The Gretsch Pages: Discussions: The Bass-ment: Rubber upright bass strings?

Rubber upright bass strings?

« » Page 1 2

- Rated: 114 ↑
Apr 6, 2008 9:03 p.m. wenzel:

I just received a cool electric upright bass from jukebox and it has some weird strings on it, but I like them. I am wondering if any of you bass guru's might know where to get replacements? Jukebox sent a spare set of weedwhacker strings, but they are not the same as what's on it. The strings on the bass now feel like rubber strings. The low E is clear rubber, the middle two strings are a clear weedwhacker green, but they aren't plastic like those strings and the high G string is also clear rubber. Anyone know who makes these so I can order a few sets for suture use?

The bass company is ghettotronix. I couldn't find much info on this specific model and think it might be discontinued. It's basically a piezo pickup bass that stand upright and has a flat fretboard and a small bridge. It's not made to be exactly like an upright like a lot of the models I've seen, but it's still very upright bass sounding and plays about the same without the radiused fretboard and raised bridge.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
- Rated: 10 ↑
Apr 6, 2008 9:23 p.m. kovachian:

Not only is that model discontinued, Ghettotronix as a company is discontinued! They went out of business some time back. Sorry I don't know what strings would help, you could pose the question over on TalkBass forums, I'm sure someone there would know exactly what they are.
- Rated: 50 ↑
Apr 6, 2008 9:31 p.m. jukebox:

I still think they are the same strings,the new ones just haven't been stretched to make them like rubbery. The weedwaker string I had used on a washtub bass got rubbery after use.
- Rated: 36 ↑
Apr 6, 2008 10:23 p.m. bobbyrivera:

Search on weedwacker strings on ebay (in the stringed instruments section). There are 2 different types- one is for upright basses, and one is for the Big-ass mariachi type bass guitar (i want one). I bought a set for my upright and they sound great. Mine are made by Salty Dog Company out of Minn. I just used them on stage the other night with Underwood Pickups and they sounded pretty good. They do take a while to adjust though (lots of stretching etc.).
- Rated: 114 ↑
Apr 7, 2008 9:27 p.m. wenzel:

Thanks guys! Jukebox, I had no idea they'd become transparent??? That'c good info to know. The diameter of the strings on the bass are a lot heavier than the extra pack you sent me. That's the biggest thing that threw me off. I like the strings that are on it right now though, so I'll have to keep my eyes open.

Thanks again!!!
- Rated: 50 ↑
Apr 7, 2008 9:40 p.m. jukebox:

I think those strings are just tied in a knot at the bridge. Mic the strings to find out what size they are and go to Home Depot and buy then in a roll(bulk) It will be cheaper.
- Rated: 43 ↑
Apr 8, 2008 1:08 p.m. Jeff O(nly My Opinion):

Post a picture of this ghettotronix bass !
- Rated: 114 ↑
Apr 9, 2008 6:45 a.m. wenzel:

Jeff, I will when I get time. I have been super busy lately, hence the less frequent postings.
- Rated: 1 ↑
Jun 25, 2008 10:22 p.m. Salty_Dogg:

Hey guys this is Jordan Danielson the owner of Salty Dogg Bass Strings. I am just wondering how you like my bass strings, and for those who have not yet tried them I encourage you to give them a go. You can find them on ebay for a great value.
- Rated: 5 ↑
Jun 25, 2008 10:25 p.m. HillbillyWolf:

I'm actually planning on getting a Engelhardt bass soon, and I am definately planning on buying your strings.

Yours come in a amber color, right?
- Rated: 36 ↑
Jun 26, 2008 11:56 a.m. bobbyrivera:

I have the Salty Dogg stings. They are the best "weedwacker" style I've tried. For the price, they are worth a try IMO. I am only a casual player (ie studio, and when someone needs an upright player to fill in). They work great for me as I don't practice too much anymore, and when I do have to play, my hands don't get chewed up. I used to use Rotosounds and end up with blisters everytime I had to gig.

They give a nice percussive click for the rockabilly stuff too. Acoustically they lack some bottom end. Some guys will use a steel E and A string to bring out the lows a bit more. If you are using a good pickup though (like an Underwood) it doesn't matter too much.

They take awhile to stretch though. EDIT: I already said most of this in a previous post.
- Rated: 1 ↑
Jul 7, 2008 4:02 p.m. Salty_Dogg:

No my strings are actually black.
- Rated: 30 ↑
Jul 8, 2008 10:18 a.m. fws6:

>Yours come in a amber color, right

the amber ones may look more like real gut; but the sound is exactly the same. They are sold by tradition music:

http://www.traditionmusic.com/hbss.html

Personally I have tried several brands of weedwackers but didnt like them at all and switched back to what I had before ie rotosounds or steels for the e and a, combined with golden spiral wound guts for d and g. Like bobbyrivera sais the wackers lack some bottom end and especially sustain.

