now.

for folks with wolf-heavy basses, does a gut setup seem to effect that for better or worse?

edit: looks like gotz is only available via thomann, is that correct? looks like the gagues more or less match what other makers do, and a full set comes to around $320.

could be nice to try..

 

[LouisF]

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=gotz+bass+strings

 

[Fat bob]

Has anyone here stuck with their pistoy D, lyon G?? been thinking often about going back to Gut D &G and have played these before. I didn’t even know how good the d was until I tried other gut D’s, wish I hadn’t sold them. Was the tuning really that bad? Was the feel as good as I remember? I had them on my bass during covid and played a good deal outside, I can’t remember a better string for walking. Also playing tempera hybrids now

 

[AGCurry]

Has anyone here stuck with their pistoy D, lyon G?? been thinking often about going back to Gut D &G and have played these before. I didn’t even know how good the d was until I tried other gut D’s, wish I hadn’t sold them. Was the tuning really that bad? Was the feel as good as I remember? I had them on my bass during covid and played a good deal outside, I can’t remember a better string for walking. Also playing tempera hybrids now

Yes, but mine, on the bass I use in jazz band, are both Pistoy. They keep their tune very well!

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

That’s been my experience as well. It takes a long time for them to fully stretch and settle, but after that the tuning issues are minimal.
I currently have Tempera Hybrids with a Gamut Lyon G. My bass was in the back of my covered pickup truck for about 2 hours last night during a snowstorm, due to a long drive. I then let it acclimate in the venue for about an hour before checking the tuning. The gut G was still in tune, and barely moved during the gig.

 

[Fat bob]

That’s been my experience as well. It takes a long time for them to fully stretch and settle, but after that the tuning issues are minimal.
I currently have Tempera Hybrids with a Gamut Lyon G. My bass was in the back of my covered pickup truck for about 2 hours last night during a snowstorm, due to a long drive. I then let it acclimate in the venue for about an hour before checking the tuning. The gut G was still in tune, and barely moved during the gig.

This sounds like a great set up; temperas and gut G. Just the best part of gut, not dealing w D issues…

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

Yeah, I like the fatness of the gut G better than the steel Tempera G.

 

[groooooove]

aside from pirastro, is anyone aware of a gut high C string?

I was hoping to get into Bozo Paradzik's cello sonata transcriptions, but they require A D G C tuning.

i would've liked a raw gut / would mixed set, but gamut insisted to me this is beyond the natural limitations of gut, at least for my 41.25" string length.

interestingly, after a little calculations, gamut said i'd need a string length around 32" or so for their strings to be able to produce a high C.

anyone have some ideas?

transposing the piano part for a beethoven cello sonata is just... not an option.

 

[JBarz]

My dude, I’m rocking a plain gut high E string on 3 42” scale basses — high C is definitely not asking too much. I would contact Damian Dlugulecki. He’s a wizard with getting you the right gauge for the pitch you’re looking for. Gamut will custom make you anything you need, so I think their statement is more to protect them against liability if you wind the string up too fast and it breaks for some reason.

 

[JBarz]

I bet this would do the business for high C plain gut

Lyon Gut 1.90mm

String Length: Standard-Length, 48"/120cm String Type: Lyon Gut String Material: Beef Gut String Options: Varnish Tuning Designation: Any The Lyon-style of gut string is a high twist, single spin construction that offers a tone that is full and warm with a powerful fundamental and complex...

shop.gamutmusic.com

 

[groooooove]

My dude, I’m rocking a plain gut high E string on 3 42” scale basses — high C is definitely not asking too much. I would contact Damian Dlugulecki. He’s a wizard with getting you the right gauge for the pitch you’re looking for. Gamut will custom make you anything you need, so I think their statement is more to protect them against liability if you wind the string up too fast and it breaks for some reason.

I emailed damian quite a while ago asking if he can make a set for bass, and he said he'll let me know when that's possible. wonder if he lost my email or it's just a long waiting list. he's good friends i believe with the luthier who made my bass, i may try and get in touch.

Yes, i felt really confused, although the gentleman i spoke to at gamut seemed to know what he was saying. he insisted that such a thing was impossible and if they made the string it would break within maybe 20-30 minutes.

seems weird to me. perhaps he typed something wrong into their calculator ? I don't know. I also know there are historical records of A D G C solo tuning in the olden days, so... if gut can't do it... how'd they do it in the days of gut-only?

