Original Flatchromes for Jazz?

Johnny L · #1 01-02-2009, 04:22 PM

I don't have a full set of these strings, just the G string...but it keeps up with the rest of my Spiros pretty well on pizz as far as I can tell, and it's a good arco string also.

Has anybody tried the rest of this set for jazz? How did you like it?

**Francois Blais** · #2 01-03-2009, 10:07 AM

The OFC G is indeed clear and singing.
The lower you go in the set, the thicker and muddier you get.
The D wouldn't even match well with the Spiros.

The (new) FlatChromes are another story though!
They're very good, except the E which, like most Pirastro E's, is kinda floppy and/or dead on arrival.

Johnny L · #3 01-03-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Francois Blais

The OFC G is indeed clear and singing.
The lower you go in the set, the thicker and muddier you get.
The D wouldn't even match well with the Spiros.

That's very interesting, that the set takes such a quick turn in the other direction.

Quote:

The (new) FlatChromes are another story though!
They're very good, except the E which, like most Pirastro E's, is kinda floppy and/or dead on arrival.

I've always liked having a spiro for my bottom string. I haven't tried the new flatchromes yet. I was having such a great time with the Thomastik and Corelli brands in searching for favorite hybrid strings...along with conducting 5ths tuning experiments...that I haven't spent any time with Pirastros in a long while.

Trying the original flatchrome G was on a whim from one of John Goldsby's books where he talked about it as a viable jazz string for bowing, and I'm really happy with it. I already knew it was a good bowing string, but the bright pizz sustain really knocked me back!

I'll try the new flatchromes next and see what happens. Have you compared them to the Permanents, Francois? If so, which did you like best?

**Francois Blais** · #4 01-03-2009, 01:52 PM

Well, to me the Permanents have a fuller tone.
There's still some brilliancy, but you get more fundamental.
The E is nice too.
However there's a dichotomy in this set: the treble strings are on the bright side, while the lower are on the darker side. (like Helicore orchestrals)
But they match nicely IMHO.
The tops are not too trebly nor the basses too bassy.

Phil Rowan · #5 01-03-2009, 01:52 PM

IME, the "new" Flatchromsteels were just a little too thin to produce a big jazz pizz (and classical pizz, for that matter) sound. For arco they were very cello like, and while I appreciated the low tension for jazz pizz, it made it impossible to really dig in for classical. I felt I was missing some low end.
I think the OFC D might work depending on the bass. I recently put some Permanents on (except for the E.. don't know if the issue is soundpost set up or the string) and have been enjoying them quite a bit for classical arco/pizz. They're a little thumpier for jazz playing, but by no means do I find them too dark or muddy. I guess the exception would be the E, but this is just for my bass.

Also, to go off what Francois just said.. The G is indeed a little bright, but I don't find the D so bad at all. I put a rubber tone filter on the G while it breaks in and darkens up a bit.

Johnny L · #6 01-03-2009, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Rowan

I put a rubber tone filter on the G while it breaks in and darkens up a bit.

The one that came with my OFC G string I put it on my spiro D string instead...didn't really know why it was in the package at the time, but I can see now putting it on the G if one is using the whole set.

Phil Rowan · #7 01-03-2009, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny L

The one that came with my OFC G string I put it on my spiro D string instead...didn't really know why it was in the package at the time, but I can see now putting it on the G if one is using the whole set.

New Spiro Ds and Gs could definitely use the tone filters. I wrote to Pirastro about a bright G and they sent me a bag full of the tone filter, free of charge.