I thought I had Spiro Mittles; another String ID thread

**Chef** · #1 10-08-2004, 04:56 PM

Let me preface this by saying I bought all these strings used here (thanks!).
I used to play what I thought were Spiro Weich. They were red on the bottom, red on the top, big nearly round steel balls. They measured .111, .082, .068, .049
Then I bought what I thought were Spiro Mittles, red on the bottom, purple on top, big nearly round steel balls.
When I pulled those off today to try something else, they measured .111, .080, .065, .053....or nearly identical! I thought Mittles were supposed to be fatter?
Maybe I need Starks, I want big fat strings!

**Francois Blais** · #2 10-08-2004, 06:03 PM

Red on top is Mittle.
Purple on top is Weich.
Yellow on top is Solo-tuning.

AMJBASS · #3 10-08-2004, 09:33 PM

Maybe you should stick with the Eurosonics. They are pretty big in diameter. The Starks are nice, but they do have a ton of tension. They are green at the peg.

**Chef** · #4 10-09-2004, 07:38 AM

Actually, I had mounted the eurosonics back up just before I wrote that.
So, I did have mittles on it seems...How come they aren't any fatter? What "makes them mittles?"

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #5 10-09-2004, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

Actually, I had mounted the eurosonics back up just before I wrote that.
So, I did have mittles on it seems...How come they aren't any fatter? What "makes them mittles?"

I haven't compared the thickness of the Weichs to the "Mittels", but the difference is in the tension. The Starks are thicker than any of the other Spiro strings - I even had to widen the slots in the tailpiece to get several of them through.

**Francois Blais** · #6 10-09-2004, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

So, I did have mittles on it seems...How come they aren't any fatter? What "makes them mittles?"

To achieve higher tension, the string has to have more mass.
To achieve that, the string maker can put more of a given material, or the same amount of another, more massive one.
For example, tungsten is heavier than copper.
That's why, for instance, Corelli 370's are so thin.

**Chef** · #7 10-10-2004, 07:16 AM

So Francois, you're saying that perhaps the Mittles have a core of a havier material? The outer wraps appear identical to me...Chirs, if you have a mocrometer, I'd be very curious to know how the Starks measure in thickness...

Of all the other strings I've tried, Euro U/L's measure 145, 110, 90, 65, and Labella (7710?) black tape wound measure 135, 100, 77, 65. The LaBell'as feel like they have more tension than the Euro's, which while not as floppay as guts, and still pretty loose. But the LaBellas were just too bright for my ear. Perhaps I needed to leave them on longer, but the Euro's are fatter anyway...

The Efrano guts which came on my DB originally (and I guess are responsible for why everything else just feels like guitar strings to me now) were fatter yet than the Euros. They were real flabby, and definately not a sound I liked. Nice for some things, though not enough sustain or cutting power for most things...

**Francois Blais** · #8 10-10-2004, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

So Francois, you're saying that perhaps the Mittles have a core of a havier material? The outer wraps appear identical to me...Chirs, if you have a mocrometer, I'd be very curious to know how the Starks measure in thickness...

Not the core, but the material between the core and the outer wrap, which, like you noticed, is the same for all strings of the same brand. (Spicorores in this case)
I think the Weichs may use a lighter material than the Mittels in order to achieve the same thickness at reduced tension.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #9 10-10-2004, 12:41 PM

I don't have a micrometer, so I have no idea what the actual measurements of the Starks are. Suffice to say, they're noticeably thicker than the Mittels, and have more tension. I plan on playing them until my hands can't handle them anymore.