I bet this would do the business for high C plain gut

Lyon Gut 1.90mm

String Length: Standard-Length, 48"/120cm String Type: Lyon Gut String Material: Beef Gut String Options: Varnish Tuning Designation: Any The Lyon-style of gut string is a high twist, single spin construction that offers a tone that is full and warm with a powerful fundamental and complex...

shop.gamutmusic.com

I'll look into it. thanks folks!!

 

[groooooove]

I bet this would do the business for high C plain gut

Lyon Gut 1.90mm

String Length: Standard-Length, 48"/120cm String Type: Lyon Gut String Material: Beef Gut String Options: Varnish Tuning Designation: Any The Lyon-style of gut string is a high twist, single spin construction that offers a tone that is full and warm with a powerful fundamental and complex...

shop.gamutmusic.com

going off of their standard set, i calculated they from D to G the gauge is 72-72% of the previous string's thickness. so assuming this is at all logical (idk i'm just a man with a calculator), should a high C be closer to 1.55 or so ?

wonder if the length (48") is enough. seems like it should be fine. i'll have to check.

if anyone else can let me know what a nice "medium" tension raw gut thickness would be, specifically if i wish to match it to gamut's set, i'm open to anything.

would love the opportunity to order a set from damian, but i'm sure replacing it would be difficult in the future should i want/need to

 

[JBarz]

going off of their standard set, i calculated they from D to G the gauge is 72-72% of the previous string's thickness. so assuming this is at all logical (idk i'm just a man with a calculator), should a high C be closer to 1.55 or so ?

wonder if the length (48") is enough. seems like it should be fine. i'll have to check.

if anyone else can let me know what a nice "medium" tension raw gut thickness would be, specifically if i wish to match it to gamut's set, i'm open to anything.

would love the opportunity to order a set from damian, but i'm sure replacing it would be difficult in the future should i want/need to

My high E is 1.5mm, so i think you’re off on your calculations. My high A is 2mm if that helps the math …?

Gamut’ll make you anything you want, just let them know the gauge and length you’re thinking and let them know you accept liability if the string craps out. When tuning it up, do it slowly by hand and you’ll have no problems .

 

[coldtrain]

would love the opportunity to order a set from damian, but i'm sure replacing it would be difficult in the future should i want/need to

Lenzner makes a high C string. I've been really impressed with their quality recently, they are not the same Lenzners that I bought 15 yrs ago. I've played Dlugolecki, Gamut, and Baldock, and they replaced all of those. YMMV.

 

[LouisF]

+1 on Lenzner!

 

[groooooove]

Lenzner makes a high C string. I've been really impressed with their quality recently, they are not the same Lenzners that I bought 15 yrs ago. I've played Dlugolecki, Gamut, and Baldock, and they replaced all of those. YMMV.

looks like they not only make one, but it's readily available.

ideally, i could buy a gut set (i want to anyway) that offers a C and swap the tuning when i need. does the lenzner serve well for both orchestra and jazz playing? i always need a "real" hybrid string. seems like this would work fine for me.

and if anyone else can chime in with thoughts on what gague C to order if i were to match a gamut set, i'm interested in hearing it.

 

[coldtrain]

does the lenzner serve well for both orchestra and jazz playing? i always need a "real" hybrid string. seems like this would work fine for me.

Gut is the original "do it all" string!

For me it comes down to the low strings, and the question of wrapped or plain. For pure arco I love all plain, but it can get really thuddy on the E for pizz. Just a matter of taste. Although the wrapped Lenzners are very high quality I feel that the wrap kills the qualities that make gut great under the bow. But the plain A works well for me for pizz and for arco, it's amazing.

Also, last year I ordered a Gamut high C Lyon, and they recommended to purchase it from the site as a Violone d-1 Lyon and specify 1.44mm for the gauge in the order comments. This was for the 41 1/4" mensure of my bass. I haven't played a recent Lenzner high C but I'm willing to bet it's warmer under the bow than the Gamut will be.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I have two high C strings from Efrano. They are higher tension than the medium Elite set but would fit tensionwise to Spirocore Mittel 4/4.

I think you forgot that the DB is a transposing instrument (one octave below the written tone) and specified the string one octave higher than you meant.
You might have it made clearer if you have said a perfect fourth above the standard DB tuning G.
A gut high C one octave above on a standard DB with a similar tension to the standard G would indeed be impossible and extremely thin.

I was anxious that a high C might break as easily as my high string at the viola da gamba, but that is not the case.
But widen (not deepen) the nut and bridge slots and smooth and round any edges, specially the pegbox side of the nut, but also the bridge slots.