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Double Bass Strings for Psychobilly bass and folk?
- Thread starter NeesiesNotDead
- Start date
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- Tags
- bass psychobilly upright bass
Yea I won’t throw them away or anything maybe I can save them to use on another bass in the future or sell them for a lot cheaper for someone who would like guts
The sugar slaps sound pretty cool if I’m not able to get the tapewounds soon I might buy those
I really liked how Sugar Slaps sounded and might still be playing them now, except that two of the strings snapped on me. Aquila provides excellent and friendly service, they quickly sent a replacement string to me all the way from Italy, but by that time another string had snapped in a different area and I had to switch to another brand of strings for an upcoming gig. So by then I felt bad bothering Aquila again about it, although I'm sure they would have sent another replacement string if I had requested it.
This was very early on in the Sugar Slaps development and production cycle though, so it is very possible that a problem has since been identified and solved by Aquila by now.
The sugar slaps definitely sound amazing so maybe if I can sell the guts and buy another cheap bass I can put sugar slaps
On that haha, I’m trying to find a way to afford the tapewound ones since they seems like the best deal for now so hopefully I can get a gig or something
This isn’t my area of expertise, so others with more experience please chime in, but I am a string nerd.
What about the La Bella Supernils or offerings from Innovation like the GoldenSlaps?
What about the La Bella Supernils or offerings from Innovation like the GoldenSlaps?
I used (UK) SilverSlaps for years, never had a problem and liked them, and sister Golden Slaps were always a possibility... They both are low tension, good volume and easy on the hands, have a very strong bright modern tone. My only hope now with them for this circumstance is that their GHS build quality is high, since problems have been reported. They also might be too pricey for this situation.
I slap, but only lightly compared to PsyB.
I have no expereince with Supernils, but wonder if the tension it too high for serious slap?
I slap, but only lightly compared to PsyB.
I have no expereince with Supernils, but wonder if the tension it too high for serious slap?
Not sure about the regulars, but Gollihur has an ultralight “bumped” set which I believe is intended specifically for slap.
They seem to have a “cult” following as far as strings go.
Supernils say they are too low for pizz and also I have not seen anyone use them and the innovation strings are all way too expensive for me
Grocery store. Some sort of nut oil is what I use, but it doesn't matter much really. Put some oil on your fingers or a cloth and rub it up and down the string till you've got oil on the whole thing. Let it sit for a while then wipe any excess off.
I assumed the Innovations were out of budget. Supernils would work too, pretty common psycho string and not a bad acoustic sound relatively, I'm just hesitant to recommend them to anyone with the budget to buy only one set of strings as some folks just hate the feel of them. They're rough on the fingers and roll pretty bad.
It does sound like you are in a corner about this. While I have doubts that SBW Deluxe Dirty Guts will be a complete solution for you, if the plain gut strings you currently have installed are keeping you from playing, at least SBW Deluxe will give you an option you can afford.
After a week or two when they are broken in, SBW Deluxe are very stable for tuning and are very consistent feeling from string to string, and they might be easier on your hands. They require no maintenance and are pretty bullet proof; I've used the D and G of their strings for most of my double bass playing experience and have never had any problem with them.
Be aware that while the fattest and highest tension SBW Deluxe Dirty Guts strings produce good acoustic volume, particularly the E and A strings produce very low sustain; the E and A are naturally very percussive and stacatto, almost like a tuba for sustain, while the D and G tend to have longer sustain (I'm using the term "sustain" but technically it's actually "decay" we are talking about here). In playing I find that I don't have to (left hand) mute the E and A strings at all, while often I do mute the D and G strings to make them more stacatto.
For me on my DB, the fattest SBW Deluxe Dirty Gut set has been a complete answer, but every DB is different and every player has different things that they are looking for. For me, they speak well both amp'ed and acoustically. They pizz and slap well. They even bow well.
Regarding your gut strings, I would suggest trying a light application of walnut oil or almond oil or even a fine olive oil to them before giving up on them. Apply thoroughly with a cloth, wait about 10 minutes, then wipe off the excess with a clean cloth. Try not to get oil on the bridge; a little oil on the fingerboard should not be a problem. If you're interested, Gollihur Music has a not very pricey gut string maintenance kit that includes an oil specially formulated for gut strings (NFI).
After a week or two when they are broken in, SBW Deluxe are very stable for tuning and are very consistent feeling from string to string, and they might be easier on your hands. They require no maintenance and are pretty bullet proof; I've used the D and G of their strings for most of my double bass playing experience and have never had any problem with them.
Be aware that while the fattest and highest tension SBW Deluxe Dirty Guts strings produce good acoustic volume, particularly the E and A strings produce very low sustain; the E and A are naturally very percussive and stacatto, almost like a tuba for sustain, while the D and G tend to have longer sustain (I'm using the term "sustain" but technically it's actually "decay" we are talking about here). In playing I find that I don't have to (left hand) mute the E and A strings at all, while often I do mute the D and G strings to make them more stacatto.
For me on my DB, the fattest SBW Deluxe Dirty Gut set has been a complete answer, but every DB is different and every player has different things that they are looking for. For me, they speak well both amp'ed and acoustically. They pizz and slap well. They even bow well.
Regarding your gut strings, I would suggest trying a light application of walnut oil or almond oil or even a fine olive oil to them before giving up on them. Apply thoroughly with a cloth, wait about 10 minutes, then wipe off the excess with a clean cloth. Try not to get oil on the bridge; a little oil on the fingerboard should not be a problem. If you're interested, Gollihur Music has a not very pricey gut string maintenance kit that includes an oil specially formulated for gut strings (NFI).
I am still kinda tempted to get the SBW but I think I’m going to take care of my guts until I Can afford the eurosonic white tapewounds and maybe if I get another bass any time soon (I can only hope) then I can put SBW on that. One thing about the decay of my guts is that it doesn’t sound staccato it just sounds empty because it has super low sustain
Innovation super silvers or silver slaps if they aren’t out of your budget. I don’t know what they are selling for these days. I think I gave $189 for the last full set I bought.
Those are just out of my budget since it would take a lot longer to earn $77 than it would to earn $35
Earl
Supporting Member
Someone has a set of Thomastic Superflexible Solo tuning strings in the classifieds for a good price. Some slappers have used them (Lee Rocker), and they are easy on the hands and would work well for folk, jazz etc. You tune them to normal tuning.
Earl
Supporting Member
Steel strings that are meant to be tuned one step higher for classical solo playing, but tuned down to regular pitch they have reduced tension than regular steel strings. Looks like the ones in the classifieds have been sold though.
