arco strings?

[Corbsterj11]

hi, this is my first time buying new strings for my bass and i'm going to college next year where i'll be playing mostly arco but i'll still be playing some jazz. i'm looking for a set of strings that bow really nicely and arent too loose with the tension but aren't extreamly taught eighter and have a nice dark sound. any suggestions?

[Jake]

I suggest Thomastic Bel Cantos

[JtheJazzMan]

Yep sounds like Belcantos are the go.

[damonsmith]

I played a borrowed bass with Belcantos recently and they were nice for arco and pizz. They were really easy and singing with the bow.

[MIKMAN]

Obviously the Belcantos are an excellent choice. Another suggestion could be the Helicore Orchestrals Medium, as a cheaper alternative (actually half priced).

[Les Fret]

Are the Belcantos completely from steel? I ask this because I also use a magnetic pickup from time to time and I am thinking of changing my Spiricore weichs (although I like them very much for pizz!).

How are the Belcantos for jazz pizz? do they have lots of sustain or not?

[Eric Swanson]

+1 on the Belcantos.

The actual pizz sustain is good. They do "growl" quite a bit less than Spirocores; its a different, darker pizz sound.

[MIKMAN]

Usually strings made for mainly arco work give a dark pizz sound.

[TroyK]

I really like Flexocores (the ones with the red silks). Very dark, all steel, but have a suppleness that most steel strings don't some how. Sound great for jazz, but tend to get lost in the mix. Don't have the bright timbre of jazz strings. If I was mostly playing arco, but doing a bit of jazz here and there, they would be my first choice.

No disrespect to Belcantos, I touched a set once, but don't have enough experience with them to really have an opinion.