I'm sorry to report that I just had my third Tempera string break - this time an A string, in the pegbox, almost spontaneously. Sorry, but three strikes and ... you know. These are great strings to play, but I'm going all-Gamut now on this bass.
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Double Bass So Gerold’s cooking up something new...
- Thread starter Kaspar Vadsholt
- Start date
Hi Pete! Sounds great! Are these the "regulars" or the hybrids? How would you compare them to your Helix set?
Thanks!
Sorry to hearHow old was your set? Were all the three from the same set? Were they the updated set?
IME they seem to be very well made...
Actually, it's been FOUR failures ... I forgot one.
I got my first set late August 2021; I think that set was probably the "original" formulation. Here's a picture of that broken E string, and notice that the A string next to it shows signs of impending failure (which did come to pass):
In May, Jan-Ole sold me a new set, throwing in a free E string replacing the one that broke.
I bought a used set from the classifieds here.
Here's a picture of the two strings that have broken since then:
The only other strings that have EVER failed for me were Eudoxa E and A, whose windings unraveled, and Lenzner E and A, which broke due to my newbie ignorance about preparing the bridge and nut slots.
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Hey guys….I have had these on my bass for a few months now….I love them…i just took a short little video right now so I hope you guys can hear them…Let me know if you have any questions … I apologize in advance for not having warmed up
Thanks for this, sounds fantastic! Both playing and strings ;-)
@AGCurry I have 2 sets, one of them was used extremely intensively and nothing happened. But a friend had a broken string once in the beginning with the old formula. Apparently the new strings don't have that issue any longer.
I've got one of the first sets (seems to be an "old one") and it works for now 2 years without any problems....Sorry to hear
IME they seem to be very well made...
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Thanks for the pics! I have no signs of wear like yours on my new formula set ("regular" basso orchestra) which has been in hard hybrid use about nine months now.
Does all Gamut mean "gut" to replace Tempera? And for jazz pizz? I liked the Tempera but they did not work for me for orchestra section bass. And does that also mean Gamut amplified with a combo setting? I'm 2 weeks into Zyex medium and am happy in the practice room but have yet to play them with the combo. Thanks AG for any comments!
Yes, all gut, on my "orchestra bass." For most of the year it's had Tempera E and A, with Oliv D and G. This week I've replaced all but the E string with Gamut guts, and I'm waiting on an E from Gamut.
In the orchestra? What am I thinking?!
Well, I'm a risk taker. A few months ago, I played an orchestra concert with my other bass, with all guts, and you know what? It was fine... or at least, no worse than using metal strings! The only concession I made to the dreaded tuning instability was to leave the bass at the venue the night before.
And I played a trio gig (pizz only, unamplified) Sunday night, with that same bass - all guts - and it was fine too, even when getting to the venue 20 minutes before downbeat, in cold temps.
I have found no other strings that give so much sound with so little effort. Yeah, it's a different sound, but I've gotten used to it, and I can do at least as much with the guts as with any other string I've tried (that's quite a few).
I still think Temperas are wonderful strings ... I just like guts better. YMMV.
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I also can't say enough good things about Gamut strings. They don't make a high c 5 string set so I've had to look else where but the Gamut strings are everything you could ask for in a gut set. After much a-do I've got my new bass strung with Gesslers helix string which seem great but I love how easy it is to work with the people at Gamut. It's always nice when you get someone on the phone easily to ask questions etc. The ability to rewind the e and a string is also a perk.
Andy,
Welcome to the orchestral gut world! I've even (after 3 years) started to convince my colleagues to try it. Back to the future!!
