Dominants for orchestra

[Dr Rod]

I haven't played the heritage, so I can't compare them.

As far as comparing dominants to steel strings go, I found the transition to be totally painless. Due to their relative stiffness they feel very much like a steel string. They have a similar break-in period to other tomastik strings, with difficult bow response and you need to retune them often on the first few days. I just put a little rosin on the lower strings (sounds odd but it works).


The obligattos are a completely different story. They are much looser, especially the lower strings, and much softer sounding. They sound relatively good on the very first day and are in general much easier to control in terms of bow response. If your bow technique is not yet developed the obligattos will be much more forgiving, at the expense of volume and punch.
They will also require frequent tuning at the beginning.

I would say that the dominants have a lot more in common with steel strings than with the obligattos.

It is purely a matter of taste, but IMHO the dominants are a far better orchestral string.

[Mark Clout]

Originally Posted by jazzbassnerd

I am also wondering how the dominants feel compared to steel strings and other perlon core strings (Obligatos and Heritage, if you can be that specific).

Thanks

Hi JBN!

The Obligatos are very nice strings. Very user-friendly. Not as loud as the Dominants. I have to admit, I did not like the Dominants at first. I found them scratchy under the bow. Pizz was amazing. Now, after sticking though the Doms for over a month...they are excellent all round. Big, fat, warm sound, easy on the fingers. The Obligatos are nice...but the Dominants are nicer. My opinion only.

Mark

[bSharp]

I play mostly with the bow and just started using Dominants recently. On my bass, it appears to me that bearing down to hard on the bow chokes the strings. Putting to much weight on the bow seems to disrupt the slip-stick cycle and make the note sound labored. This is especially true of open strings and to a lesser extent the half position. Short staccato notes on open strings really take special care, particularly when executed using hooked bowing. I have had to become much more conscious of making subtle adjustments to bow weight and speed in these situations to get the notes to sound clear. Are any other of you Dominant string users are having similar experiences?

[Dr Rod]

I am a dominant orchestral player and haven't had those problems. Please take no offense for I mean this in a nice and constructive way: It seems like the dominants may have exposed certain weaknesses in your bow technique.

In general when applying extra pressure you have to change your bow placement, closer to the bridge but only a little, AND you need to adjust your bow speed as well. These are all very subtle adjustments (don't go a whole inch closer to the bridge).

Staccato needs a flexibility (not flabbiness) in your right arm and hand.

[jneuman]

Originally Posted by bSharp

Are any other of you Dominant string users are having similar experiences?

Yes. I recently switched back to Dominants. I've also been experimenting with Vari-cor and Oliv. I've mainly been using Flexocor family strings. The G string is as easy to bow as any string. The other strings require more care and practice to get a scratch-free sound. The open A is the hardest. It took me about a month to get back my spicatto, and I still havn't gotten back my Mozart stroke totally. As the strings settle down some, it's getting easier. One tip for getting a softer sound on repeated or sustained open strings is to lightly touch the string at the top nut to damp the non-harmonic vibrations. When I am warmed up though, all of this can be disregarded since the tone of these strings on my bass is the best, and I feel like I can play any style of music equally well on one bass for once which is nice. Versatility is one of the best attributes of Dominants. I would recomend them to anyone with a strong technique that plays a lot of different types of music, and needs a big unamplified sound. I don't feel the need to change my strings now which makes me happy since I can focus on practicing. I think you need to give them a couple of months of regular playing before deciding whether to keep them.
-Jon

[Al Smith]

My Dominants are on my bass (orchestra-arco) and I like them.
Everything written on this thread seems to be very accurate.

Thanks for your comments that made me interested enough to try these strings. The only way to figure out how strings will work on your bass is to try them$$.

I'm so happy I can't stop playing!

- Al Smith

[Dr Rod]

Glad to hear.

[bassplayer2]

Just a quick question from one who plays Mozart on a community orchestra- what is a Mozart stroke?

[Dr Rod]

depends who you ask

spicatto or

firm staccato or

half on half off

short and light

wrong thread though

[AMJBASS]

I like Dominants for arco, although, they do require more bow pressure. They are very warm sounding. If you are finding them scratchy, you might try putting Pirastro Flexocore D and G on. They are excellent arco strings(not so much pizz...)

[foilracer]

this is good to read a past post.....3 years ago I arrived at
Dominants for orchestra..... now, after using/liking bel canto strings, i experimented with my "leftovers"....now I have:

g = Dominant
D = Obligato
A = Evah P
low D = Dominant (E)

works fine ... my goal is to try/use ...Evah g and
Evah D....(1&2)

I think Evah's may be a new favorite arco string...

"evolution"!

[drurb]

Originally Posted by foilracer

this is good to read a past post.....3 years ago I arrived at
Dominants for orchestra..... now, after using/liking bel canto strings, i experimented with my "leftovers"....now I have:

g = Dominant
D = Obligato
A = Evah P
low D = Dominant (E)

works fine ... my goal is to try/use ...Evah g and
Evah D....(1&2)

I think Evah's may be a new favorite arco string...

"evolution"!

Why not go all the way? Try Evah weich G-D-A-E. Far better arco than Doms and great pizz.

[foilracer]

I am with you Drub... most of the way....g,d,A....all Evah....

now......the question I still wrestle with...(in the BACK of the
auditorium).....I have tried LOW D....stark spiro E, Dominant E,

Heavy Helicore (hybrid & orchestra E)......here is my question......

"which string for orchestra/arco LOW D?".......



(i agree i should try the Evah E tuned to low D) but,
any other suggestions...? Thanks!

[foilracer]

you know us young "kids" ...only paying attention to some details....

please accept my spelling error.....drurb.....

al bob...