Alsatian Queen post surgical string experiments.

[Uncletoad]

From the Spirocore from Birth to Death thread.

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

I'm getting the itch to do some string exploring again now with the new structure on the bass starting to sound like something cohesive.

I might break out the box and the string winder...

I did just that. Tried all kinds of stuff. I'm surprised at how different the bass responds then it did before. It's still got it's idiosyncrasies, especially on the G string but they are much more in check. Different strings make much more difference in both drastic and subtle ways.

I have concluded that I really like Spirocores for lots of stuff, that I have a love/hate relationship with the G/D but the E/A seem perennial to me. The E/A orch pizz and bow great in my styles and on my bass and they really have no competition.

D/G different story, especially under the bow. I tried a whole mess of stuff, and yes I stuck some Gamut Guts on there. Mine all have some miles on them so they weren't the best comparisons but I just can't hang with the arco tone of those things.

I tried all kinds of different Velvet strings. I've decided I really just don't like that copper thing, and the ones without that were really dull orchestral strings. The Blues G was an honorable mention string though. Very worthy on top of 3 spirocores.

The surprise standout for me was the Original Flatchrome G string. I liked it better than the weich G I was raving about earlier. It bows great. Sitting next to a Mittel D it wasn't to bad. I could go back there and may.

Flatchrome Steel or Flat Chromesteel whatever they are are very nice but not as nice as the Original Flatchrome to me.

Flexocor regular and stark both sound great but not really the blend I want with the Spirocore bottoms.

Belcanto D/G was good too but I liked the Original Flatchromes better both under the bow and pizz on that bass.

The Oliv G was far better than I remembered. What a beautiful sound. I had that on most of the time until yesterday when I noticed it had come apart just above the nut. Of course. It falls apart really quick from there and in the course of 24 hours it was unplayable. To be fair that string has been on and off several times and I'm certain that's not a good thing for non steel core strings.

It was so good in fact that I ordered a new one. I've not had one fresh out of the box ever so I thought, what the hell, I'm digging it and have never given that strings a proper go through.

The Oliv D is better than I remembered too. Under the bow it is superb and mixed with the Oliv G and year old Spiro Mittel A/E it blends very well. Pizz is clear and dark without the spiro bite or the plain gut D string thud. It's not quite as punchy or present as a spiro or even the Original Flatchrome but the blend across is very nice.

Acoustically.

I have been without gigs over much of the holiday so this may get flushed quick when I start playing out heavily again.

But at the moment I'm going to try to hang with the older Spiro E/A and Oliv D/G mix and see if I can work it. The arco is so much better and the acoustic tone of the bass is not that metallic clack thing that makes me nuts. It's not gut either which sounds great pizz but doesn't do arco like I want.

We shall see.

I'll probably hate it and be back to spiros in a week.

[anonymous02282011]

I've been a big fan of the oliv D and G for years. They sound fantastic acoustically, pizz and arco. They don't amplify as well as some other strings but they come damn close. Close enough for me.

I used the olives with spiro E/A for a while, but I've had Evahs on the bottom for the last 3 years or so.

I never could get over how bad the Spiro G sounded. It felt way too thin and bowed terribly. Back when I was using Spiros I always subbed out a pirastro for the G string.

What the sprios do they do well, but they bow like crap. You can get the same "mwah" growl from the Evahs with a little finesse and they catch the bow much better. It's not he the spiro growl; it's more subtle and I like it better.

IMO, IME, YMMV, etc


addition:


and if you thought the Olivs fall apart quickly check out the Eudoxas. They are the best sounding string after settling for a couple days but with continued bowing the wrapping starts coming apart. Really sucks, especially considering how expensive they are. The Olivs require some babying, but they do seem to last longer. I've had the D/G on my bass now for almost 2 years, but that's with minimal arco.

[Michael Case]

I'm using Spiros on the bottom and Olivs up top right now. Haven't done much gig wise, but did when I had them on last time and thought they worked well.

[Uncletoad]

I'd like to try the evahs on this bass again, especially the weichs but I'm not spending that bread yet again.

Eventually I find a used set or somebody will loan me some to try.

[Bobby King]

Originally Posted by adbass

and if you thought the Olivs fall apart quickly check out the Eudoxas. They are the best sounding string after settling for a couple days but with continued bowing the wrapping starts coming apart. Really sucks, especially considering how expensive they are. The Olivs require some babying, but they do seem to last longer. I've had the D/G on my bass now for almost 2 years, but that's with minimal arco.

