Animas G tension?? (and a dimwit theory on breakages ;)

liam_g · #1 03-28-2006, 02:41 PM

Hey, everyone,

Well, I'm stringing up the bass with Velvet Animas. The tension on the G string is Waaaaaaayyyyy higher than the tension on the D string!! Has anyone else experienced this? Do they even out any at all as they stretch and break in?

I'll leave 'em on for a few weeks and see what happens.

As for my dimwit theory on Velvet breakages ... I'm wondering if what Hammond Ashley told me about their experiencing consistent breakages has anything to do with those power winders attached to electric drills?? I put these strings on carefully, by hand, and I was just wondering how easy it might be to over-stress a string using an electric drill. I'm in no way accusing the Hammond Ashley techs of carelessness ... as I said, this is just a dimwit theory ...

All the best,
Liam

Uncletoad · #2 03-28-2006, 03:45 PM

That doesn't sound right. Are you sure you have the right string on the right note?

TroyK · #3 03-28-2006, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

That doesn't sound right. Are you sure you have the right string on the right note?

Yeah, it should be tuned to G. Check that.

**Freddels** · #4 03-28-2006, 05:57 PM

Look closely to ensure that you didn't switch the D and G strings. They look very similar.

liam_g · #5 03-28-2006, 06:07 PM

Sheesh ... I had the g and d strings reversed!!! They're nearly the same diameter, and I mistook the d for the g ...

Well ... hey, I tuned the D string all the way up to G and played it and left it there for hours, with no breakage ...

I have them reversed, and things are soooooooo much better now.

IDIOT!!!!!

Thanks, everyone.

Liam

TroyK · #6 03-28-2006, 06:24 PM

That's what's called an ID 10 T problem in the tech support world.

Glad it worked out for you. I'll look forward to hearing about how you like the strings.

Troy

ID 10 T
ID10T
IDIOT

;-)

Your word, not mine, buddy.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #7 03-28-2006, 08:20 PM

Andy Allen · #8 03-28-2006, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liam_g

Sheesh ... I had the g and d strings reversed!!! They're nearly the same diameter, and I mistook the d for the g ...
...

Thanks for taking one for the team, Liam

...I love learning from others' mistakes for a change.

Should I ever be brave enough to spend that kind of money on a set of strings at least I won't have to make that mistake for myself.

liam_g · #9 03-28-2006, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airbass

Thanks for taking one for the team, Liam

...I love learning from others' mistakes for a change.

Should I ever be brave enough to spend that kind of money on a set of strings at least I won't have to make that mistake for myself.

Heh, you're welcome. I'm just glad I figured it out ... err, actually, glad that Talkbassers figured it out for me ...

Yeah, they're expensive. I got them for nearly half off, as Hammond Ashley in Seattle is not carrying them anymore because of breakages. I'd have been hesitant to try them at full price ... but I'm really liking them so far.

Thanks!

Liam

TroyK · #10 03-28-2006, 09:39 PM

Liam did they say that they're not carrying Velvets anymore or that they're not carrying Animas anymore?

-tk

liam_g · #11 03-28-2006, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TroyK

Liam did they say that they're not carrying Velvets anymore or that they're not carrying Animas anymore?

-tk

No Velvets at all. Sad ... I'm really liking these strings. And I have an old 60's German plywood bass back home in Kentucky that I want to try Garbos on. Guess I'll be mail-ordering strings ...

Liam

Aleph5 · #12 03-29-2006, 11:05 AM

Do you think H-A still has stock at 1/2 off?

TroyK · #13 03-29-2006, 11:18 AM

I remember asking them about Velvets once and they said that they had trouble getting them, or that it took too long or something. I wonder if it was just a distribution thing.

Velvet's parent company, who's name escapes me at the moment, has a reputation of having amazing products, but very little marketing or even information available on them and kind of a old world European style of responsiveness. If you stop by their shop, they treat you like family, but if you send them an urgent email about an issue, you may or may not get a response. People who love their products find ways to deal with it, I think. All of that is not a first hand account on my part, though.

I've played a few sets of their strings on other people's basses briefly and they are intriguing. Hard to say if I liked them or not, just really interesting. There is a local guy who used some for a while and I thought his sound was outstanding, but I'm sure that there were a lot of things that influenced that (hands, technique, bass, setup, strings, pickup, amp). And, I'm bad about identifying which Velvet strings I'm looking at or playing, probably because the company isn't that good at marketing and data.

Intriguing, though. I'm anxious to see how you feel about them after some time goes by. I have a slightly used Anima G string waiting for it's turn in the rotation on my bass. I'll let everyone know when I get to it.

Marcus Johnson · #14 03-29-2006, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liam_g

Sheesh ... I had the g and d strings reversed!!! They're nearly the same diameter, and I mistook the d for the g ...

Well ... hey, I tuned the D string all the way up to G and played it and left it there for hours, with no breakage ...

I have them reversed, and things are soooooooo much better now.

IDIOT!!!!!

Thanks, everyone.

Liam

Don't be too hard on yourself, Liam...I've been using them for awhile, and I still have to get out my strongest reading glasses and the little installation booklet when I install them.

FWIW, Quinn Violins has always been really great at getting Animas to my door, very quickly and for a reasonable price.