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Double Bass New Gamut Gut strings

#121
Dear Marcus & Mark:

Since you were the inspiration for my original move, I figured I'd throw out an update.

I am getting ready to try another string experiment. I have the Lyon G and Pistoy D, plain guts, along with the EP Weichs on E&A strung at the moment.

I enjoy the plain guts, and they felt/sounded like butter when I played a student recital of Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers repertoire this summer.

I am exchanging some strings I acquired from Quinn Violins previously (unused, unopened- Set of EP Weichs, and E&A Eudoxa), to Oliv G&D for the enjoyment of Arco, and slight bit more attack versus bloom over the Gamuts, and putting the Velvet Animas on E&A.

I prefer lower string tension, and the EP Weichs actually felt very stiff to me.

I'm hanging on to the plain guts though. I also have a back up Lyon G and Pistoy D in addition to the ones presently strung on my bass just in case. I am not sure how long I am able to store these without adversely affecting the string.

I'll put on the Animas (E&A) first and try them with the Gamuts. However, I am resolved to throw the Oliv's on shortly thereafter to get through this semester of ensemble performances.

I am still a novice player, at the moment, when it comes to Double Bass, in my estimation.

Right now, I don't have a voice on my instrument. So I am trying to pay attention to different personas through my studies (Paul Chambers, Jymie Merritt, Reggie Workman [Jazz Messenger/Wayne Shorter material], Larry Grenadier, John Patitucci).

The Gamuts have been fun to play while learning P.C. solos and playing 50's/60's Hard Bop. I love the warmth of gut, but also desire a little more attack for some of the "modern" repertoire being introduced in my ensembles.

That's it. I've been enjoying lurking.
 
#123
drew_bassmore said:
Dear Marcus & Mark:

Since you were the inspiration for my original move, I figured I'd throw out an update.

I am getting ready to try another string experiment. I have the Lyon G and Pistoy D, plain guts, along with the EP Weichs on E&A strung at the moment.

I enjoy the plain guts, and they felt/sounded like butter when I played a student recital of Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers repertoire this summer.

I am exchanging some strings I acquired from Quinn Violins previously (unused, unopened- Set of EP Weichs, and E&A Eudoxa), to Oliv G&D for the enjoyment of Arco, and slight bit more attack versus bloom over the Gamuts, and putting the Velvet Animas on E&A.

I prefer lower string tension, and the EP Weichs actually felt very stiff to me.

I'm hanging on to the plain guts though. I also have a back up Lyon G and Pistoy D in addition to the ones presently strung on my bass just in case. I am not sure how long I am able to store these without adversely affecting the string.

I'll put on the Animas (E&A) first and try them with the Gamuts. However, I am resolved to throw the Oliv's on shortly thereafter to get through this semester of ensemble performances.

I am still a novice player, at the moment, when it comes to Double Bass, in my estimation.

Right now, I don't have a voice on my instrument. So I am trying to pay attention to different personas through my studies (Paul Chambers, Jymie Merritt, Reggie Workman [Jazz Messenger/Wayne Shorter material], Larry Grenadier, John Patitucci).

The Gamuts have been fun to play while learning P.C. solos and playing 50's/60's Hard Bop. I love the warmth of gut, but also desire a little more attack for some of the "modern" repertoire being introduced in my ensembles.

That's it. I've been enjoying lurking.
Click to expand...

I tried guts 3 times in the past and always went back to Spiros. Only this last time did it take. Put the strings back in their original sleeves (if you still have them) and store them someplace where they won't get too dry or too wet and they should last years if not decades. You have decades ahead of you to experiment. You'll find the right combination for you eventually. It might even include those Gamuts.

mark
 
#125
I get the jones to go back once in awhile and really to go all the way on a bass. Lately I've been doing gigs with just an acoustic guitar and two chick singers where I don't use an amp at all. Starts me thinking about that Gut thing again.
 
#126
Marcus Johnson said:
Boy, that's the opposite of my experience. I drank the Gut Flavored Kool-Aid in the first ten minutes, and I haven't looked back since.
Click to expand...

The first time I tried gut was not long after I started playing upright. I put a set of Chordas on. I loved walking lines but I had a really hard time doing anything else with them. And I still had too much electric in my playing back then. It was really hard to lose the Spiro mids. I didn't know what to do with myself. None of my patterns worked, I got frustrated and so I went back to Spiros. I tried it again a number of years ago with Gamuts and liked it better but still I lost too much of my "stuff". I loved playing them in my room but I was too hamstrung by them when playing with other people. I tried it again a year or two after that but didn't stick with it. Finally, a year ago in March, I made the commitment to them. This was after listening to nothing but Scott LaFaro for several months and coming to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be able to get anything even remotely like that sound with steel strings. I had to go to gut.

I was very aware that I was going to lose a lot of my steel licks and patterns but I knew I would develop new ones with gut and I just worked through the transition period. There were some rough gigs during that transition but I'm gut for good I think. I listen to guys like Dave Holland and sometimes want to be able to get THAT sound again but it usually passes quickly. I have my Kolstein Travel bass still strung with Spiros and it can be fun to play once in a while and I get all of my steel tricks back but overall it is less fulfilling for me. There is feeling I get in my belly when playing gut that isn't there with steel strings.

mark
 
#127
That's how it is for me. I really enjoy Spiro players like Dave... and Drew Gress just kills me.... but I leave it at that, just admiration from a distance. I could play Spiros now if I had to, but it's just not how I hear my own sound anymore. Not to mention the feel of guts, which is really what I crave.
 
#128
Marcus Johnson said:
...I just can't keep my hands off of the damn Gamuts. I'm like the little lab monkey with the cocaine button. More, please.
Click to expand...

heheh, glad we got you practicing there, Marcus! i knew they were going to a good home where they would be appreciated. it's great to hear you are enjoying them so much!

