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Rabbie

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Posts posted by Rabbie

  1. I have only only the fantastic Aquila pure guts D and G left. The Gold Spring D and G are now sold.


    * pure gut D and G (brand new in packet). I got these and never put them on my bass, and I’m realising now that probably I don’t need them.

    They cost € 170 + Vat  = € 204 (the postage and import tax would cost you loads on top of that!), so you would be probably looking at 200GBP once you import them. I think £180 posted is a good price (U.K. postage I mean).

    here is the Aquila page

    https://aquilacorde.com/en/shop/modern-instrument-string-sets/double-bass-en/double-bass-g-d-set/double-bass-natural-gut-g-d-set/

     

    * Aquila Golden Springs Vintage D and G SOLD!  (gut wrapped in nylon, exact reproductions of the Golden Spirals of Scott LaFaro and Charlie Haden. The D has 3 months of use and the G is 4 months use on one bass. They go for €220 + Vat + shipping as above. I think £150 posted would be good).


    Happy to entertain offers!

    Thank you for looking and reading. 

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  2. Still available.

    In the unlikely scenario that anyone needs my opinion:

    Great low tension alternative to Spirocore. I liked that they have none of the harshness and yet they are still in that sonic ballpark. So they are very present in the mix without being a bit too much. If I were to ever go back to steels, I might well get another set of these.

    They are very easy on the hands, which is such a great advantage when using steels. I found them easy to bow, although I hardly ever bow, and Pirastro considers them pizz strings.

    Any question please ask.


     

  3. Full set of Pirastro Perpetuals 

    G and D were on my bass for 5 minutes (only to compare them with my guts). A and E were on my bass for 3 months, but did zero touring and only one recording session in that time, so they are in great condition.

     

    The best U.K. price for these strings at the moment is a heavily discounted £202 (Retail price is £278).

    so how about £150 posted?

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  4. Hi guys,

    post updated with the gut string still available, having sold a couple yesterday.

    I’m selling some very interesting gut strings.

    - First up my Aquila Gold Springs vintage G and D. These are wonderful exact reproductions of the Golden Spirals used by Charlie Haden, Scott Lafaro etc…hence but strings wrapped in nylon. I have had them only on one bass, played for 6 months, in which I have only used the bass for recording sessions and home practice, so no sweat damage at all and excellent condition. Here is the web link https://aquilacorde.com/negozio/corde-musica-moderna/contrabbasso-corde-musica-moderna/g-d-set/contrabbasso-gold-springs-vintage-set-g-d/

    £130 for both D and G

     

    - Finally, I have 1 x NEW OLD STOCK Pirastro pure gut D string “Gold Etikett”.
    I don’t know when it came out of the factory, but as you can see from the photos they don’t make this model any longer. It is a wonderful new pure gut string, never been on a bass, it feels varnished so it is in perfect new condition with no fraying whatsoever . £50 

     

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  5. Set of Tempera Hybrid strings developed by Gerold Gennsler and Jan-Ole in Berlin.

    6 months of use on my main bass in which time it has done 3 recording sessions but no live gigs (I have taken my smaller bass to all the gigs so no yucky sweat on these strings!)

     

    You probably know the reputation of these strings; they are simply the best boutique strings available. If I can see correctly, outside of Germany you can’t buy these directly anymore, as the guys only deal with partner luthiers.

     

    What sound do they make? Difficult to describe exactly, but I shall try:

    they are modern “gut” strings, but only in the sense that they produce a huge dark sound with low tension. I have played all the guts (I think) and I must say these have their own sound. Guts are often thumpy and decay quickly: these have a very defined note all the time on every string, and yet they have that complex lovely dark sound you get with guts and they let you attack in a very satisfying way.

    the low strings are especially miraculous and that is so rare for low tension strings.

    My expertise is pizzicato based. Arco, they are very easy to start even for a bad, bad arco player like me and they produce a wonderful full sound, with none of the scratchy voice of steel strings. If I played arco, I would never take these off!

     

    so why am I selling? For my bass, they are too much of a good thing. Meaning that my bass manages to tame the zing out of steel strings, making them sound dark. As a result, these sound too dark on my bass. Also, I do prefer a tiny bit higher tension.

     

    I think if the great gut players of the past had these strings available to them, they would probably be playing them instead of guts. They are that good. And they have no animal in them, so it’s a win-win situation.

     

    the price of these stings, when I bought them 6 months ago, was €405 including shipping. I cannot remember if I had to pay tax on top as well, I can’t find any evidence of that.

    so, after 6 months of judicious use, I feel that £270 including shipping is a very reasonable price. According the the Tempera guys, they are very long lasting strings, meaning they should have a long life ahead of them. I have only mounted them straight after buying them and took them off today. So all the windings are intact. They come with the original fancy box complete with booklet of instructions on how to fit the strings correctly (please follow the instructions, don’t be a macho man and throw the booklet away: that will not do you any favours, as of course it never does).

    any questions please ask.

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    • Like 2
  6. Hi. As a disclaimer, I am not a luthier, just a long time player. The only sure thing is that no solution can be even approximately reached without seeing the bass. In saying that, what you have at the moment sounds quite a bit wrong. It may well be that your bridge is mounted the other way around. The straight edge of the bridge, if there is one, should be facing the tailpiece, and the centre of the feet at either side should be approximately lined with the little points in the middle of the f holes at either side. 
    A modern string action with a well set up bass is around 6mm-10mm (or even lower) G to E that’s measured at the end of the fingerboard. String height is very subjective and optimal varies from bass to bass and player to player. Don’t be worried about the loss of sound, as a bass that is a joy to play and has low action can still sound huge with good technique and the optimal setup. All the great jazz players have a lower-than-you-might-think action and can be heard very clearly even in the context of a relatively loud band.
    A 9mm-14mm action G to E is a tolerably high action for the fit & macho gut string player (I was once one of them, well…never macho, but young and fit). However a string action that goes in the opposite direction 14mm to 9mm G to E like yours, is never correct.

    I’m sure you already know, but please read loads of resources before trying anything yourself. Any bridge work will also mean resetting a fallen sound post, which is a whole headache of its own. 
    It really sounds like a trip to your closest luthier would do your bass a world of good.

    Hope this helps a bit and so sorry if it’s not so clear. 

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