Double Bass New Gamut Gut strings

[Marcus Johnson]

When you shell out the bucks for Gamuts, it's good to remember a few things.

First; you are, in my opinion, buying the absolute best gut strings available. They are as different from lower priced guts as are oranges and apples, in my experience.

Second; The unwound top strings appear to have a very long usable life. Mine were well used when Mark gave them to me, and I've played them hard and often for quite some time now. They somehow seem to still be getting better.

Third; the Gamuts wound strings can be rewound a couple of times at the factory, at a cost of $50/string. Mark claims that they're actually better after this process, since the gut core is already all stretched and broken in. So in the long run, they actually may be one of the more economical ways of getting to an elite bass string.

 

[timobee4]

G'day everyone! I thought I'll give a brief update on my Gamut D & G. They are settling down really well after two weeks, I am so happy with them! They project incredibly well little louder than Garbo E & A but I can compensate. Orgasmic natural Mingus sound! I was playing till 6am last night and just can’t get enough of it. I strongly recommend it to everyone. I researched a lot about gut strings and I wouldn't dare knock any other manufacturer or string maker but I can say that if you purchase these strings you WILL be happy! I reckon that they are cheap if you consider that these strings will last for 20 years if you a pizz/arco Jazz man/woman (lets respectfully exclude the string torturing slapping bass percussionists) Beautiful strings great value!

 

[William Hoffman]

...They project incredibly well little louder than Garbo E & A but I can compensate...

i've never played Garbos, but have tried quite a few other strings. what sold me on guts is not just the gut sound, the snap, the feel, but also the fact that guts PROJECT like no other string, even into thumb position. guts continue to project evenly and clearly above the octave, where other strings just fail.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

That's so true. Just faaaat, all the way up. Intoxicating.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Hoo boy. At this time tomorrow, I will be sportin' The Full Gamut.

 

[Mark Perna]

i've never played Garbos, but have tried quite a few other strings. what sold me on guts is not just the gut sound, the snap, the feel, but also the fact that guts PROJECT like no other string, even into thumb position. guts continue to project evenly and clearly above the octave, where other strings just fail.

Garbos (at least the E and A) have a lot of that quality which is why I like them matched with the gut D and G. They have a little more growl than the wound gut and have a little more definition but they are way closer to wound gut in sound, feel and projection than even a hybrid string.

I love the way guts play in thumb position. No thin and whiny as you go up the board. Even amplified.

mark

 

[Mark Perna]

Hoo boy. At this time tomorrow, I will be sportin' The Full Gamut.

Whoo hoo!!! You're going to love the sound. I sure did. I hope you have more luck with tuning stability than I did because I would LOVE to go back to those things but I just can't. You are probably going to notice the sound of your D and G changing a little with the lower (and varying) tension of the E and A.

Going from lower humidity/temp to higher humidity/temp isn't bad as the bass goes flat and you have to tune up which puts more tension on the top and makes the gut strings sound even better. It's when you go from higher humidity/temp to lower humidity/temp and the bass goes sharp and you have to take pressure off the top that things get skanky. The latter problem is what I had to deal with for about 8 months of the year.

mark

 

[Mark Perna]

G'day everyone! I thought I'll give a brief update on my Gamut D & G. They are settling down really well after two weeks, I am so happy with them! They project incredibly well little louder than Garbo E & A but I can compensate. Orgasmic natural Mingus sound! I was playing till 6am last night and just can’t get enough of it. I strongly recommend it to everyone. I researched a lot about gut strings and I wouldn't dare knock any other manufacturer or string maker but I can say that if you purchase these strings you WILL be happy! I reckon that they are cheap if you consider that these strings will last for 20 years if you a pizz/arco Jazz man/woman (lets respectfully exclude the string torturing slapping bass percussionists) Beautiful strings great value!

Unless your Garbos are worn out, you'll probably find that they'll match with the D and G better as the D and G break in. Mine match fabulously well but they've been on for a long time.

 

[TPugh]

Hoo boy. At this time tomorrow, I will be sportin' The Full Gamut.

Very cool Marcus! I'm looking forward to a report.

