Natural Gut Upright Bass Strings

For many years, we have been happy to offer a quality set of gut strings that we can sell at a great price. The soft feel and organic sweetness of guts is both surprising and satisfying to the uninitiated.

It seems that the manufacturing techinques for gut strings has come a long way, as it has for all strings, as they are very uniform. The lowest strings have a nicely distinct but warm tone, unlike the gut strings I grew up with in the sixties. Bob is commonly using the set with a wound A and E, for the more uniform string sizes, though many rockabilly folks swear by a completely gut A and E strings, so we have that set available as well. You can also purchase strings individually, if you like "mixing and matching."

Gut strings do require a little maintenance, it is advisable to gently clip any "hairs" (hair-like little strands of gut that that develop with play). You may also want to oil them (walnut oil, most pure vegetable oils can do, and we sell string oil, too) for the longest life, especially if you are in a dry climate or go through dry periods.

But if you want the sound of vintage, all-natural bass, or are a rockabilly player wanting the most authentic sound, you'll want to consider these. I prefer the wound A/E set which has metal windings to achieve the mass necessary for the lower notes without the larger diameter- they have been made this way for centuries. If you play rockabilly and other styles, you may want to consider the gut G, D, and A with a wound gut E, as the plain gut E is pretty large and just a bit imprecise, super for slap but not so hot for other bass play. The plain gut (unwound) E is quite thick and "flubby", but some slap players are absolutely loving them!

Lenzner does list gauges on their packages, and they average around: G=2,10mm, D=2,75mm, GutA=3,60mm, WoundA=2,50, WoundE=3,50mm. I have taken the time to gauge all the strings using a digital caliper and present the following unofficial measurements for your reference: Gut G=.083, Gut D=.109, Gut A=.144, Gut E=.182, Wound Gut A=.097, Wound Gut E=.136 - however, since these are made of natural gut material, actual string gauges can vary a bit.

We also carry (and stock) Low B and High C strings!

The "Wound" gut strings are wound with a small-gauge silver wire, not tape. This is a traditional method and material for wrapping gut strings. If you prefer a more "tapewound" wound gut string, please consider the Oliv or Eudoxa strings, which we also have.

These strings are made in Germany.