I hate hearing this because Santa gave me a set of Eudoxas this year. I have them on now and really like them. The arco is wonderful. Did you find that all of them start to unwrap, or just the G? Were they on and off the bass a lot?

I have had Spiro Mittels on for the last few months and I've grown to like them quite a lot. Comparing them to the Eudoxas (haven't gigged on the Eudoxas yet) both have different + and -s. I can bow just fine on Spiros, but the Eudoxas are like butter, in particular, the lower strings start effortlessly. Pizz-wise, the Eudoxa D and G are great -- full, fat, no thud on the D. The E and A sound nice, but they have a somewhat slow response. In general, the Spiros have a faster response that I miss a bit. There is more clarity in the Spiro E and A, but then sometimes a little more sustain than I really want.

I could try using the Mittel E&A with the Eudoxa D&G, but then I would lose that great arco on the low end. If there's one string that ever gives me a little trouble starting, it's the Spiro A.

But if what you say is true about the Eudoxas durability, I may wind up with the Spiros back on before long. They sure sound good though, there's a great solid sound to each note, and they feel good under my fingers. Harder to play pizz than Spiros though.

[Fletcher Lanning]

A good friend of mine just experienced the same thing with Eudoxas. He'd been playing them for a relatively short while and the G was starting to come apart near the nut. Just throwing it out there.

[Uncletoad]

Keep us posted on the Eudoxa experience.

I had a Eudoxa E/A with Oliv D/G several years ago. Great sound. Didn't dig the E/A pizz. Lotta work. For me I want longer notes pizz. Big and round though.

Do you rember the Oliv D/G and could you compare them to the Eudoxa D/G?

[AMJBASS]

I have tried that setup as well(Eudoxa EA, Olive DG). Its nice, but as Phil said the sustain is a little low on the bottom. The E is a bit thuddy sounding. I love the Olive G, but the D I always found to sound great in the living room, and annoyed the heck out of me on the gig...

[Bobby King]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Keep us posted on the Eudoxa experience.

I had a Eudoxa E/A with Oliv D/G several years ago. Great sound. Didn't dig the E/A pizz. Lotta work. For me I want longer notes pizz. Big and round though.

Do you rember the Oliv D/G and could you compare them to the Eudoxa D/G?

Hey Phil!

I'd say the Olives and Eudoxas are pretty similar. The differences I notice are: the D&G are slightly narrower in diameter, a bit more tension, the D is not as overpowering and boomy, a little more edge, brightness and sustain. The Olive G is a great string, but I like the Eudoxa too. I definitely prefer the Eudoxa D.

I will have to see about the E&A. I agree with your opinion that they are a lot of work for pizz. Actually, the whole set is more work than Spiros, but the lower strings are in particular. Having played Spiros for a while now, I've experienced the least amount of hand fatigue, the most ease in playing, and the greatest tuning stability. However, there is a sound to the whole Eudoxa set that I like -- it's that full and solid tone that comes from gut, and the faster decay that seems to give a note definition. It also seems that many pizz notes come out clearer on the Eudoxa E. Maybe this is a tenison thing. The Spiro Mittel E is a little choked on my bass. Once again, the Eudoxa's arco sound and response is terrific, across the whole set.

The Eudoxas sound good at home through my Genz-Benz Shuttle amp. I recorded a few things with a mic too and they sound very nice. I've got two gigs on the road with Donna Ulisse next weekend and that should be a good test. Also, the bass will spend hours in a trailer and it's been cold here, so we'll see how much of a pain that is.

I will be pissed if these strings start separating. I've taken extra care to lubricate the bridge and nut slots -- even put a little candle wax in the bridge slots. Time will tell..

[Uncletoad]

I wonder if the Eudoxa D and Oliv G would pair well with Spiro mittel E/A?

I notice some funkiness with that Oliv D too and have yet to take it out on an amp gig....I'll know more tonight too.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

The Oliv G was far better than I remembered. What a beautiful sound. I had that on most of the time until yesterday when I noticed it had come apart just above the nut. Of course. It falls apart really quick from there and in the course of 24 hours it was unplayable. To be fair that string has been on and off several times and I'm certain that's not a good thing for non steel core strings.

