Double Bass Gut strings. To oil, or not to oil.

[Jonathan Meyer]

Regarding care of plain, raw gut strings.

Gamut recommends no oil. They believe it's an old wives tale. They have no evidence or reason to believe it is necessary, that it is better for the gut to remain dry, that it may be harmful for the strings to be oiled.

Pirastro, on the other hand:
"As a part of our production process - at the finish - we oil our gut strings. So the gut strings you buy from us are already oiled. Gut strings are a natural product and of course gut react to changes in humidity, other than synthetic or steel core strings. With the oil we protect the strings from moisture and make the surface smoother. When you play on the strings you remove with your fingers this oil, so it is always good for the strings to renew it."

Thoughts from the people playing these strings?

 

[HaphAsSard]

Regarding care of plain, raw gut strings.

Gamut recommends no oil. They believe it's an old wives tale. They have no evidence or reason to believe it is necessary, that it is better for the gut to remain dry, that it may be harmful for the strings to be oiled.

Pirastro, on the other hand:
"As a part of our production process - at the finish - we oil our gut strings. So the gut strings you buy from us are already oiled. Gut strings are a natural product and of course gut react to changes in humidity, other than synthetic or steel core strings. With the oil we protect the strings from moisture and make the surface smoother. When you play on the strings you remove with your fingers this oil, so it is always good for the strings to renew it."

Thoughts from the people playing these strings?

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[Jay Corwin]

I always oiled plain gut, on an as needed basis. And we are talking a very light application. If I had to sand them, I would then oil them afterwards.

 

[John Chambliss]

I’ve been an oiler also because of the humidity in Memphis. It definitely helps with my left hand slides and such.

 

[AGCurry]

I have never oiled my naked gut strings, and I don't see a reason to do so. The excerpt from Pirastro above states "we protect the strings from moisture and make the surface smoother." If the ambient humidity is appropriate, where is the need to protect from moisture, and is the oil really going to do that? Furthermore, I don't WANT to "make the surface smoother."

Then there is the fact that you definitely don't want to put oil where the bow engages the string. So ... you're oiling the string, but not along its whole length. Would that not increase the mass where you oil it, thereby inducing some wonky intonation?

 

[LouisF]

I have plain gut GDA and don't oil them. I did oil them once each season for the first two years I had them (with walnut oil) and then decided it just didn't make any difference. No need IMO

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I have settled on only oiling lightly if I have to play in really humid outdoor situations. In my case it’s cool/cold foggy coastal nights. The oil helps to keep the plain gut from absorbing too much moisture. Otherwise I just wipe them down with a clean soft cloth and deal with any hairs asap. It’s not an issue with the varnished Gamut strings.

 

[crd]

I never sanded, oiled or did anything special with any gut strings I've used playing in all sorts of climates. I also never cleaned them.

 

[Bruce Calin]

The principal of an orchestra I played in years ago was a diehard gut player who would rub a raw Brazil nut over the fingerboard part of the bare gut strings. He claimed it lubricated the strings without greasiness.

 

[Eli Brockway]

The principal of an orchestra I played in years ago was a diehard gut player who would rub a raw Brazil nut over the fingerboard part of the bare gut strings. He claimed it lubricated the strings without greasiness.

My teacher told me about doing this too, back when he was first playing.

Of course, Dennis was never a diehard gut player, as soon as he had the opportunity to switch to steels he did and never looked back, but he definitely talked about doing the brazil nut trick.

 

[havnjero]

lard works great and keeps my strings healthy and moisture free. (bacon fat, f.ex)

 

[groooooove]

from the fine people at gamut:

This is a frequently asked question, but we remain fairly neutral on the subject. Some people insist on using oil to wipe down strings (or even deer tallow), but we have not found it to be useful. If you insist on the need to use oil on your gut strings, almond oil is the least detrimental as it leaves behind little residue and will dry completely — versus something like olive oil which does not dry completely and can lead to strings becoming gummy.

Gamut Music does not recommend soaking strings in oil or any other solution as it may cause the material to expand internally and/or break down the bonds within the string.

I trust their experience with gut strings more than pretty much anyone - aside from perhaps another gut string maker?

no oil for me, seems unnecessary. i wipe down the strings before packing up / at the end of the day.

 

[blikeng]

Hi, full time gut player here. I have never ever oiled or sanded any string. Wipe the strings down with a cloth when finished. I had a set of strings last more than seven years before the G snapped, which I think only happened because I tested different gut G's a week (often on/off).

 

[JBarz]

From Damien Dlugolecki earlier this year when Memphis humidity was making my strings hairy:

Jeremy, There's a product called lemon oil (Old English brand) which you can wipe on and then wipe off. Use two pieces of chamois, one lightly saturated with the oil and one piece dry to wipe it off. Don't wipe hard. It may help, but don't overdo it. Just once in a while.

Damian