help with string decision

someguy0105 · #1 07-01-2007, 07:36 PM

I'm going to admit that i know next to nothing about DB's. i basically taught myself how to play with no BG background and Ive been playing for about 6 months. Right now Ive got labella 7710's on my '66 kay s-1 but I'm not exactly happy with the sound and reviews on them for arco. I'm using the schools bass but i am planning on buying a hybrid hawkes and am wondering what strings i should get with it. i play mainly pizz but want to do some arco. right now my choice is the UB blacks.

does anybody know if they are any different from the labella's and what strings do you recommend?

Bobby King · #2 07-01-2007, 10:33 PM

Stay away from those black strings if you want to do any arco. Nylon wrapping is very non- arco-friendly.

There are many good hybrid or steel strings you could try. Synthetic core strings like Pirastro Obligato or Thomastik Dominant are good for both pizz and arco. Steels like Spirocore, Superflexible and Helicore are all good strings. The Velvet Animas have a great pizz sound and are bowable. There's a million choices.

Thomastik Spirocore are probably one of the most popular strings. They are great for pizz, a little scratchy for arco but definitely bowable and the scratch goes away some as they age. They last a long time too.

someguy0105 · #3 07-01-2007, 10:45 PM

Can I get a little background on the Animas? Maybe a website...

Bajoloco · #4 07-02-2007, 01:13 AM

Heres a link for the website, I have heard quite a lot of good things about these strings; a bit on the pricey side though.

www.velvetstrings.com

I personally play the Pirastro Obligatos, I have tried D'Addarios and Thomastiks but the Obligatos fit all my needs (bowing and pizz) and the sound quality on my bass is perfect. Again this is my personal favorite, you'll find yours. Just do some research and get as much feedback as you can.

Nuno A. · #5 07-02-2007, 03:15 AM

The velvetstrings site is currently down due to problems with the server, if you want to know something email me at info@velvetstrings.com
thanks

Nuno

smbear · #6 07-15-2007, 05:40 PM

Bobby King mentioned the Pirastro Obligatos. I agree -- those are good strings for both pizz and arco. They have a soft, warm sound and are easy on the fingers (low tension). I play the LaBellas on my main bass and, yeah, you can't bow 'em. However, I like the big sound and the feel. I don't bow much, but I have my back-up bass set up with the Obligatos in case I get some arco work. Hope this helps.

Birdbass · #7 07-17-2007, 07:20 PM

I would recommend trying Helicore Hybrids - I have them on my older UB hybrid bass, (which is similar to the hybrid hawkes) and they sound great. Lots of low end and thump with pizz, and the arco tone is even and a little bit dark. I even convinced my teacher to try them out after he heard me playing them in a lesson! I've tried obligatos before, and they didn't seem to cut it for pizz. The E was useless!

Mark Perna · #8 07-17-2007, 07:40 PM

The frustrating (and interesting) thing with strings is they will sound different on different basses. One string will work great on one bass but not sound so good on another. Carved vs. plywood. Old vs. new. Your playing style will also heavily influence how the strings sound. Do you have a heavy touch or a light touch?

You really need to do the homework which is try a number of different strings and see what you like and what sounds good on your bass. Unfortunately, this is also an expensive proposition.

Others on here have given you a list of different strings. There are also plenty of long discussions on the boards of different strings. I'd suggest starting with some of the sticky topics like the Dominant thread and the Gut thread and read them all. Lots of comparisons of different strings are made. After reading a bunch of those, you'll probably be able to narrow down what you want to a couple of different types of strings. Pick the one you think you'll like the most and try them out. You need to give them at least a few days and preferably a few weeks to settle in before deciding if they're the string for you. Understand now that you'll never be satisfied and you'll always be looking for something better. I believe that saxophonists do this same thing with mouthpieces and reeds.

I've used Spirocore Mittels forever and because of what I read here on the boards, I tried replacing the Spiro G with a Dominant G and absolutely love the sound. Also as a result of reading the posts here, bought a Gamut Gut G and D and put them on my second bass (did that today so we'll see if it is as successful as the first experiment).

mark perna

greitzer · #9 07-31-2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdbass

I would recommend trying Helicore Hybrids...

Birdbass, how is the Hybrid E string? I have more trouble finding a good E string than any other, they all seem to be choked on my bass. Does the E speak clearly, and does it bow well?

44me · #10 08-08-2007, 11:17 AM

I bought a set of UB Blacks for my Hawkes hybrid a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely loved them for pizz. Great gut-like tone – just what I was looking for – with a feel that I adjusted to quickly. Unfortunately, I really need something I can bow too, and after nearly a week using Jade rosin (recommended by Upton as best with these strings), I couldn’t get them to bow acceptably on the G in thumb position. The other strings bowed OK, and the G was definitely usable in the lower positions. I don’t have enough experience to compare these to other nylon wrapped strings, but I do recommend them highly for pizz and occasional bowing. If you bow more than say 10-20% of the time, I don’t think this is the string for you.

cbird · #11 08-19-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Birdbass

I would recommend trying Helicore Hybrids - I have them on my older UB hybrid bass, (which is similar to the hybrid hawkes) and they sound great. Lots of low end and thump with pizz, and the arco tone is even and a little bit dark. I even convinced my teacher to try them out after he heard me playing them in a lesson! I've tried obligatos before, and they didn't seem to cut it for pizz. The E was useless!

+1 I'm currently digging the sound of the helicore hybrids on my upton hawkes hybrid. Tried Dominants, which kept breaking (despite me taking all the precautions discussed here in the talkbass forums), and Obligatos, which were nice but the E completely disappeared in the mix when playing with a band. The helicore E initially lacked some oomph, but it seems to be warming up the longer it's on the bass.