I've come to the conclusion that I hate strings

hdiddy · #1 08-12-2010, 11:36 PM

Why?

Cuz after a year of fun enjoyment with my new bass, I start wondering about the greener grass. I was thinking "I'd like something with a more rounder fuller sound". "More punch, easier arco", "Something not so dark" Etc. etc.

So I blow two hours going through old strings: Chromesteels, Dominants, Helicore Hybrids, Heritages... etc. etc.

And after two hours, there it is... "full sound", "nice arco", "punch", "not too dark".

The same exact set of Spiro Mit's & Stark E that I've had for months - same strings I started with.

Razzum frazzum...

moles · #2 08-12-2010, 11:54 PM

JtheJazzMan · #3 08-13-2010, 02:12 AM

Hey at least you didnt buy anything new to come to that conclusion?

Could be worse, you could be hooked on Eudoxas.

bejoyous · #4 08-13-2010, 07:02 AM

Soon Uncle Toad will be here to say, "I told you so."

KUNGfuSHERIFF · #5 08-13-2010, 09:02 AM

Same here. I'm a noob, and last night did my first rehearsal on the unamplified upright, which is an oldish German shop ply I had strung with Helicore Hybrid mediums. The strings sound nice and fairly loud at home but sucked on the gig. I got completely drowned out by one electric piano and a childrens' chorus. Embarrassing.

I came home and yanked off the Helicores, wiped some rubbing alcohol on the ancient Spiro Mittels that were on the bass when I bought it this spring, and whammo! Presence! Mind you, these strings are ancient. The last person to lay finger to string before I bought the bass in May died in 2003 and probably hadn't changed strings in years before that. They're literally crusty, and smell bad. And they still killed the relatively fresh D'Addarios.

hdiddy · #6 08-13-2010, 09:07 AM

Lots of people say that ancient spiros are some of the best. To the point where it's the older, the crustier, the better.

kmanley_29649 · #7 08-13-2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Lots of people say that ancient spiros are some of the best. To the point where it's the older, the crustier, the better.

I've never played Spiros before, but that's exactly how I feel about the D'Addarios on my slab. I've been playing the same set for at least seven years. I kind of feel that way about Obligatos, too, but the set I have isn't too old, and may be starting to dull.

KUNGfuSHERIFF · #8 08-13-2010, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Lots of people say that ancient spiros are some of the best. To the point where it's the older, the crustier, the better.

Even when they look like they just came out of a deep fryer? Seriously. These things are nasty.

phillipkregg · #9 08-13-2010, 10:18 AM

I think stringless basses are the way of the future.

Andrew McGregor · #10 08-13-2010, 05:26 PM

Spiros are made of bronze and various of those jet engine alloys that lie in the grey area between stainless steel and nickel coin metal.

Point is, they can't possibly rust. So you can clean them by taking them off, coiling them up, and bunging them in a pot of boiling water for half an hour. Keep them somewhere warm to hot for a few hours to dry, and they should be fine. They get back some of their new brightness if you do this, but if you don't like that, don't worry, it doesn't last long.

drurb · #11 08-13-2010, 05:57 PM

Yup, I'm one of those who came all the way back around to Spiro mitts. All in all, over all the years, they're the second best string I've used.^*

^*You can figure out what #1 was. Also, I think I might take Doms over Spiros but, on my bass, they had breakage issues.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #12 08-13-2010, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

...Spiro mitts.... All in all, over all the years, they're the second best string I've used.

Me too.

bribass · #13 08-13-2010, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew McGregor

Spiros are made of bronze and various of those jet engine alloys that lie in the grey area between stainless steel and nickel coin metal.

Point is, they can't possibly rust. So you can clean them by taking them off, coiling them up, and bunging them in a pot of boiling water for half an hour. Keep them somewhere warm to hot for a few hours to dry, and they should be fine. They get back some of their new brightness if you do this, but if you don't like that, don't worry, it doesn't last long.

For years I've done this to put new life into old Spiros and Superflexibles. I do the same process, but I throw in a tablespoon or two of liquid dish washing detergent into the water. After it comes to a boil simmer for maybe up to an hour making sure not let the slightly soapy water boil over. You may wanna open a window. String broth is not the best smelling

stuff.Then after cooling, I wipe the the crud off w/ clean paper towels. I put the string inside a p towel and pull thru the entire length of the string between my clamped thumb and forefinger while curling the string in a bit of an arch to get the crud from between the windings. I repeat this until I see no dirt wiping onto the paper any longer. Sometimes I'll use a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol on the paper towel. They'll seem almost new, but not as bright for a time for maybe a couple of weeks.

drurb · #14 08-14-2010, 08:16 AM

I wipe down my strings after every use and at every break on a gig. I've never had to resort to any of the extreme crud removal processes. At most, a bit of alcohol would do. I'm not saying that the boiling technique is not useful-- just that it can be avoided by constant care along the way.

Uncletoad · #15 08-14-2010, 09:46 AM

I'm a pig. I don't clean or wipe or do anything. I play and put the bass away. I think my spiros sound better with a bunch of gunk on them.

As you all know I like lots of different strings for lots of reasons, and hate them all for different ones.

So I play spiro mitts and make the best of it. I think I might be petering out on "I told you so". I couldn't listen to anyone telling me to practice and put down the string winder so why should I expect anyone else to.

My current teacher is an orchestral bassist. Her bass is a newer hand built bass that sound terrific. She's got a mix of Perms or Belcantos on it depending on her mood and the rig sounds huge. With the bow in a section, as she usually plays, they'd be perfect. Dark and rich. Makes my setup sound thin and bright. On my gigs her rig would be a swampy mess with so much howl and rumble you couldn't find a groove to save your life. I can tell she doesn't like my bass or my spirocores, although she's much to kind to say so. She really doesn't completely understand what I do with it. That's ok with me, she doesn't have to get it to be helpful.

MR PC · #16 08-14-2010, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Lots of people say that ancient spiros are some of the best. To the point where it's the older, the crustier, the better.

I recently installed D and G solo Spiro's from a set I used from '76 to '78 or so. They still sound and feel great over 30 years later. Better? I'm not sure I'd say that!

Mudfuzz · #17 08-14-2010, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Lots of people say that ancient spiros are some of the best. To the point where it's the older, the crustier, the better.

They still sound like siros....
I still have them on my EUB which I built in 04... I think I went seven years on a set of spiros on my bass before messing around with a few different strings [I blame here...] then I settled on Jagars almost four years ago...still have the same set on my bass.

Don Higdon · #18 08-19-2010, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Why?

Cuz after a year of fun enjoyment with my new bass, I start wondering about the greener grass. I was thinking "I'd like something with a more rounder fuller sound". "More punch, easier arco", "Something not so dark" Etc. etc.

So I blow two hours going through old strings: Chromesteels, Dominants, Helicore Hybrids, Heritages... etc. etc.

And after two hours, there it is... "full sound", "nice arco", "punch", "not too dark".

The same exact set of Spiro Mit's & Stark E that I've had for months - same strings I started with.

Razzum frazzum...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk6DPq2_c2M

Will Yager · #19 08-19-2010, 06:57 PM

I still haven't found any I can live with...

Square Bear · #20 08-19-2010, 07:13 PM

shouldn't you try strings for a couple days at least to see what you think of them? i mean, 4+ sets in two hours it's no wonder you ended up going back to what you started with... i really think you should let them settle in for more than 20 minutes before you make up your mind.