Thomas

 

[timobee4]

G'day fellas! Little update and report of a string change! The Gamuts are getting better every day sounding ever so sweet! The Garbos are off my bass and replaced with Innovation Super Silver 140SS!!! I read about how they supposed to match gut strings, true every word I have read! These strings are reasonably cheap but remarkably similar to gut strings not just the sound but the gauge as well! Fatter strings! The A string same diameter as the D gut and the E is also fatter than the Garbo E. They were made for each other! Most importantly when I play I hear or feel no difference, it's like playing on a well balanced full set of matching strings. E & A are still getting tighter so in a few days they will fully compliment one another! Cant remember who recommended these strings but I am very pleased Garbos were great too but tighter and different in diameter. Overall Super Silver sounds and feels already better! Looks like Velvets are off the menu. Even on my other bass I am taking the Animas off because I cant bow those strings! Sorry Velvet!

I had to put some extra line to my comment! After couple of hours of playing NOW I AM CONVINCED beyond any doubt that if Gamut D & G was a wife Super Silver is the hubby! These strings are PERFECT MATCH! I had a beautiful silverwound A gut string up until a couple of weeks ago before the winding died and I thought that was a ripper! Replaced it with Garbos not as good, after my Gamuts were installed (after saved from gut hell) I was not so happy with the Garbo combination, I am loving the touch and feel and sound of my strings so much that I am depressed going away for 3 weeks Great Barrier Reef diving expedition leaving my bass with a friend! Nightmare!

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Whoo hoo!!! You're going to love the sound. I sure did. I hope you have more luck with tuning stability than I did because I would LOVE to go back to those things but I just can't. You are probably going to notice the sound of your D and G changing a little with the lower (and varying) tension of the E and A.

Going from lower humidity/temp to higher humidity/temp isn't bad as the bass goes flat and you have to tune up which puts more tension on the top and makes the gut strings sound even better. It's when you go from higher humidity/temp to lower humidity/temp and the bass goes sharp and you have to take pressure off the top that things get skanky. The latter problem is what I had to deal with for about 8 months of the year.

mark

I guess I'm about to find out about that. I suppose I'm in just about the best situation possible for a full Gamut set... the weather really barely changes at all here, year-round. Pretty much gorgeous weather every day! lol

There are lots of bassists in the world of Hawaiian music here who use full gut sets (mostly LaBellas) without problems. I'm pretty sure I'm the only jazz bassist here who uses gut strings.

 

[George700DL]

G'day fellas! Little update and report of a string change! The Gamuts are getting better every day sounding ever so sweet! The Garbos are off my bass and replaced with Innovation Super Silver 140SS!!! I read about how they supposed to match gut strings, true every word I have read! These strings are reasonably cheap but remarkably similar to gut strings not just the sound but the gauge as well! Fatter strings! The A string same diameter as the D gut and the E is also fatter than the Garbo E. They were made for each other! Most importantly when I play I hear or feel no difference, it's like playing on a well balanced full set of matching strings. E & A are still getting tighter so in a few days they will fully compliment one another! Cant remember who recommended these strings but I am very pleased Garbos were great too but tighter and different in diameter. Overall Super Silver sounds and feels already better! Looks like Velvets are off the menu. Even on my other bass I am taking the Animas off because I cant bow those strings! Sorry Velvet!

Just out of curiosity: Can the Super Silvers be bowed? Or do you do pure pizz? I can't remember. Well, anything is bowable actually...

 

[William Hoffman]

I guess I'm about to find out about that. I suppose I'm in just about the best situation possible for a full Gamut set... the weather really barely changes at all here, year-round. Pretty much gorgeous weather every day! lol

There are lots of bassists in the world of Hawaiian music here who use full gut sets (mostly LaBellas) without problems. I'm pretty sure I'm the only jazz bassist here who uses gut strings.

wow, a jazz bassist in gut paradise! not many can say that...

 

[Marcus Johnson]

There's some good jazz bassists here. Mostly Spiro users I reckon. We had a lot of good horn players, but many of them had to pack up when the bigger bands dried up.

The Gamuts will go on today, after I get the girls off to school and attend to a little biz. I cannot wait to fire that baby up.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Hoo boy. At this time tomorrow, I will be sportin' The Full Gamut.

White belt and shoes too?

 

[Marcus Johnson]

White belt and shoes too?

What am I, Paul Warburton?

