Helicore Pizz Discussion Thread

[Violen]

Couldnt find one that was really very focused.

Lets make the following assumptions gentlemen:

1. We realize that sometimes there are bad strings out of the pack. Lets leave it at that.

2. Lots of people on here prefer other strings. Lets Discuss our experiences with Helicores.

3. We know the pizz ones can bow like crap. Lets skip talking bout this too.

4. After Reading my first post and questions here, Post BEFORE You read everyone elses. Lets get some information down for a few pages before we digress.

So here i go.

What are the thoughts on Pizz Helicores? Get the Heavy ones? get the Light ones? What are the characteristics you guys have experienced? Tone? Stiffness? Longevity? Tell us how they make your bass sound, or how you remember they make them sounding.

Lets get some meat and potatos in before the discussion hits.

[MIKMAN]

OK, I'll play!
First of all, IF you can find a set without any quality control problems, they are good strings. They have a good sustain, enough growl and their volume is the proper one. But in my case, i used to find a defective string in every second set and i found it rather annoying.
Second, they tend to last no more than a couple of years and then they produce an inferior sound. Their usual life span, assuming they are played normally, is around 20 months and i have confirmed it not only in one of my own basses but also discussing it with some of my students.
I am not going to discuss their bowing etc., you know all these facts. In my opinion they are in fact D'Addario's answer to Spiros and a decent one, albeit the Spiros last longer and their grow is the reference point. But please keep in mind the quality control problems.
Mike

[Pat Harris]

I've been using the Helicore Medium Pizz strings on my upright for the past 3 years. I had one "funky" set in that time period, but all the rest have been fine as far as quality. I typically only keep my strings on for a year at most, regardless of brand, so their longevity has not been an issue. I find that the tension of the medium set works really well on my bass.

I really like their sustain and the way that they "play-in." I also haven't had any issues bowing them. IMO, they respond a little better than Spiros, and IMO I think many players blame strings for not having a good arco tone.

For $100, they're a good investment in my book.

[MrSidecar]

Ok,

before taking off into my usual opinionated anti-Helicore rant ( ;-) ), bare facts, and I can only really speak for the hybrid and pizz variants, as my experience with their arco series is limited to a bass I had borrowed once during a repair:

Gauge-wise, their light is lighter than Spiro's Weich. Their medium is a bit less light than Spiro Weich. And so forth. Playing-wise, I was always comfortable with them, even though I felt their light to be almost too thin- you know, when it feels a little weird under the pizz hand. Oddly enough, they still didn't feel spongy, or flobby, just, ahem, too thin. They are certainly not (both light and medium) stiff.

Life-span is comparably short, and to me, quite peculiar: They settle really fast, lose the banjo brilliance after few hours (!), then stay virtually the same for about 11 months, and from one day to the next, they´re as dead as canned fish.

Bowability on all of them is ok, but I am not one to blame strings for it usually- it's a matter of getting used to.

Now, the opinionated part- In my very humble opinion, I don't see a single reason for me to use them. The hybrid string to me does nothing really well, neither pizz nor arco. The pizz string I found to be very bowable, but still, they were kind of uninteresting, not exceptionally great or even just great at anything. (well, in the US, that's matching their price, since they are rather easy on the wallet- not here in Europe, though).

Now,limited experience and all, but I kind of really liked their classical strings. Not only for bowing, but also for pizz. Not in the long run, as it is not what I would like to sound like always, but as a mellow alternative they seemed cool.

Best

Sidecar

[Violen]

Anyone Else?

[martinc]

Violen:

OK..I'll chime in here, even though my conclusions fall under your "assumptions". But I am not alone so sometimes you have to accept that perhaps your assumptions are enough to cause many people to spend their string money more wisely.
I have used D and A (read below for the A string comments) Helicore Pizz mediums on my Eberle ply..and on a 1936-37 King ply.
My thoughts based on the D string:
-not as ringy as Pirastro Jazzers, Spiro's or Spiro Weichs. Nice feel to them because of the tension.
- tone only so-so. Try a Spiro Weich or Jazzer right after the Helicore Pizz medium and you will hear the difference. The Helicore is dull-sounding and lacks the tone that is apparent in Spiro's and Jazzers. I ended up with the Helicore D next to a Jazzer A but the difference in sound, open and noted, was too great. The D just did not measure up.

Regarding the Helicore A...my first one was used and my comments about the D are also applicable. Then I bought a new A. When I installed it there was an awful buzz in the string. I got a replacement. Same thing. So I gave up. The D was OK.
Recently I thought I would try again and bought another Pizz Med A. I installed it and all I could get was buzz. Same problem as before.

Needless to say my attempts to use the A and D Pizz Mediums are now over. There are far too many people who have had buzzing and breakage problems with Helicore strings. I have never had a Spiro break or buzz. Nor any Corelli. Nor any Pirastro.
So I would say your first two "assumptions" tell the story about these Helicore Pizz strings. Your assumption "2" likely explains assumption "1".
The Helicore problems in my experience, over-ride any benefits they may provide in areas such as tension and sound.

[Pat Harris]

Well, I think this thread may have jinxed me. I put on a new set of Helicore Medium Pizz strings about a month ago, and the D just broke the other day. It broke in the middle of the fingerboard, not the bridge or the nut. The A and E don't have the "oomph" of the last set I had, either.

Is this part of the quality control complaints? I'm thinking about going back to Spirocore Solos in standard tuning.