Especially when you are just starting I would never recommend wackers. They sure are easy oin the fingers but a with a higher tension string you get more sustain and in the end that will make it is easier to learn a proper playing technique and hear if your intonation is correct (if you are playing in tune)
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 6:25 p.m. Echosonic:

Wenzel by the way, how is your Guitarron? I remember you saying it sounds like an upright bass and I think you put up a sound sample and it did sound like an upright. You said you can play some good rockabilly on it just you can not do any slap on it, doesn't work that way.

What kind of strings are on those? Are those the mariachi strings that Bobby is mentioning above?
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 7, 2008 6:30 p.m. Echosonic:

I don't know if this is true since I don't have an upright bass but someone told me that if you use steel strings on an upright you do hear the notes, but if you use Weed Wacker strings or gut you don't hear the notes. I mean you hear the thump of the bass but if you have a good ear and can tell which note is note when someone plays on a guitar or piano, you can not distinguish between the notes on an upright with gut or Weed Wacker. Basically it becomes just a percussion instrument or something like that.

Is this really true? So you are basically just playing a beat behind the music but no distinguishable notes. True or not true?
- Rated: 17 ↑
Oct 8, 2008 12:18 a.m. Adam:

There definitely are notes, but it can be harder to distinguish the lower ones from each other.

I've got weedwhackers on an upright and like them; particularly for the price and they work for the 'billy I play on it.
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 8, 2008 1:43 p.m. Echosonic:

Yeah I figured that there would be some sort of notes because I figured everything in nature that makes a sound makes some note but maybe because the lower ones are so muffled or what not you can't recognize them.

I saw a video of Lee Rocker from I think last year talking about upright bass. He said it's great to see that people are playing upright a lot these days but he doesn't get nylon or weedwhacker strings. I'm not sure exactly if he said weedwhackers or nylon but it was something like that. He thinks it is great they are taking up the upright bass but doesn't really like those nylon or weedwacker strings, thinks steels are the way to go. He's a great upright player.

What did Bill Black use? What kind of strings?
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 8, 2008 1:47 p.m. Echosonic:

When I heard people use weedwhacker strings I thought that was code word for nylon or something I didn't realize they literally meant the actual weedwhacker line that I use when cutting the weeds. I thought that was a joke at first but people say yes real weedwhacker strings.

Marshall Lytle, upright player on "Rock Around The Clock" and with the Original Comets told me he used weedwhacker strings too. I think he used to go to Walmart to get some from the garden dept.

I wonder how long ago people figured out that weedwhacker strings could be used on the upright. And I wonder what the Weedwhacker company thought when they got wind that people were using their line on instruments. Wonder if Weedwhacker now makes packages and diff guages for upright or they just sell them in the garden dept and people just still use those. I think they come in diff colors.
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 8, 2008 1:48 p.m. Echosonic:

I like this guy's bass. I like the way it looks, black with flames -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYb8Jd-Ah_g
- Rated: 50 ↑
Oct 8, 2008 3:22 p.m. jukebox:

Echosonic, I bought the weedwacker strings for that upright bass wenzel has on ebay.
- Rated: 28 ↑
Oct 10, 2008 8:39 a.m. mark t:

In accordance with what fws6 said, I got a hold of an upright bass that had steelies on it, with the exception of an old-ass, poorly cared for gut D string. Replaced them with Barefoot Larry's Hillbilly slap strings, and stretched the hell out of them. They were great for the upper range stuff, but for some of the more "psycho" (for lack of a better word), that low end E-G hammering stuff was lost in the mix. I ended up popping the low E off and throwing a steel back on there, which wasn't too hard on the fingers and really brought out the sustain on the low notes.
- Rated: 43 ↑
Oct 11, 2008 7:39 a.m. Jeff O(n G-T now):

If you're gonna buy a REAL (UPRIGHT) bass, and go through the trouble of care, transportation, amplification (gotta be a SVT), why the hell would you put pseudo strings on it?

Boggles my mind.

Innovation Rockabilly or Silver Slaps. Steel core with a wrap. Good sound, tone, they last well over a year with regular rehearsals and gigging.
- Rated: 114 ↑
Oct 11, 2008 8:47 a.m. wenzel:

If I had a real upright, I'd put cat gut strings on it!
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 11, 2008 10:58 a.m. Echosonic:

My tennis racquet is strung up with cat gut, well it's gut don't know what kind. If it is best for a tennis racquet maybe it's the best for an upright bass too!
- Rated: 4 ↑
Oct 11, 2008 1:30 p.m. Echosonic:

I visit the Rockabilly Bass website and learned a lot there too. There are a lot of basses out there called CCBs I think they are Cheap Chinese Basses and they say don't buy them because they are not so good and you'll spend hundreds getting it up to playing quality. They say buy an Englehardt (spell?) bass because you can get them for a reasonable price and they are made in the USA and made much better than a CCB. It's tempting to get a CCB because the price but if they are really bad then it's a waste of money when I can buy a made in the USA Englehardt bass. I'm not gonna buy one now, no money for that stuff now but I'm just trying to do research now.