Need string suggestions

**Adrian Cho** · #1 09-22-2004, 02:34 PM

So, I'm thinking about giving up gut strings entirely on the basis that I could really get more out of my new bass with a higher tension string.

I'm looking for a non-gut string with:

- lots of volume

- higher tension than gut (the bass was pleasingly loud with Spirocores on it)

- gut-like tone (dark), sustain (not too long), and gauge (not too thin)

- good for pizz and arco

Original Flexocors are one possible thought. Any others?

Thanks

Adrian

**Francois Blais** · #2 09-22-2004, 06:05 PM

Although I don't like them myself; Obligatos?

Jargar Fortes

Kolstein Varicores

precision61 · #3 09-22-2004, 07:07 PM

I am with Francios:
Kolstein Varicor

And more choice, Supersensitive Sensicore; This strings get close to Obligatos without Rolling on A and E.

Pongsak
Bangkok, Thailand

Wil Davis · #4 09-22-2004, 08:04 PM

I would have suggested Obligatos, but I thought you'd already tried them, and thought they were too loose. Obligatos don't like being taken off and on repleatedly - their windings tend to come undone…

I have La Bella 7710s on one of my basses - I'm finding that their sound is growing on me, especially once their "brightness" has toned down a bit. Lousy for arco, although people tell me there are ways of playing arco on them without buying a special bow.

I have the other bass strung with La Bella 7720s at the moment - these are similar to the 7710s, but without the nylon covering. They're much better for arco than the 7710s, but are still a bit "bright" - they've only been on a week or so, so perhaps they'll quieten down eventually.

- Wil

**Adrian Cho** · #5 09-22-2004, 08:53 PM

I have Obligatos on my other bass and at least on the bass, I find the G and D OK but the A and E not all that great. I haven't played arco a lot on them though but I am worried about all the rolling comments. Also, I've heard they don't last long if you really dig in a lot which is what I tend to do.

Someone else also suggest Original Flatchroms.

AMJBASS · #6 09-22-2004, 08:55 PM

Flatchromes are nice, but the E isn't good for Pizz at all.

Just a note on Flexocores...you are going to loose volume with them for Pizz. They are an orchestral string. My teacher had them on for a while, and after he put Obligatos on, his volume really increased.

ctxbass · #7 09-22-2004, 09:16 PM

quote:

"I'm looking for a non-gut string with:

- lots of volume

- higher tension than gut (the bass was pleasingly loud with Spirocores on it)

- gut-like tone (dark), sustain (not too long), and gauge (not too thin)" ......

I've been looking for those strings too since I like to keep my ply bass "outdoor friendly". I found that the synthetic strings can give a nice gut type attack, but the decay isn't at all like gut. I keep going back to Superflexibles. The sound is consistant from attack through decay. If you keep the action high enough, you won't get too much sustain.

I have been thinking about trying Flexocores to hear how they sound in comparison.

**Francois Blais** · #8 09-23-2004, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

Someone else also suggest Original Flatchroms.

In case you didn't know: Original Flatchromes and Original Flexocors are the same string. The former is selected with a closer tolerance range, at a slightly higher price.

**Francois Blais** · #9 09-23-2004, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Juras

Flatchromes are nice, but the E isn't good for Pizz at all.

Beware: there are Original Flatchromes and Flatchromes. They're a completely different beast

Quote:

Just a note on Flexocores...you are going to loose volume with them for Pizz. They are an orchestral string. My teacher had them on for a while, and after he put Obligatos on, his volume really increased.

Also depends on the way a particular instrument responds to the string load of a particular string brand... YMMV.

Heifetzbass · #10 09-23-2004, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francois

Beware: there are Original Flatchromes and Flatchromes. They're a completely different beast

Also depends on the way a particular instrument responds to the string load of a particular string brand... YMMV.

I don't know from Flatch-chromes, but flatchromes are the origninal eudoxas from what I understand.

BG

**Adrian Cho** · #11 09-23-2004, 07:38 AM

Thanks for your responses Francois. I assumed when Adrian made his comment about pizz on the E that he did NOT mean ORIGINAL Flatchroms. I also wasn't sure he was talking about ORIGINAL Flexocors either. Actually when I bought a bass from Adrian some years ago, he gave me a set of Flexocors on it, and I'm not sure whether they were Original Flexocors or not. It's definitely confusing if you are not precise with your references.

