Double Bass Identifying old gut strings

[Monkey]

I recently bought a flat-back plywood bass with guts on it that was in pretty rough shape. The seller said he bought it used in 1972 and it had been untouched in a closet for the past 12 years. It had an old set of guts (with a metal G) on it, but the bass was not really playable, due to the bridge being bent to 45 degrees, loose neck, etc. I had a lot of work done to it, including a new bridge, and had a set of Spiro Weichs installed. I really like the sound of the Weichs on this bass.

So, I have these really old and dirty guts and would like to find out what they are. The E and A are roundwound. The E has a loop on the tailpiece end with dark blue/red/dark blue silk, and lighter blue silk on the peg end. The A has green winding on both ends. The D is plain gut. Any idea what kind they may be? I searched, but couldn't find a match.

I bought Lenzner D and G from Bob (all hail) for my 1945 Kay (my first experiment with guts) and am thinking about trying the old E and A. The E and A look really grimy and tarnished, and must be at least 15 years old. Do you think they are worth a try?

 

[Bobby King]

You can try and clean up those old wound guts. Use some silver or metal polish and a cloth, and then afterwards clean the residue off with alcohol. I've brought some nasty old tarnished strings back to life that way.

 

[Monkey]

Thanks, Bobby! Being a gut virgin, I didn't know if silver polish could hurt the gut underneath the windings. I appreciate the advice.

 

[Bobby King]

Well, I don't actually know if could hurt the gut underneath. I wouldn't use a ton of it, and I'd wipe it off right away. I've done this before and it's never seemed to hurt the string. You'll be amazed at the amount of tarnish that can come off!

 

[superman]

Blue and red are prob Sweetones,aka Labella off brand,If the green is dark green with some black they are old labella,,if it's a light green theyr newer Labellas,,I wouldnt worry about tarnish on them,,juat wipethem down,,if ther really grimy use a little windex or some type of cleaner,,just make sure you dry them really good,,dont soak wrapped strings,,the plain string can be sanded with 400 sandpaper,,make it like new,post or send some pics we'll tell you for sure.

 

[Monkey]

Thanks, Superman. I should have uploaded pics to begin with.....

 

[superman]

not sure about the E,,might be euorepean,,the A is a newer Labella,,look like the winding had already "blown" out which is common ,,the D has a made in loop which dates it 30+yrs old,,appears to be fine,,You can take the A and unwind it ,cut all the silk and you will have a useable G

 

[Monkey]

Thanks, Superman! It's amazing that the D is over 30 years old.

I currently have Dominants on my Kay bass. Do you think the Dominant E and A are a good match for plain gut D and G?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[superman]

No they have lots more tenison than the guts,,I would go with Super Silvers,or Velvet Garbos if you didnt want to do gut A&E

 

[Monkey]

I'll check those out. I'm thinking about getting the Lenzner E and A to start out on, even though I've read less-than-great reviews.

By the way, I took your advice and unwound the A string and have what appears to be a beautiful G string! It took me forever to get the dang silk off........

 

[Bobby King]

I'd also advise avoiding the Lenzner E&A. The E in particular. It's usually just a bunch of thud on most basses and may sour you on wound gut. If you want to use wound gut, save up for the good ones (Gamut, Dlugolecki), big difference! Otherwise, +1 on Superman's suggestions -- Garbos, Innovations, or Super Sensitive Sensicores.

 

[Monkey]

I play arco mostly at home, but have never tried arco on guts. Are the Innovations, Garbos and Sensicores decent for arco?

I read somewhere the Dominant solo E and A might be a good match for guts. I love my regular Doms.

 

[Monkey]

I installed my new Lenzner D and G and I love the sound! I've only had them on for a couple of hours, but the combination of Dominant E and A and the guts sound OK so far. I really like the arco sound of the D and G.

Thanks a lot for your guidance, Bobby and Superman!!!