I reached out to LaBella....

[billiard]

And they never replied.
Knowing that they do tape wound strings all types of metal flats, etc..... I asked their R&D if they would make a custom one off set of true gut wrapped in metal like on their upright strings, but for electric bass. I would try it. Would you?

 

[michael_t]

Maybe you should be talking to Thomastik-Infeld about "true gut". They're the one who knows how to make orchestral strings.

 

[JimmyM]

I have no interest. Seems like a big expense just to get a set of muted flats, plus I tried Pirastro Olivs on my upright and hated them.

 

[blastoff]

hmmmm


*(remembers jug of carrot juice in the fridge. wonders what the expiration date is)

 

[Lee Moses]

Maybe you should be talking to Thomastik-Infeld about "true gut". They're the one who knows how to make orchestral strings.

Actually, LaBella does make gut strings for double bass.

Not sure how well that would work with a magnetic pickup, even if wrapped in metal. And you'd probably have to file out your nut to fit them. There's probably a good reason we haven't heard of gut strings for electric bass before.

 

[Albert Henri]

I use Galli Synthesis Flats on my P Bass and my Acoustic Bass... I love them.... but they are expensive here in Australia.

From the Galli website: "

Synthesis Flat Bass Synthetic & Chrome strings are made with a chrome flat wound on a synthetic core. The strings capture both the sensitive tone of synthetic and the sustain of steel. The sound is soft, clear with a stable intonation and they are rich in overtones. With a great touch and without any noise at all, they are ideal for live and recording."​

 

[Dincrest]

What would be the point of such a string? Logically, I see no sense in this, other than it being a very expensive experiment with no payback and doomed to failure.

If I wanted "that" sound, a muted set of GHS Precision Flats will easily get me there.

There's an old saying: Just because you could doesn't mean you should.

 

[Ellery]

No offense, but I think there is a reason they never replied.

 

[ghiggin1079]

That vegetable delight sounds good, with a little sirracha sauce..

 

[klattman]

I’ve got a synthetic string with metal wrap on a short scale piezo bass. They lasted a month. Intonation never settled and they had this hollow sound that was thump and an annoying zing and nothing in between.

I’m sure it would work on some other type of bass but these with piezo were awful.

 

[logdrum]

Maybe you should be talking to Thomastik-Infeld about "true gut". They're the one who knows how to make orchestral strings.

La Bella makes gut strings and also Pirastro among the big players. Thomasktik does not do true animal gut strings for a while now or if they ever did. Been playing upright for 36 years and never heard of a Thomastik gut for DB

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I use Galli Synthesis Flats on my P Bass and my Acoustic Bass... I love them.... but they are expensive here in Australia.

From the Galli website: "

Synthesis Flat Bass Synthetic & Chrome strings are made with a chrome flat wound on a synthetic core. The strings capture both the sensitive tone of synthetic and the sustain of steel. The sound is soft, clear with a stable intonation and they are rich in overtones. With a great touch and without any noise at all, they are ideal for live and recording."​

I've finally gotten around to testing these. So far I love them. Great feel, great tone and they intonate beautifully. The output was louder than I expected from a synthetic core too. They were slightly fiddly to install. The E+A won't fit into the holes in standard Fender-style tuning shafts, so they need to be "tied" around the tuner shafts, kinda like on guitars. Or at least that's what I ended up doing... I would probably have done it like this even if they had fitted into the tuner shafts, because I would be slightly worried about cutting these strings before they're properly installed and under full tension.

But do they ever stabilized properly? Admittedly I'm only slightly past week 1 and they have stabilized a bit, but they still go flat overnight, which kinda makes me worried about their expected life time, like how much they can actually be stretched before they break...? They're quite expensive so I hope they will last a very long time.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

What would be the point of such a string? Logically, I see no sense in this, other than it being a very expensive experiment with no payback and doomed to failure.

If I wanted "that" sound, a muted set of GHS Precision Flats will easily get me there.

There's an old saying: Just because you could doesn't mean you should.

The point would obviously be a different tone/feel than steel core strings. The Galli Synthesis flats referred to above have exactly that.

Thomastik's bronze acoustic bass strings have a nylon core btw, and they sound/feel COMPLETELY different than any other acoustic bass strings I've tried. In fact, they're the only acoustic bass strings I actually like, with a much fuller, softer, more organic tone than "normal" acoustic bass strings. They do feel a bit weird at first, with the strings "rolling" under your fingers like on classical guitars, but once I got used to them I LOVED them.

The Galli Synthetic flats do NOT have this "classical guitar feel" though. They feel more like normal flats, but with noticeably different tone/dynamics.

Non-steel core bass strings isn't something new. They're already out there for anyone who wants to give them a try.

 

[bassboysam]

The Dogal tradditional flats have some nylon/silk under (nickel?). they felt nice but were too dull for me.