Double Bass String Oil DIY

[Amos Hopkins]

Howdy, I just bought my first set of real guts! I'm pretty excited. I got the new Evah P Slaps. Haven't strung them up yet but they look awesome. For years I've played with Spiros on the bottom and SBW synths on top. I guess its a little unusual but it's become my thing. The EP Slaps are metal wrapped synth on the bottom.

My question: I understand I'm supposed to keep these hydrated with oil. And Gollihur sells little bottles for $25. That seems a little steep and I was curious about making my own. Anyone have a recipe with something like almond and linseed? Open to all suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I've only ever used mineral oil... but there are many opinions.

 

[Mark Gollihur]

...hydrated with oil. And Gollihur sells little bottles for $25. That seems a little steep...

That's not us you're thinking of. We don't sell any gut string oil.

You can use most any type of "safe" oil, even cooking oil.

 

[Stuart.C]

I think I read somewhere that Dan Larson of Gamut music recommends almond oil. Something about the PH values??

I have used walnut and almond and it worked fine.

In the winter I oiled every couple days (very dry winter in Ontario), you can tell when the strings get dry they get whitish cloudy on the twists and produce more hairs after playing. the oil makes them look like fresh rosin again.

But I haven't oiled since spring hit.

You'll figure it out, just deal with any hairs carefully.

 

[neddyrow]

I go mineral oil for my guts.

Funny story:

We went to a hardware store looking for mineral oil and didn't know where to look. We asked a guy working for help finding it. He said, "we don't sell mineral oil. You have to get it at a pharmacy. I use it for my... Um..." Then he trailed off.

Once we got to the pharmacy and found the mineral oil, we figured out why the guy stopped talking.

I've always used mineral oil because I hear vegetable oil can cause mold. But not sure of the validity of that.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

I used vegetable oil throughout my gut phase without a problem.

The string should be translucent. If it's not, oil it.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I use almond oil.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I use almond oil after every two or three gigs as I find it's helpful for removing dirt. I only oil the portion over the fingerboard this often.

- Steve

 

[jasonrp]

Mineral. 3 bucks for a big bottle.

I didn't know what it was really for either

 

[Amos Hopkins]

That's not us you're thinking of. We don't sell any gut string oil.

You can use most any type of "safe" oil, even cooking oil.

Mark, Sorry, yeah I was thinking of Upton. They have their own tincture. I'm sure it's good but it goes for $25 for a 1 o. bottle!

 

[Jay Corwin]

Mark, Sorry, yeah I was thinking of Upton. They have their own tincture. I'm sure it's good but it goes for $25 for a 1 o. bottle!

I don't have anything bad to say about Upton, but I wouldn't bother with the gut string oil. Just save the dough and buy a bottle of almond, olive, mineral or whatever you think is good. A small bottle will last the rest of your life.

 

[iiipopes]

It is always good to have a bottle of pharmaceutical grade mineral oil on hand, whether for the, um, hardware store rep above, for gut strings, to thicken valve oil on worn valves on brass instruments (my main use), for seasoning cast iron skillets, dutch ovens, etc., and a variety of other uses. Since I do have a bottle on hand, I will have to try guts one of these days, ADG (remember - everything goes with a dead Spiro E string!).

 

[jasonrp]

You use mineral oil for cast iron?

 

[iiipopes]

You use mineral oil for cast iron?

Yes. It does not turn rancid as do vegetable oils or animal rendering (lard, tallow, etc.)

 

[jasonrp]

I'd think it would absorb into the food a bit and end up...unpleasant

 

[lrhbass]

Be careful with the oil, too much can really kill a raw gut string!

 

[VegasGutPlucker]

i've experimented with many different oils to varying degrees of success. My current batch is equal parts tallow, cacao butter, shea butter, and some lavender oil for fun. Takes a little longer to apply, but seems to last longer and has a nice playing surface, not sticky or greasy.

 

[Amos Hopkins]

i've experimented with many different oils to varying degrees of success....

Where do you find all those?

 

[VegasGutPlucker]

Tallow / Shea / Cacao / Lavender

This should last you a lifetime of gut playing.

I've used oils like neatsfoot, almond, jojoba, coconut, but in my hot climate anyway, the above combination stays the most stable and doesn't get sticky. Good for your hands too. I've thought about making and selling my own recipes but that's a very niche market.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Be careful with the oil, too much can really kill a raw gut string!

How so? I've never heard this before.

- Steve