which E string for FCS A/D/G?

[Valis]

I play 50% pizzicato/50% arco... and I read the FCS E is pretty bad. I don't know what to choose, considering both tension and sound: Permanent, Jazzer or Spiro (mittel or weich?)...

Thanks for listening.

[Jake deVilliers]

You might find the Jazzer 'E' a better match arco-wise but really any of the three would work fine. Depending on the FCS tension on your bass, the Spiro Mittel might be a better match that way.

Let us know how it turns out!

[TroyK]

I agree with Jake for the most part.

First of all, i wouldn't assume that the FCS E won't work for you until you've tried it. Especially for arco. People do use them. I think the criticism is that it's sometimes a little softer in both feel and volume than people think it should be, but YMMV.

Of the strings you mentioned, in my experience, I would order them this way in terms of both tension (low-high), gauge (small - large) and arco-ability (easy to more challenging)

Spiro. Weich, Jazzer, Spiro Mittel

I used to use Perm E-D with a FCS G and it worked pretty well. Something tells me that the Perm E might be a little bit of a mismatch with the FCS A-G. It's heavier, stiffer and I think you'll find after a few months, darker.

There are probably some other good choices, but it depends on what you're going for sonically and if you want to err on the side of arco or pizz.

Someone will say Evah Pirazzi weich, which might work, but it will be darker in tone than the FCS around it.

I'm back to Jazzers after a few years on Spirocores and am really digging them.

Still, unless you've figured out that you can save considerable money by buying the FCS A, D and G individually vs a full set, I'd start with the FCS E. That's just me, though.

[MaxJohnson]

I use a full FCS set and can vouch that in the current set the E matches very well. I also have tried using a Permanent E, but prefer the FCS with the rest of the set. The Spiro E is quite a transition with the bow to the FCS, so I probably wouldn't recommend it.

[Valis]

Thanks for the detailed replies!...

I thought the FCS E would be too soft to play pizzicato and get a good sound... even though I dont know the exact tension, it's just from what I was reading here. Right now I'm using an Evah weich E and thats the softest I can go. Below that, my bass sounds very undefined.

Of course I need an E that blends well with the rest of the set both pizz and arco. So I understand how starting with the full set could be the best option...

[LouisF]

I used FCS on the Upton Deluxe Gary Karr hybrid for my performances in "The Double Bass" - the one man play I do. The E was fine, but not ground-shaking. I tried a Permanent E, which was warmer and maybe a little louder and then - don't laugh - I went to a Supersensitive Supreme E, which was a canon.

The string is LOUD - not warm, not subtle, just LOUD, which was exactly what I wanted in the theatre, but may not work for you.

Louis