Original Flexocor E

MilesC · #1 03-02-2008, 06:08 PM

Is it me or is the Original Flexocor E extremely weak? My teacher recommended that I buy Original Flexs for my bass, and in general I've noticed that as a set they have little volume, espacially the E. The other bassists in my section have Helicores, Belcantos and Permanents so I feel kinda downed out. Can any one suggest an E string that would work well with the Original Flexs?

JoeyNaeger · #2 03-02-2008, 07:34 PM

A medium or heavy gauge helicore orchestra would be my first suggestion. Many people also use the pirastro permanent E with the flexocores.

pat1151 · #3 03-02-2008, 07:56 PM

What kind of bass are you playing on? In my experience, Original Flex's do not work well on cheaper plywood instruments, but I've heard that they should be extremely powerful on a carved bass.

My suggestion for an alternative E would be the permanent, helicore, or even a Stark Spirocore E.

foilracer · #4 03-02-2008, 10:58 PM

I'll second the vote to try a stark spirocore "E". I bow 80% of the time (orchestra) and tune it to "D"...sounds good and works fine with the bow....

jlehmberg · #5 03-03-2008, 10:48 AM

I have the same issue. I've been using three orig. flex's and a helicore medium ext. E for several years now, but I'm less and less happy with the E. It punches great and the the extension notes are huge, but it's just too stiff to respond well to soft or cantibile playing. I talked to Orin O'Brien when the NY Phil was over here, and she said she uses Thomastik superflexible on the E. Anybody had good results with that? She also said that there's a difference between C strings and extended E strings. Is that true? I'd never heard of that.

greitzer · #6 03-08-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlehmberg

I have the same issue...I talked to Orin O'Brien when the NY Phil was over here, and she said she uses Thomastik superflexible on the E. Anybody had good results with that?...

The Superflexible is the only E string I ever liked on my bass. I recently put on a set of Belcantos but I am thinking of ditching the E and using the Superflexible E again. It's the only E that sings on my bass. All the others I've tried, just kinda choked.

Sol · #7 03-09-2008, 09:13 AM

I have a carved Shen bass acquired five years ago. The dealer (Bob Beerman) had Permanents (Jack Budrow recommended) on it. I liked the Permanents but eventually wanted to find strings that had a fuller sound. Tried and liked Helicore Orchestra until they seemed go dull. Next I tried a set of Evah Pirazzi and was very excited about the huge sound and easy bowing. After a while the sound of the G, especially in the upper register seemed a little plastic sounding and I noticed what seemed a limited dynamic range. The response seemed limited at the dynamic extremes. It was like the string could only get so loud or so quiet, would speak too much when I wanted ppp and too little on fff. I thought about trying Bel Canto. Then after reading Ken Smith’s lengthy reflections on Flexocor I tried a set. Truly a lovely sound to my ear, especially the higher positions on the G. I would call the sound a smooth and sonorous voice. But, less overall power and much more effort. Although enjoying the sound I was still frustrated. The physical demands of the low strings bothered me a lot (left hand pain). Out of frustration and seeking muscle relief I brought back the Evah E and A. I hoped the G and D Flex would not sound too weak next to the Evah E and A. I was absolutely surprised and delighted as to how well this combination works for me. The low Evahs are full and easy as expected. But unexpectedly the high Flexos are also full and easy with a very satisfying tone and very expressive dynamic range that is easy to control. Playing this combination really feels like singing now. I speculate that with a full set of Flexocor the overall relatively high tension on the bass had a damping effect on my instrument. This may explain why I experienced less overall power and much more effort with the full set of Flexocor. I won’t say the sound is 100% perfect but this mix is much better than either “pure” set.

Sol
Apex, NC

MilesC · #8 04-28-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sol

I brought back the Evah E and A. I hoped the G and D Flex would not sound too weak next to the Evah E and A. I was absolutely surprised and delighted as to how well this combination works for me. The low Evahs are full and easy as expected. But unexpectedly the high Flexos are also full and easy with a very satisfying tone and very expressive dynamic range that is easy to control.

So Original Flex. G/D work well with the Evah A/E?