Corelli Tungsten vs. Weich + Bow

SirFunk · #1 09-09-2005, 12:50 PM

Just a quick question here. Wondering if anyone has ever had these two strings on the same bass and how they compare for bowing. I really love the jazz sound of the Weich's, but i hear they suck for arco (which i have to do a lot of for school). I'm just wondering if they are WAY worse than the Corelli's (what i have now) If they are much worse i won't bother spending hte money, if they are just a bit worse, it might be worth a try.

Thanks,

TroyK · #2 09-09-2005, 02:11 PM

I can't really answer your question, but I will suggest trying to find a used set of Weichs from the list if you want to try them. Spirocores age more gracefully than most strings and your best bet is to try them. Even if someone just had one string on a shelf that you could put on your bass.

I'm currently using Spriocore Solos tuned down to orchestral pitch, which get compared to Weichs from time to time and I don't think they bow all that bad, on my bass and for my purposes.

I haven't tried Corellis.

chipsas · #3 09-09-2005, 02:19 PM

corellis are very thin and bright sounding strings.. but very easy to play..

for solo they are ok i guess.. but not for my taste though..

SirFunk · #4 09-09-2005, 02:37 PM

Yeah, I like the Corelli's for the most-part. I'm just interested in the Weich's since so many of my jazz favorites use them... I know my teacher uses them on his jazz bass, maybe he has an old set i can borrow/buy.. i'll ask him.

Also, I'm not too concerened with the orchestral sound.. I'm mostly concerened with solo classical stuff and jazz.

TroyK · #5 09-09-2005, 04:23 PM

Would your teacher let you drag your bow across his or her strings for a minute or two?

I'm not the most qualified to judge, but I can bow mine. I've seen people (including Ray Brown) bow solos on Spirocores. It's not impossible. I'm sure there are differences with the gauges, Weichs and Solos, I believe are easier than Mettiels.

Thomastik Superflexibles are an alternative. They are a compromise string. Not the best pizz string or the best arco string, but they wear and feel similar to Spirocores and are nicer under the bow.

Or if you teacher has one not on the bass, that would be the best test for you.

shwashwa · #6 09-09-2005, 07:38 PM

ive had both weich's and correlli's on my bass and i like the correlli's better... i love how they bow and pizz. the bowing is very easy actually... like butter with a nice smooth tone, and the pizz is loud and full with lots of sustain... to hear the pizz sound go to the talkbass sampler page and listen to my samples. (steve swanson) the ballade would be good to listen to first to hear the fullness and sustain of the notes, and there is a swing tune there too. both have bass solos in them. that's a kolstien bass with correlli's and a mic, nothing else. let me know what you think.

SirFunk · #7 09-09-2005, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shwashwa

ive had both weich's and correlli's on my bass and i like the correlli's better... i love how they bow and pizz. the bowing is very easy actually... like butter with a nice smooth tone, and the pizz is loud and full with lots of sustain... to hear the pizz sound go to the talkbass sampler page and listen to my samples. (steve swanson) the ballade would be good to listen to first to hear the fullness and sustain of the notes, and there is a swing tune there too. both have bass solos in them. that's a kolstien bass with correlli's and a mic, nothing else. let me know what you think.

Yeah.. how do the Weich's compare though.. I have corelli's now.. I'm thinking about getting Weich's instead.

shwashwa · #8 09-09-2005, 09:48 PM

if bowing is your concern, i'd stay with the correlli's. the weich's dont even come close... i've bowed all 3 gauges of correlli's and they're all good, the mediums, (which are the lightest) are good for arco solo work... after they break in they're soft under the bow and very mellow.. you can get them started without even trying. for me, the weichs were kind of scratchy, especially if you're trying to play intracate stuff like bottesini and such. for cranking out some slower passages they may be fine... i like to work on solo arco stuff, so i have the medium's on my bass, and from the recording, you can hear that they're still a very full pizz string. most people think they wouldnt be because of the gauge. so to answer you, i'm not sure which gauge correlli you have, but all 3 were better under the bow for me than weich's and all 3 still had favorable pizz qualities as well. the medium's were the easiest.