Double Bass Installing an Oliv G String

[crd]

Is it recommended to widen the bridge and nut when installing an oliv G string? Can you easily throw a Spiro G back on if I end up disliking the Oliv?

I have a couple of relaxed weeks and thought I would give the Oliv string a try. I am very happy with how my bass currently sounds with Spiro mittels but curiosity killed the cat and all. I sometimes miss a bigger string on the G than the Spiro G is. I have an irrational obsession with keeping my left hand fingers curved. The smaller G sometimes makes this tricky in the thumb position.

For years I played a plain gut set on a different bass. It took a lot to get it set-up correctly. I mean a lot. I have no desire to go back to that set-up so am weary to do anything that wouldn't be easily reversible since I like how my bass is currently sounding.

 

[JBarz]

In my experience, the nut groove shouldn’t be deep enough to cause the pinching on the oliv g coming from Spiro g that would shorten its life. That being said, no one can answer this question without having your bass and an oliv in hand. If you do have to widen the nut just a tiny bit, the Spiro shouldn’t have much to complain about. Caveat : this is akin to a non-doctor giving medical advice. Take with grain of salt, just my experience. To summarize : do it.

 

[AGCurry]

The purpose is not so much to enlarge the grooves as it is to smooth them. Widen the nut and bridge grooves only if the string sits too proudly. If a groove is clearly too narrow, widen it but do not deepen it. That way, there should not be a problem if you go back to a smaller-gauge string.

 

[crd]

Thanks for the replies. My bridge and nut have many years worth of graphite built up on top of the wood and seem very smooth. When I change the G I will of course add some more and check for anything that might make a snag.

Is it okay to clean the oliv strings with rubbing alcohol a couple times a month to get rosin off?

 

[AGCurry]

Is it okay to clean the oliv strings with rubbing alcohol a couple times a month to get rosin off?

Yes. I clean my plain gut strings with alcohol.

 

[crd]

Yes. I clean my plain gut strings with alcohol.

Oh man, brave! For years I just tried to use as little rosin as possible. The people at Gamut recommended for gut string maintenance to do absolutely nothing, which was way more of pita than cleaning them if that makes any sense.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

Thanks for the replies. My bridge and nut have many years worth of graphite built up on top of the wood and seem very smooth. When I change the G I will of course add some more and check for anything that might make a snag.

Is it okay to clean the oliv strings with rubbing alcohol a couple times a month to get rosin off?

Widen not deepen, if that makes sense. You should have some graphite left at the bottom of the slot but the edges should be wide enough to accommodate the new string. Any smaller string will be fine in that slot and be the same height off the board.

You can just wipe the rosin off with a soft, dry cloth most of the time. I cleaned and oiled plain guts only once or twice a year but it depends on how gunky they got. If I was playing outside at night a lot, they would get sticky if they weren't clean and oiled. Plain mineral oil, when properly applied, helped to minimize the hydrophilic (moisture absorbing) properties. Gamut's varnished gut was a great help in that battle.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

You must widen the groove and the depth can be deepened but not more than would put the string on the fingerboard. With a suitable rat tail file you can simply use the appropriate part of the file. Same at the bridge. The main thing is to be sure both grooves are perfectly smooth and just slightly larger than the string. Use plenty of graphite.

 

[crd]

You must widen the groove and the depth can be deepened but not more than would put the string on the fingerboard. With a suitable rat tail file you can simply use the appropriate part of the file. Same at the bridge. The main thing is to be sure both grooves are perfectly smooth and just slightly larger than the string. Use plenty of graphite.

Is anything lost by putting a smaller gauge string back onto a nut/bridge widen for gut strings?

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Is anything lost by putting a smaller gauge string back onto a nut/bridge widen for gut strings?

Be sure that the string contacts the bottom of the slot right at the fingerboard rather than further toward the pegbox. The string will sit at the bottom and the width won’t usually matter.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Avoid any sharp bending, specially at the pegbox side of the nut.
I file that side deeper in a soft curvature. That deepens the groove into the nut, so the nut needs to be filed down there so the string only gets to a third into the nut groove.
It is better if the string lifts off the nut a bit earlier than having it running over a more or less sharp edge.

BTW, I also file the top of the tailpiece string slots round towards the bridge side. That way I avoid a hard kink there too.

 

[lurk]

Good luck. I loved my Oliv G's, but both came unwound not at the friction points of bridge or nut, but squarely in the playing area. I can't afford this. I'd have a spare of your 2nd favorite G ready to go.

 

[crd]

Good luck. I loved my Oliv G's, but both came unwound not at the friction points of bridge or nut, but squarely in the playing area. I can't afford this. I'd have a spare of your 2nd favorite G ready to go.

Yeah -- you aren't the first I've heard to have that experience. I am not recording until 2025 so I thought now would be the time for this kind of experiment. I really love the full Spiro mittel set, especially with the bow but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't like a more flexible string at the end of a long day on a jazz gig.