The following is a re-published product review I posted to uptonbass.com. I'm not sure if it took or not, so I'm cross posting it here because I spent so much time on it.

These Clef gut strings are a great, affordable option to see if gut strings are right for you. I've been using them for about a year. Shortly after putting them on, I realized that gut strings were exactly what I've been looking for. I play lots of honky tonk/rockabilly style slap bass and bluegrass. Steel strings just can't match the nice, mellow clickety clacks that these strings—and gut strings in general—produce.

If you haven't used gut strings before, it's important to note that they (and these Clef strings in particular) have quite a bit less tension than steel strings. They are much floppier to play and a bit quieter than steel. They are, however, much easier on your hands. If you slap and/or play multiple sets a night, your hands will thank you.

You should also be aware that the gauge of the E and A strings are substantially heavier than their steel counterparts. This may require modifications to your bridge, nut, and tailpiece. I had an extremely hard time putting on the E string, as it didn't fit easily into my tuning peg hole. I had to do it a second time when I installed a new tailpiece, and I had a much harder time putting the string on the second time due to some unraveling.

Since purchasing these strings I have had the chance to play other gut strings on different instruments. While the $200 price tag is a bargain for these strings, you do get what you pay for. They are a great introduction to the gut string world, but you can really tell the difference between a $300+ set and these. Nicer gut strings don't unravel quite as easily, and are quite a bit smoother than these. I oil my strings a little less than once a week with walnut or olive oil. These Clefs have a tendency to get hairs on them despite frequent oiling. Some of the fibers that come loose can be quite big, and need to be clipped off. My G string suffered from one too many of these larger hairs, and during a 3 week period where I didn't play at all, it broke.

Now that I know the difference between nicer gut strings and these, I'll be spending the big bucks on the good ones. I would, however recommend these Clef strings to anyone wanting to give gut strings a serious try, or to anyone on a more realistic budget who's playing style is well suited to gut strings.