Originally Posted by Joel Larsson (Post 17659)

So what we REALLY need is two instruments! One for your regular gigs, and one that will make those hardcore baroque people call you up. You know, the ones sneering at anything newer than C.P.E. Bach, and at anything spun other than possibly the E string. Period music is becoming all the rage, it seems, and those baroque guys simply won't call you if you don't have the right gear. Then, it can be a really crappy bass, and sound sh1t when you play—at least you'll be playing on Gut, and they'll be satisfied. Maybe you can even purchase the cheapt 'baroque' bow you can find, and they'll be all fired up. :)
(Sometimes, I get the feeling that what these guys really do want to hear is a bit of rock'n'roll attitude, and they couldn't care less about the tonal quality. I kind of sympathize with that. :rolleyes:)

Anyways, that's what it's like in Scandinavia. You go all-in, or you're not in. Of course, the orchestras still do classical symphonies and the occasional Baroque mass, and maybe the leader will try to impose some supposedly old style phrasing on the reluctant musicians brought up in the 20th century, maybe they'll even go as far as to change the E string of the violins to gut... but here we're talking project or freelance type ensembles specialized in period playing, and—as a freelancer—any gig is a gig you don't want to miss, so you better stand and deliver. :cool:

Edit: Oops, Calvin managed to sneak in a reply while I was writing, basically saying the same thing but with fewer words... I'l learn to express myself more concisely, and next it'll be me who posts first!! :p

Originally Posted by Charles Stark (Post 17673)

Gut strings can make a "cheap" bass sound A LOT better...you don't need a 100k bass to sound great or get into an orchestra. If you practice and have talent then the instrument is second (the way it should be).

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse (Post 17675)

Are you saying that gut strings will improve the sound of my plywood?

Originally Posted by Ken Smith (Post 17367)

Really? If you played Jazz and had to push a Band or Big Band or played solos you would see soon why Ray Brown, Milt Hinton, Sam Jones and just about every player I have known CHANGED to Steels..

Audibly, the Guts are too slow and they make you play harder to hear yourself. I see no need at all to play guts at all unless you are playing period music. Even then, any good old bass with bowing steels will sound just about as good in my opinion.

I have played Vivaldi, Bach, Hayden and Mozart concerts mainly with one Bass and two Cellos (Chamber-like) and they loved my sound. Bowing Steels all the way with an old English or Italian bass. No one mentioned after first hearing me that I needed Gut, NO one!

Is that Period enough or we need to go earlier?

Maybe you Gut seekers just need an Older bass, you think?

Originally Posted by Charles Stark (Post 17676)

[...]Guts are for the orchestral register of the instrument, ie. how we make our money. Anything in TP requires steel.

Originally Posted by Mark Stefaniw (Post 27439)

I might, but just barely, agree with you...in the "Duo Sweet 17" performance I cited in my previous post (above), the violone player does some really nice, and extensive, TP work.