Marcus Johnson said:
Yes, they're the coppers. At the moment, every string on my bass was well used, and then gifted to me, by either Mark Perna or Bill Hoffman before I put them on. It's easily the best set of strings I've ever played. Just unbelievably good, all over the bass. I now want to see how long I love this set of strings, because the way that they found their way onto my bass was pretty special.
Click to expand...

just for the record, those Gamut medium copper wound E and A were on my bass from October '08 until March this year, for a total of 18 months. still holding out, i see. Marcus please do let us know if and when anything happens like a winding coming undone. this is truly an experiment for us all! i think you are playing the longest-used set of Gamuts known to TB.

i've never played the silver, but the copper wound Gamuts when new have a brighter kind of sound which fades over time and they soon sound closer to but not exactly like plain gut. in March i was curious about the bigger gauges and got the "heavy" E and A to see if the additional tension would produce more volume. it does, at least on my bass.

in a recent conversation with Dan he told me that the wound strings can suffer from seasonal changes and some players tend to have them re-wound after one winter. something to do with the lining between the gut and the winding being damaged by the weather fluctuations. but the ones i sent you had been through two winters in Switzerland (which is albeit pretty mild compared to the East or Midwest of the US) and i also humidify during winter.
 
#129
William Hoffman said:
just for the record, those Gamut medium copper wound E and A were on my bass from October '08 until March this year, for a total of 18 months. still holding out, i see.
Click to expand...

That just kind of blows me away. I de-oxidized them a little, and then threw 'em on. They're just huge on my bass. They have more growl than I could have ever imagined from a gut string, and the pitches are true and clear all the way up the fingerboard. I've had new strings that didn't have as much life and presence as these 18 month old Gamuts. I don't know if this is a particularly good set, or if my bass just loves these strings... but they are just really happening.
 
#131
Uncletoad said:
I get the jones to go back once in awhile and really to go all the way on a bass. Lately I've been doing gigs with just an acoustic guitar and two chick singers where I don't use an amp at all. Starts me thinking about that Gut thing again.
Click to expand...

Toad, You just need to get you another Cleveland ply and keep IT strung with guts.

I know you don't want to constantly mess with the Queen, especially if she has settled to the current setup. Wimmins is like that.

You just need a third bass. Sort of like having 3 coffee tables in the same living room, ain't it? I'm just glad we've got a basement.
 
#132
Hi everybody!

I just recieved my full set of Gamuts today!! I am so exited to try these strings! I have been following all the threads about guts for a while!!

I just have a question about installation for those of you who have the Gamut strings on your basses!

At the tailpiece do you install them like velvets (so that the strings is secured to the tailpiece by stringing it through the loop at the end of the string, or do you use the knot at the end of the string as the ball end like on pirastro strings?

Hope that I have made myself clear?!

And thanks to everybody who made this thread very enjoyable reading!!! :hyper:

All the best,

Jesper
 
#133
jesperthorn said:
Hi everybody!

I just recieved my full set of Gamuts today!! I am so exited to try these strings! I have been following all the threads about guts for a while!!

I just have a question about installation for those of you who have the Gamut strings on your basses!

At the tailpiece do you install them like velvets (so that the strings is secured to the tailpiece by stringing it through the loop at the end of the string, or do you use the knot at the end of the string as the ball end like on pirastro strings?

Hope that I have made myself clear?!

And thanks to everybody who made this thread very enjoyable reading!!! :hyper:

All the best,

Jesper
Click to expand...

You install them the same way as Velvets although when I first got Gamuts 87 years ago, in my ignorance, I installed them using the knot like the ball end of a Spiro. Worked fine but there is a much great chance that the knot will pull through so using the looping method is preferable.. Congrats and enjoy!

mark
 
#134
Jesper, I had that same thought a week ago. But I installed the Garbos first, and a light came on. Can't wait to hear what you think, but I am reserving judgement for a while as a different technique and everything else is required. The Pistoy G is a keeper, the stretching issue is a small pain, and I understand why some try several times, or go back to steels.
 
#135
Thank you guys!!

I will install the strings tomorrow, and report back with my findings!!

I have been on the slow move toward the real thing (guts) for quite some time! My bass is currently (until tomorrow that is) sporting Evah's on E and A and Olivs on D & G!

I am really looking forward to trying the full Gamut set (Pistoy D & G and copperwound E & A) on my bass!!

Thanks again!!

Jesper
 
#138
calivox said:
You install them the same way as Velvets although when I first got Gamuts 87 years ago, in my ignorance, I installed them using the knot like the ball end of a Spiro. Worked fine but there is a much great chance that the knot will pull through so using the looping method is preferable.. Congrats and enjoy!

mark
Click to expand...

please don't say you were ignorant to do that 87 years ago. you were young...

but seriously, i've always just used the knot as an end ball. when asked, Dan Larson said that's what the knot is for. the strings have always held, and never once pulled through. where did you get the revelation that there is a "great chance" that they'll pull through? i've been livin' recklessly! :eek:
 
#139
I've got a maintanance question. My strings are 2 weeks old and the G is sprouting quite a few hairs already. The D is fine. Has that happened to anyone else? I trim them but they seem to keep coming back. I'm a litle leary of using sandpaper. Is this normal? Does it stop?
 
#140
William Hoffman said:
please don't say you were ignorant to do that 87 years ago. you were young...

but seriously, i've always just used the knot as an end ball. when asked, Dan Larson said that's what the knot is for. the strings have always held, and never once pulled through. where did you get the revelation that there is a "great chance" that they'll pull through? i've been livin' recklessly! :eek:
Click to expand...

That's how I do 'em too. I guess it depends on the slots in your tailpiece... works fine on my bass.
 

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