les claypool whammola style bass question

[Foamoi_refreshe]

my bass player is building a les claypool style whammola bass

 

he's having trouble finding a suitable string to use, no bass strings that he can find anywhere are long enough for the bass he's built, there seems to be nothing as long as 5ft

 

he's tried using other metal cables, such as gear and brake cables from mountain bikes etc, but there doesn't seem to be enough stretch in the cable to be able to use it properly.

 

any suggestions on any other kinds of cables to use??

 

i have also posted this in the bass forums, but there are a few good builders and other forumites on here that could put in some good input into this