It was so good in fact that I ordered a new one. I've not had one fresh out of the box ever so I thought, what the hell, I'm digging it and have never given that strings a proper go through.

...but then:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Conversely acoustically the Oliv projects, is clear and bows like mad. It usually sounds like a mud bath through the rig though. We'll see...

So, what's your current take on the Oliv G?

[Bobby King]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

I wonder if the Eudoxa D and Oliv G would pair well with Spiro mittel E/A?

I'm sure that would work just fine.

BTW, what is "Rass Hattur" ?

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by drurb

...but then:


So, what's your current take on the Oliv G?

Dunno yet.

The one I had came apart before I could get it on a gig and the new one has yet to arrive.

I really like the Oliv G, always have. In the past I struggled with it on gigs where the amp did all the work, but that was many years ago with another bass and different amplification.

On the Queen Arco it sings better than any other G that's been on it since the rebuild...until it came apart.

So I put a Stark Flex G on to get through the gig tonight. It's a known string for me and I like it fine when it's not paired with brand new spirocores. Stark Flex E, Oliv D Spiro Mitt A/E seems ok in the practice room but it's not a combo I'd suggest to anyone, and after that Oliv G arrives monday I'll be done with that combo.

I'll post more about that after I get some miles on them.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by Bobby King

I'm sure that would work just fine.

BTW, what is "Rass Hattur" ?

You missed the whole Ass Hat thread.

Pretty funny happenings around here several moons back.

I'll see if I can find it.

[anonymous02282011]

Couple things:

The Eudoxas are gut wrapped in silver.

The Olivs are gut wrapped in chrome steel.

Both are manufactured by Pirastro.

ok . . .now that that's settled . . .

I always thought the Eudoxas sounded better than the Olivs under the bow. It's been a while, but I think I felt they sounded more similar using natures amplifier.

Still, after the Eudoxas felt apart -- Yes, it was both the G and D string -- I was pretty ****ing pissed. Each string cost near a bucksaw and they only lasted a few months!

The Olives seem to last longer, but I've admittedly been scared of bowing them for fear they'll suffer the same fate as the Eudoxa. I've always felt bowing was good for the bass and the bass player in terms of resonance and technique/intonation, respectively, so having these strings has been an uncomfortable compromise.

I've got some old Olives on there now . . . around 2 years maybe? . . . . . anyway, I've recently started bowing like mad. Everyday, practicing studies from Nanny, Bille and Simandl. I couldn't take it anymore!

They seem to be holding up at this point.

If there was a way to keep Eudoxas from unwinding the way they did for me after a few months of regular use I'd always have a pair on the upper strings. They're the best IF you're going for a gutty kind of sound but want the modern luxuries of a non-gut string . . . like staying in tune.

[Uncletoad]

Oliv has some of that skinny silver wrapped under the flat chrome steel too. They have a thin layer of some kind of dampening under that, like cotton batting or something, and then a very nice plain gut core that is pretty thick. I didn't measure but it looks around .045" on the G. I took it apart after it came apart just to see what was in it. It's really just a well made gut string with some excellent steel and silver wrap.

[Eric Hochberg]

Phil, have you tried playing on the gut cores without the wrap? Is that possible?

[Marc Piane]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

I'd like to try the evahs on this bass again,

I did the Eudoxa thing. You won't like them. I though they amplified terribly.

[Uncletoad]

Well today I just got my new Oliv G and a fresh set of Spirocore Mittels. One way or another I wasted $100.

I'm a 2 time looser with Evahs. Bought and sold for a fraction of what I paid for them. I stopped selling strings just for this reason. I'm not gonna buy another set of those things just to remember why I hate them. Somebody send me their old set so i can remember and then pass them on. I'm tired of loosing money on this ****.

Also, I'm not taking off these Olivs until I'm sure I'm not going back....next week. Breaking a $100 string is painful when a full set of something else is not that much more bread and they never break.

Ken Smith just wrote me a gave me **** about my string thing. Reminded me that it's Spirocore and Flexocore...I'll never learn. Told me to stop playing with strings and go play in a community orchestra. Get some real chops.

He may be a prick but he's right.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by ehochberg

Phil, have you tried playing on the gut cores without the wrap? Is that possible?

Yea they call them plain guts. Not my thing these days...and I can't unwind all that stuff, I'll go nuts and shred my hands doing it.