spirocore tension between weich and solo

hofner · #1 05-03-2009, 11:17 PM

i didn't really found the answer using the charts....
i already got some spiro weich and i didn't found them so easy for some slap sessions, btw, i need to change my actual silveslaps for a better and more defined sound in jazz, so i 'm looking for the spirocore solo detuned for EADG : but would theses strings have less tension than the regular weich or similar finally ???
(hope my english is quite clear..)
thanks

Fred19137 · #2 05-03-2009, 11:39 PM

I have not played with either set of strings but wut i know is, solo strings are made to be brighter and have stronger mids than regular strings. I don't think the tension will be any different. What makes the biggest difference is the thickness(gauge) of the string. I like to have a lot of sound and playability possibilities so I get rotosound medium guages. because they are thin enough to play slap bass, bright enough to play solos with and thick enough to still get a good bassy sound.

Fred19137 · #3 05-03-2009, 11:43 PM

I just realized, I am a dummy! You are talking about the double bass. In that case I would say that the height of the strings due to the bridge is what makes playing slap bass easier or harder. So if you like the sound of your strings stick to them. Look at some different bridges to buy. Or simply adjust the one you have. I knew a kid who got thinner strings so he could play better slap bass and he hated them. They made playing harder and sound worse. I like the slaps on my double bass because it has a low string height.

hofner · #4 05-04-2009, 12:11 AM

its not a bridge issue, you know.. mine is ok and the strings height is ok (quite low, in fact i play both rockabilly and jazz with a low action on fingerboard).
i'm usually quite glad with silverslaps, i like their old school sound in pizz, and they're nice for long slap sessions, but il i need a more defined sound and better sustain i know that spiro are ok.
my main interrogation is the flexibility between the two gauges : weich or solo detuned...
obligatos solo detuned are good too, but they lack of sustain and die very quickly...

Peck_Time · #5 05-04-2009, 01:19 AM

Hofner: The forums at RockabillyBass.com are another great source of slapping info.

hofner · #6 05-04-2009, 01:38 AM

yes, i know, but i think spiros are more popular in jazz (even in solo tuning) and i just think about difference between two gauges, not specially talking slappability...

relacey · #7 05-04-2009, 07:29 AM

I'm not sure what charts you referred to. In the Strings sticky there is a spreadsheet of gages and tensions for a variety of strings that I gathered from the various members here on TB as well as manufactures info. For the Spirocore the relevant data are

Thomstik-Infield Spirocore Solo (tuned down to orchestra pitch) 3886 flatsteel wire wound on steel spiral core
G D A E
dia (in.) 0.044 0.061 0.076 0.103
tension (lbs) 56.0 57.8 57.8 57.8

Thomstik-Infield Spirocore Soft (Weich) 3885 flatsteel wire wound on steel spiral core
G D A E
dia (in.) 0.046 0.063 0.079 0.107
tension (lbs) 60.6 61.7 63.9 66.1

Thomstik-Infield Spirocore Medium (Mittel) 3885 flatsteel wire wound on steel spiral core
G D A E
dia (in.) 0.052 0.070 0.085 0.111
tension (lbs) 67.2 68.3 70.5 72.8

hofner · #8 05-04-2009, 08:51 AM

ok, thanks ! i'm probably blind, cause i was referring to this chart but just didn"t saw the correct line. !!!

thanks again for ou help !

Doghouse_Oli · #9 11-12-2009, 07:50 AM

Thanks relacey for the tension chart,

One simple question for you guy's. I'm playing a full set of spiro solo tune down and my E string feel very floppy compared with the rest of the set when playin' hard.

I'm wondering if a Weich (soft) E would me a good replacement for my dying E string?

Thanks

hofner · #10 11-12-2009, 11:30 PM

Could match probably.... i played few times on spiro weich since i started this thread and didn'ti found a so "big" difference between weich and solo gauges...

Howewer, for long slap sessions, i came back to my silverslaps, more easy and fingers friendly strings...Spiro are too thin and tend to cut or hurt fingers while slapping imho...

PaulKing · #11 11-13-2009, 04:02 AM

Hey hofner.
You might want to try Innovation Braided Solos. They've the same braided perlon core as Silver slaps, but wrapped in a smooth metal winding.

Tuned down to concert pitch they play very much like Silver Slaps. Maybe tension is slightly higher, but they are thicker than Spiro Weichs, have more sustain and complexity of tone than Silverslaps, AND they are easy to slap.

They are not as bright, or quite as loud as Spiros. But they are a very good compromise between platyability and slapping of Silverslaps, and the tone and sustain of Spiros.

There's a clip on youtube of me playing some somewhere... i'll post a link if you're interested.

PaulKing · #12 11-13-2009, 04:07 AM

ah here it is.
slappity

hofner · #13 11-13-2009, 10:53 AM

thanks for the tip..
I solved the problem for my two, or three, differents styles...
I bought a secon bass dedicated to jazz, pizz only.
Ok, not cheap otpion but it was time for me, as it was more and more hard to get "the" sound for both rab, and jazz, between strings, pu...and i got a nice one from a friend, so;..

moles · #14 11-13-2009, 02:34 PM

Sounds like a good solution

You probably would've spent that much on strings trying to find the set that would do it all.

hofner · #15 11-14-2009, 12:43 AM

right... thats what i did for many years...i tried numerous sets of strings, from WW to spiro, velvet, inno, etc, and never found a very versatile one... some are great in one style but not suitable for another.. When i play long rab sessions, i need low action strings, with a good round sound and slap...my best match is now E and A silverslaps and D and G gut. K&K preamp and FWF pu with fingerboard pu. I can have more clicky if needed, depending the rooms..
but all this gear is not very suitable for jazz sessions. My trio don't have any drummer, we play quite soft, not acoustically howewer.
and for this music, i really love the spiros.
so... i strung the new bass with them, added my old schertler stat b in the way that NUno used to (inverted), and i have the sound i want to hear for this stuff...