Welcome to the orchestral gut world! I've even (after 3 years) started to convince my colleagues to try it. Back to the future!!
finally found a pre-owned set of tempera. these are "hybrids," that are not listed on the website but apparently you can just ask for them.
in some ways i'm not sure if they'll be on my bass indefinitely, and in other ways i'm thinking these truly are the strings of the future.
the low-tension stuff i've read Bozo Paradzik discuss (his instagram in particular) is not hype. it's very logical and obvious. with something like 50% the tension of my other strings, these 100% let the bass vibrate in a more natural way. you can feel it. it's very cool.
the low register in particular is magnificent. quick (exceptional) bow response. huge bottom end. I think low tension has a lot to do with this.
the sound is very interesting. not nearly as bright as i had expected - but not 'dark' either. pizz, they really do sound almost like a 50/50 mix between the good traits of both evah and spiro weich. clarity and character but gut-like full bass frequencies. They feel different under the hand, but i got used to it in maybe 10 minutes.
here's the exciting part: dynamics.
i've tried all the strings. (well, never played genssler..) I have never played a string that is so wide in its range. the softest sound can still be articulated beautifully. the most extreme FFF volume will not have any harshness (as is the problem sometimes with spirocores.) It's almost like if i can physically push more, the string will give me more. amazing.
I think my bass, the strings, and i need more time to play around. but one thing is for sure, they are worth the money. i can see a clear argument for calling them "superior" plain and simple. (understanding that even so, some may prefer the other widely available options for many reasons..)
last question - what exactly do we know about the construction of the string? I originally thought they were gut. I'd heard at one point something about silk core. the website calls them "synthetic with a few secrets." what synthetic material? is there silk in here? other organic material? are these a similar core material to dominant, evah pirazzi, and so on - and just constructed differently? anyone know? anyone have guesses?
last week I recorded a few bach chorales on my bass with spirocores. I think it would be fun to do another, after the strings have settled, and post the two for comparison purposes. Iphone audio unfortunately, but a helpful idea for those looking for an a/b comparison nonetheless.
in some ways i'm not sure if they'll be on my bass indefinitely, and in other ways i'm thinking these truly are the strings of the future.
the low-tension stuff i've read Bozo Paradzik discuss (his instagram in particular) is not hype. it's very logical and obvious. with something like 50% the tension of my other strings, these 100% let the bass vibrate in a more natural way. you can feel it. it's very cool.
the low register in particular is magnificent. quick (exceptional) bow response. huge bottom end. I think low tension has a lot to do with this.
the sound is very interesting. not nearly as bright as i had expected - but not 'dark' either. pizz, they really do sound almost like a 50/50 mix between the good traits of both evah and spiro weich. clarity and character but gut-like full bass frequencies. They feel different under the hand, but i got used to it in maybe 10 minutes.
here's the exciting part: dynamics.
i've tried all the strings. (well, never played genssler..) I have never played a string that is so wide in its range. the softest sound can still be articulated beautifully. the most extreme FFF volume will not have any harshness (as is the problem sometimes with spirocores.) It's almost like if i can physically push more, the string will give me more. amazing.
I think my bass, the strings, and i need more time to play around. but one thing is for sure, they are worth the money. i can see a clear argument for calling them "superior" plain and simple. (understanding that even so, some may prefer the other widely available options for many reasons..)
last question - what exactly do we know about the construction of the string? I originally thought they were gut. I'd heard at one point something about silk core. the website calls them "synthetic with a few secrets." what synthetic material? is there silk in here? other organic material? are these a similar core material to dominant, evah pirazzi, and so on - and just constructed differently? anyone know? anyone have guesses?
last week I recorded a few bach chorales on my bass with spirocores. I think it would be fun to do another, after the strings have settled, and post the two for comparison purposes. Iphone audio unfortunately, but a helpful idea for those looking for an a/b comparison nonetheless.
Is the wait time still very long for Tempera strings? I recall years ago that they wanted it to be a similar production pattern to Velvet but it seems like it is still very bespoke.
can you elaborate on how they compare? how were the orchestras for jazz? tonal differences arco?
As I understood it depends on the model. The Hybrid seems to be available without waiting time because they didn't really offer it yet. For the Basso I waited quite a while. I was in the workshop and Jan-Ole told me that they did some improvements in the production so it will become better soon.