I've thought a lot about my rationale behind going with the gut thing. It really boils down to a simple fact; all the music that really catches my ear is played on basses with gut strings on them. There are lots of steel/hybrid players that I love, I could go on all day. But the Way The Bass Sounds In My Head is produced on guts. It wasn't always that way for me, and I suppose it could change. I don't think it will, though. My jazz friends mostly think I'm nuts playing gut strings, I think. The Hawaiian guys understand my viewpoint a lot better, it seems. All I know is, I can't wait to go to work every night since I made the switch.

 

[martinc]

What am I, Paul Warburton?

I've thought a lot about my rationale behind going with the gut thing. It really boils down to a simple fact; all the music that really catches my ear is played on basses with gut strings on them. There are lots of steel/hybrid players that I love, I could go on all day. But the Way The Bass Sounds In My Head is produced on guts. It wasn't always that way for me, and I suppose it could change. I don't think it will, though. My jazz friends mostly think I'm nuts playing gut strings, I think. The Hawaiian guys understand my viewpoint a lot better, it seems. All I know is, I can't wait to go to work every night since I made the switch.

Marcus:

I'm with you on this. Every time I pick up my bass I want to sound like the wonderful Bob Moore.
Guts, punchy, authoritative and very musical. Can't be that way without the guts.
I don't have his old Italian bass with guts but I come damn close with my Eberle and now my Anima's.
Now......if only I had half his musicality and chops.

 

[Bobby King]

The gut sound is what drew me to upright as well. In jazz it was Paul Chambers, Oscar Pettiford, Doug Watkins. In country, Bob Moore, Roy Huskey and Dennis Crouch. Also, your typical pop record, Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, etc. from the 50's and 60's would usually have a bassist using gut, and I always loved that sound.

I've grown to appreciate steel as well, and there are many advantages to using them. I like the sound of players like John Clayton, Christian McBride or John Pattituci. And let's take the case of Ray Brown. He switched from gut to steel in the early 60's, but his sound didn't really change. I've heard bluegrass players (quite a few actually) who use Spiro Mittels and sound as bluegrassy as the next guy. So this says something about the sound coming from the player, and that's not just a cliche.

I do love me some gut strings though, and my new Gamut Pistoys rock!

Not a lot of others on TB seem to use them (a few here in Nashville do) but I like Super Sensitive Sensicores. They're sort of like in-between Obligato and Evah, but more durable, not too whiney, but not too dead either. They bow OK. Next to those I like Velvets. Some of those Innovations aren't bad, I think my favorite was the black ones. The Super Silvers were OK, I don't think they bow very well though. Pirastro Pizzicato was my favorite wound gut -- brighter than Olive/Eudoxa, smoother finish and better definition than roundwound gut. They are very expensive though, and have the usual tuning issues of wound gut. Dennis Crouch (since Roy Huskey died) is probably the preeminant guy carrying the Bob Moore torch these days. He uses Gamuts and Pizzicatos. Real gut on the bottom is not so important to me, but if any of you want to give some away, I'll take them!

 

[William Hoffman]

...I do love me some gut strings though, and my new Gamut Pistoys rock! ...Not a lot of others on TB seem to use them (a few here in Nashville do) but I like Super Sensitive Sensicores. They're sort of like in-between Obligato and Evah, but more durable, not too whiney, but not too dead either. They bow OK. Next to those I like Velvets. Some of those Innovations aren't bad, I think my favorite was the black ones. The Super Silvers were OK, I don't think they bow very well though. Pirastro Pizzicato was my favorite wound gut -- brighter than Olive/Eudoxa, smoother finish and better definition than roundwound gut. They are very expensive though, and have the usual tuning issues of wound gut. Dennis Crouch (since Roy Huskey died) is probably the preeminant guy carrying the Bob Moore torch these days. He uses Gamuts and Pizzicatos. Real gut on the bottom is not so important to me, but if any of you want to give some away, I'll take them!

gee, Bobby, sounds like you've already got a full drawer of extra strings!

...The Gamuts will go on today, after I get the girls off to school and attend to a little biz. I cannot wait to fire that baby up.

 

[Bobby King]

gee, Bobby, sounds like you've already got a full drawer of extra strings!

Hey wiseguy, not as many as you think! See, I usually sell them, and then later wish I hadn't But I try to fund new purchases by selling old purchases, losing $$ as I go!