On the Quinn website it says that Flat Chroms (not Originals) are one of five rope core bass strings from Pirastro and that the Flat Chroms are the brightest tonally of these. I'm wondering if you know what tonal ranking is of the others. I assume the five are:

Jazzer
Original Flexocor
Original Flat Chrom
Flat Chrom
Flexocor

and that Spirocores (also rope core I believe) are brighter than any of them.

**Adrian Cho** · #12 09-23-2004, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heifetzbass

I don't know from Flatch-chromes, but flatchromes are the origninal eudoxas from what I understand.

BG

Yes the Quinn site says that original Flat Chroms were known as Eudoxa Steel.

**Francois Blais** · #13 09-23-2004, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heifetzbass

I don't know from Flatch-chromes, but flatchromes are the origninal eudoxas from what I understand.

BG

Nope.
What used to be Eudoxa steel is now called Original FlatChromesteel.
The (new) FlatChromesteels are a completely different string.

AMJBASS · #14 09-23-2004, 08:21 AM

I mean Original Flexocores. Not the new strings, or 92's. They are great with the bow, but a little lacking in Pizz.

**Francois Blais** · #15 09-23-2004, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

Thanks for your responses Francois. I assumed when Adrian made his comment about pizz on the E that he did NOT mean ORIGINAL Flatchroms. I also wasn't sure he was talking about ORIGINAL Flexocors either. Actually when I bought a bass from Adrian some years ago, he gave me a set of Flexocors on it, and I'm not sure whether they were Original Flexocors or not. It's definitely confusing if you are not precise with your references.

Check the silk thread color at the ball-end.
The Original Flexocors were purple, then became ruby at some point. (between mid-80's and 1992)
They then launched the new Flexocors, in 1992, keeping the ruby color, and sold the Original Flexocor with the purple silk...

Quote:

On the Quinn website it says that Flat Chroms (not Originals) are one of five rope core bass strings from Pirastro and that the Flat Chroms are the brightest tonally of these. I'm wondering if you know what tonal ranking is of the others. I assume the five are:

Jazzer
Original Flexocor
Original Flat Chrom
Flat Chrom
Flexocor

and that Spirocores (also rope core I believe) are brighter than any of them.

To me the brightest are the Jazzers, followed by the (new) FlatChromes.
The Spirocore use a variation of the classic steel rope-core.
The threads are thinner, and instead of being twisted in one direction only, are intertwined in a complex way.

**Francois Blais** · #16 09-23-2004, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Juras

I mean Original Flexocores. Not the new strings, or 92's. They are great with the bow, but a little lacking in Pizz.

I prefer the Originals.
Thick, fat tone. Less sustain, but I don't care.
I read here somewhere that it was best to use them on a matured bass to get the best out of them.

AMJBASS · #17 09-23-2004, 10:32 AM

Francois, do you think that the "new" Flexocore Thick would retain most of the thump and short sustain of the Mediums with more volume? I am tempted. I haven't tried any orchestral strings on the bass I am playing now. I think I have it narrowed down to Flexocore Thick, or Original Flexocore. I don't have any knowlege of the Jargars.

**Francois Blais** · #18 09-23-2004, 10:59 AM

The thick Flexocors (new ones but anyway the Originals are not available i gauges...) have more sustain then the Mediums, but not that much. You may find them quite stiff though.
The Original Flexocors cover a very wide span, tonally speaking.
The G is quite bright, while the E is very dark, and may sound muddy on an already dark-sounding bass. (speaking pizz of course)

The Jargars are the most gut-like steel string I know, and they're loaded with dampening stuff to cut the metallic edge, so they sound very warm, but quite thumpy too. Can sound very muddy on some basses...
Fortes are recommended for pizz playing, to get a brighter tone with more sustain, but also more stiffness, unfortunately...
The Dolces are thin enough for solo-tuning.

HTH!

AMJBASS · #19 09-23-2004, 11:02 AM

When I had my 1950's German bass, I had a problem with the new Flatchrome E. It was far too dark and didn't match the other strings at all. However, I am now looking for more of an old school quick decay. I need a lot of acoustic volume though. That is why I was considering the Flexocore Thick.

jimclark68 · #20 09-23-2004, 11:37 AM

Adrian, I was going to suggest Superflexibles, too. There's been some discussion of them recently in this forum. In a nutshell, they are darker than Spiros but still have good sustain, although it may be a little more than you are looking for. As with the Spiros, they start out bright, darken nicely, and last and last and last. They bow much easier than Spiros, although I feel their strength is primarily as a pizz string. They fall between Spiro weichs and mediums in terms of tension; the G is closer to weich, the E is closer to mediums.