Olivs and Obligatos

Steve Ma · #1 06-26-2007, 06:20 PM

Been playing with Obligatos for about three years now and have been generally pleased. I've never played with gut strings and have been contemplating adding Olivs D & G to my Obligatos E & A. Has anyone tried this combo? Thanks.

Marcus Johnson · #2 06-26-2007, 06:57 PM

Yeah, and I loved it. I'd still be using it if I hadn't broken the Oliv G.

Obligatos were popular here for awhile, and then they seemed to fall out of favor. I put on some well-used ones from the string drawer when I installed some equally well-used Olivs on the D&G. Although they weren't quite as loud and complex as the Olivs, they worked very well on my bass. I recently used this setup on an album with Willie Nelson, and it's among the best recorded sounds I've ever had. It gave me a perfect balance of classic/modern tone that the project called for.

Now, I'd probably pair the Olivs with the new Evah Pirazzis, but the Oliv/Obli combo was a success for me.

Steve Ma · #3 07-16-2007, 10:21 AM

Ok, just installed new Oliv D & G strings on my bass. Here are my initial observations:

1) Considerably more flexible than the Obligatos. Don't know if they'll get more flexible over time.
2) Seems to have more volume than the G & D Obligatos
3) Good tonal match with the Obligatos A & E...definitely a softer hit than the G & D Obligatos.
4) Olivs don't seem to bow as well, but I may have to get use to them

I'll see how they work over the long run.

RShew · #4 07-16-2007, 03:19 PM

Hi Steve,

I hope you enjoy your Oliv's. I have been using them for years. Not matter what string I try, I always seem to come back to them. I am using Olivs on G and D and Evah Pirazzi's on E and A. I really like this combo. I used Obligato's on E and A for a while as well but the volume did not match across all four strings. I found that the Oliv's will tighten up as they are on your bass a little longer. Right out of the package they are always a little more "squishy." I think you will like them arco as well. I find that I have to lighten up on bow pressure and let the rosin work a little more. Otherwise the bow pressure can make the pitch drop a bit. I wonder if others have witnessed this. Good luck w/the new strings.

Marcus Johnson · #5 07-16-2007, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RShew

Hi Steve,

I find that I have to lighten up on bow pressure and let the rosin work a little more. Otherwise the bow pressure can make the pitch drop a bit. I wonder if others have witnessed this.

Little bit. Light pressure and a little more speed help a lot on Obligati. I've found them to be a really nice arco string.