Advice needed about Gut strings

[gypsyjazzer]

I am new to the gut string. I have been given a set to try what I am told are a gut strings.

Should old plain gut strings (Approx. 50 years old) show bad 'frayed' windings? I have a plain G & D which are [b]smooth[/b] all the way down--not a 'hair' (If it is hair) out of place. The seem to be uniformaly wound--like a taped string--copper in colour. Would that be gut?The A & E appear to be metal--I am not sure if it has a core.

Should used gut strings show signs of wear on the strings?--that is frayed strings in need of maintenance.

Your expertise most welcome.

[paddy109]

Pictures would help.

[Rabbie]

50 years old?!?!? Joke I take it.
I'd say a tad of wear and tear is forgivable then.
If they are not regularly clipped and oiled, gut strings do fray. I oil mine regularly and they still fray a bit. Guts are also not meant to be put on and off a bass regularly: that process does mangle the windings at peg end.
Honestly though: 50 years old???
If they are in pristine condition after that time they may never have been used in which case there will be no fraying, so in theory it is possible. Put bass gut strings in google and look at the images: they should look like yours.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Rabbie

[Rabbie]

Ps if they look like a taped string they probably are not plain gut. Post a photo, like suggested and you'll soon know

[thisnameistaken]

This sounds to me like a set of Cordes Lambert Gut Twins. Wound E and A, no sign of fraying on the D and G sounds like nylon.

I've got a used gut D and G and they are fraying at the ends and also showing some 'hairs' separating from them further up the string. I'm certain they aren't decades old!

[Rabbie]

50 years ago they had no nylon strings. If they look like gut and they are really 50 years old they are gut. Unless whoever gave you them told you a porky (or a genuine wrong info) and gave you a set of weedwackers.

[paddy109]

Or rotos?!?

[gypsyjazzer]

Enclosed pic. of supposed gut plain string---your ideas?

[gypsyjazzer]

Sorry gentleman--could not post pic.--due to resizing issue.

Anyway--yes they really are that old as came from a good reliable source. The plain G & D look like a taped string. They seem to have a translucent winding--the winding being uniform. My gut feeling (Definitely no pun intended!) is they are not gut. Thank you for your good knowledge.

[Jeff Kissell]

Sounds like it could be the fibers of the gut itself that appears as a "winding."
What do the ends look like? If they look like translucent rope they're most likely gut. They might be knotted and/or with a loop.
If they are finished with a ball end or wire loop and then fine colored silk thread then most likely not.
-Jeff

[gypsyjazzer]

Many thanks Jeff for your reply. Each end of each string is wound with black silk/cotton type thread--quite a few inches in length, The tailpiece end is looped-very hard-will not bend--appears like metal. (Does old gut go very hard?) Where the loop joins the string there is a white thread showing under the black thread.
Gut seems 'To be going out of the window'?--so to speak.

Great replies gentlemen. Many thanks.

[thisnameistaken]

If you can upload photos to anywhere (do you have a Gmail account? Google Drive is available to you) you will get a sensible appraisal but we're all guessing at the moment. A few close-ups would settle it.

[spencer.b]

Mystery , anyone know what strings were about in the mid sixties?

[gypsyjazzer]

Photo attached

Edited May 18, 2014 by gypsyjazzer

[Dad3353]

[Beer of the Bass]

Those aren't plain gut, but I think there were some strings around fairly early on with gut cores and a nylon/tynex winding on the D and G. I don't know what the brands of these were (as I wasn't around at the time) but Golden Spirals are the ones I've heard of.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Beer of the Bass

[Clarky]

Golden spirals had a tynex wrapped D and G. As played by no less than Scott Lafaro. No longer made (they stopped due to mad cow disease crisis) and hotly sought after as a result. Take a listen to Chatlie Haden on Under the Missouri Sky. He also uses a stock of old Golden Spiral D and G and steel E/A (spiro mittels) and has a stunning tone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LXPyOluCLU

Edited May 18, 2014 by Clarky

[Rabbie]

1000% NOT plain gut. But on the positive side, they must be well made because look at how well the taping and especially the windings have lasted in 50 years. Bottom line, do they sound good?

Edited May 18, 2014 by Rabbie

[gypsyjazzer]

I have not tried them yet---hope to within the next couple of days. Not tried them as yet as wanting plain gut. As Rabbie posted: 'Bottom line,do they sound good?
Will keep you posted.

[gypsyjazzer]

I have tried the 'mystery' G &D strings described above. I have a late 19th century German bass a set of Innovation Honeys which I like--sound & feel good. Always wanted to try a gut G & D though. These came my way to try. I replaced the Honeys G & D with the G & D presumably gut. They sound and feel very good, less tension of course than steel strings. Very smooth and easy to play. I have noticed that the Honeys A & E have slightly have more 'body' and sustain that the G & D so called gut. They do not have tension and feel of nylon which I have tried in the past. The Honey A & E are fairly new so in time they could wear in and become more compatible.
Anyone tried Innovation 'Braided' A & E--verdict?