Double Bass replace solid tailgut with stranded: what was your experience?

[fovea1959]

I'm trying to wring some more sound quality out of my 1996 Engelhardt M-1; I use it for jazz.

One suggestion I've had (from an Engelhardt owner that has apparently had a few of them) is to replace the current solid wire tailgut with stranded.

Has anyone here actually done this, and what was your experience?

 

[Andrew McGregor]

Not on an Englehardt, but I did that on my bass (a 1960s German carved instrument). It's a pretty substantial playability improvement, but doesn't necessarily do all that much to the sound. I guess you could describe it as an 'opening out' of the sound. The real win is that the instrument gets easier to play; the solid tailwires are much too stiff, and you feel that while playing. Stranded stainless is really floppy by comparison, so the strings feel softer.

That's pretty much what most people report. Also, tailwire failures are no fun, and the stranded ones are far stronger.

 

[moles]

When I got my first ply - it had the solid tailpiece wire. I got a lot better sounding after I replaced it with flexible aircraft cable.
I don't know anything about it making the strings feel softer - that certainly wasn't my experience; or at least it wasn't noticeable.
It is reasonable to think that the elasticity of it, compared to the solid wire coat-hanger stuff, keeps the tension on the top more constant through the cycles of string vibrations....

....then again, it's late, and I've had a lot of soda tonight....

 

[fovea1959]

I did some more homework, and that's been the pretty consistent feedback in some of the other threads on other subjects.

I'll probably get it done in the next couple months; we'll see.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[MostlyBass]

I would replace the tailpiece too in one shot with a Marvin tailpiece. Google it. Money well spent.