Double Bass No more guts?

[tito mangialajo]

Hello everybody,
can you suggest some strings (set or mix) that fell similar to gut strings, in sound, tension and feeling?
I play gut strings since 8 years, I play and love Gamut (G, A and E Lyon medium; D Pistoy light), but maybe now I want to return to steel or steel/synthetic or whatever for some reasons (budget is a reason...). I don't like the sound, stifness and gauge of Thomastik Spiro, for example. So I need a string far from Spiros and next to gut. It's possible?
Any suggetsion?

 

[Sam Dingle]

Lots of the former gut players in NOLA now play Evah Weich strings.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Lots of options. There are a set of Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Slaps for sale in the classifieds for $100. Beyond that, there are Rotos, Innovations, Cordes Lambert and countless others.

 

[krfoss]

+1 for the evahs slaps.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Evah slaps if you want what is in my opinion the best "synthetic gut" (although I've never played a gut E). Evah weich if you want a step closer to a steel string

 

[tito mangialajo]

Evah slaps if you want what is in my opinion the best "synthetic gut" (although I've never played a gut E). Evah weich if you want a step closer to a steel string

Evah weich; do you mean these strings? Invalid Link Removed

 

[Clarkybass]

These are Evah Pirazzi strings. They come in 3 formats, Solo, Regular and Weich. Invalid Link Removed

This is what they sound like

I suspect Evah Slaps would be better for someone who is a long time user of guts

 

[Simon Toth]

I haven't used gut but on my personal bass but I have tried them. IMHO gut is really its own thing. I would try synthetic like EP slaps (will give them a try personally) or weich EP (these ones too). I love sprio, I use superflexibles now, and I need something to bow on, so EP will be my choice. I wanted to try gut but I don't like the idea of a string changing with humidity and stuff like that.

 

[LouisF]

I'm in a minority here but Supersensitive Sensicores are worth a look; also (for bowing only) Jargars

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Not to pile on you, Louis, but Jargars struck me as devoid of character. Guts have a certain earthy breathiness that I just love on the right bass. They’re also a pain in the neck.

 

[LouisF]

Pile away: two stories:

1) Last year I was the only bass on a very nice church concert of the Mozart Requiem. I use Andrea Spada's new bass with Jargar Dolces. The choir conductor came up to and said that it was the most lyrical bass he had heard (nothing to do with my playing; just the tone of the strings)

2) Six or seven years ago (before my surgery) I was doing a chamber concert with my 7/8th Giomenti bass, strung with Jargar Fortes (how the mighty have fallen; those would kill me now). The 70-something flute player near me turns and says, "what a wonderful bass - I haven't felt such strong vibrations since my husband died!"

Louis

 

[tyb507]

My main bass is strung with Gamut Pistoy G/D and EP "Slap" A/E, but I also really like the Evah Pirazzi Weichs. I have them on my 1860ish German flat back that I mostly use for bowing, though I gigged on it playing country, bluegrass, gypsy jazz etc and loved the EPs for that, too. I'm thinking of trying a solo set on that bass for bowing and I'm curious how they'll feel dropped a step to regular pitch. The EPs come up for sale used from time to time, I've snagged a few sets used and I like them when they're kind of dead sounding!

 

[LouisF]

John Feeney (ACO) on guts:

Invalid Link Removed