Plain gut E string opinions

[artisan]

I'm currently using plain gut D & G with low tension steel E & A strings (Blast Cult Tone Mongers)
While these sound very good I do prefer the guts over the steels & can't stop the craving for a full plain gut set,however an E & A will cost me £150 OR so from Thomann & while I'm sure I will love the A I am a little concerned I may find a plain gut E to be floppy or hard to get a decent sound from.
the gut-a-likes that came on my bass had a hopeless floppy E string.
anyone use a plain gut E string ?
Should I buy a wrapped E ?

Btw I play rockabilly slap or country music so I just need a lovely warm old school thump.
ta

Edited July 2, 2015 by artisan

[Rabbie]

Mate, personally I would advise against it. It's a great thump but the price factor is huge, the pizzicato note is very disappointing although the sound of the slap is great. Also you need to cut pretty big grooves in the bridge and nut.

[artisan]

Hi Rabbie,thanks for your reply,I already have pretty big grooves which are far too big for the 2 steel strings so I do get a little bit of a rattle,is a plain E bigger than one of Thomas's Twisters.
I think I will go with a plain gut A string what would you recommend for a suitable E ?
cheers

[Rabbie]

No the plain E is much like a double wrapped Twister size-wise.
In fact I used that with a ADG gut for about a year. Then I switched to wrapped Lenzner E, then Dlugolecki wrapped E. Then I did the last album with a very old Innovation steel wrapped (black windings) and pure gut ADG. Harder to slap but sounded awesome. Now I'm trying Evah Pirazzi slap and find them good, but the E is a bit dead for the money they cost. The best bang for the buck gut setup is Blast Cult tone mongers, possible with a Lenzner A if you don't like the steel A. My opinion today....
PS - that's about 2+years of A D and G being the same guts (Lenzner) and they still sound great. I only took them off to try the full set of Evah slap now. Which really answers the "doubters" in showing that regularly oiled guts can last for years.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Rabbie

[artisan]

Many thanks Rabbie you are a total gent' as always

[PaulKing]

Hi slappers. Just chiming in here.
Pretty much +1 to what Rabbie's been saying. I never got on 100% with plain gut E, or A for that matter. They certainly have appeal ... but overall they just don't cut it. Pizz is hopeless, definition and articulation limited. They pretty much ONLY sound any good for acoustic slapping ... then they are the real deal. I've been really happy with Cordes Lambert for a long time, the GT47 wrapped E and A, while as fat as plain gut, give better definition and sustain than plain gut, slap nice and easy, and match plain gut (or nylon) G and D better than anything. I currently have them with a Lenzner D and Lambert G (cos the Lanzner snapped, damn) and they are almost indistinguishable from each other.

But this week I pulled the trigger on the new Evah P slaps - well jut the E and A. Straight out of the packet I was blown away. A few days later I [i]think [/i]I'm sold, with a few creeping reservations. The sound is not quite as full and strong as Cordes Lambert, very slightly less fundamental thump. The slap is perceptibly cleaner and less woody, a bit more clinical like wrapped gut. For acoustic work, you can just about hear the difference. But overall, they offer much better pizz - more precise, defined and articulated. I don't find the E dead at all ... funnily enough I'd say the A is the slightly weaker on my bass. I'd say they were more lively than Lamberts ... albeit it slightly lacking that room shaking thump. Overall a tad weaker, but more focussed.

As ever I think it's a trade off .. I need to try them amplified to make a final judgement. For the money ... probably not worth it if you can get your hands on Cordes Lambert and you want to play lots of acoustic slap. But definitely worth it as a multi-purpose string.

I can also highly recommend [b]Innovation Braided Solo (140BS) .. [/b]they are remarkably similar to the new Evahs in look feel and sound, fraction higher tension even when tuned down to concert pitch, but practically identical tone. The click is crisp and restrained, compared to the plasticky boing you often get with SilverSlaps or Rockabillys (and the harsh clank you get with most steel wrapped strings). Much cheaper than Evah's too, though you might have to buy a full set ... which is similar in price to the E and A Evah P.

Edited July 31, 2015 by PaulKing