Pirastro Flexicore

owen_liam · #1 09-04-2009, 01:24 PM

Hi there!

Can anyone give me the lowdown on Pirastro Flexicore strings? I'm a novice upright player and just bought a Stentor Conservatoire and the previous owner had had these strings put on them. They were a classical style player - playing mainly with the bow - whilst I am almost the exact opposite! I play almost exclusively with my fingers and am more from the jazz, soul and pop frame of mind - usually in an amplified situation when playing live.

Having very little frame of reference means that I can't decide whether to persist with these strings and work on getting the sound from my fingers and technique, or to get them changed to something that will lend themselves more to my playing.

Any advice gratefully received!
Liam.

reedo35 · #2 09-04-2009, 01:48 PM

There are Original Flexicores and Flex 92's, as they are called here. There main purpose is as an Arco String, and I think they work great under the Bow. As for pizz work, they have less sustain than other strings, but IMO, also have a nice warm tone. But if you are mainly a jazz Player, the Standard is Thomastiks, Spirocore or Weichs. I would reccomend you start your journey from there.

Gornick · #3 09-04-2009, 02:27 PM

I used Flex 92's for a stint and loved them as a very good hybrid string. The bow loved them. I think they work well for pizz too, but they are limited in many ways. They do have a nice mellow old-school quality to the pizz, almost the opposite end of the Spiro brightness spectrum.

I wouldn't rule out bowing as a player starting out, as others will note, your technique and intonation progress will love your bow! But the Spiros or Evah's are good for arco as well, with the Evah's being the easier of the two.

Welcome to the club, get ready to start laying some money down!

owen_liam · #4 09-04-2009, 03:06 PM

Thanks for that guys: very informative!

I do play around with the bow at home, but I'm not ready to unleash my bow on the world quite yet! Maybe one day...

I agree with the mellow quality of the Flexicores: I do quite like it, but I also miss a bit of the sustain that I've had from playing the basses of other players that I'm guessing have the more standard jazz strings on them. I may get some Spiros and put them on, keeping the Flexicores in a draw for when my tastes change!

Thanks again for the tips; it's true that moving into DB land from EB world seems to be saying hello to a life filled with expense and inconvenience! I love it!

Jake deVilliers · #5 09-07-2009, 12:46 PM

What colour are the silks at the tailpiece end?
If they're purple, they're the Original Flex which are purely orchestral, IMO. If they're maroon, they are the Flex '92s which are also orchestral IMO.

Thomastik Spirocore Weichs are great all-round strings for beginner and pro alike!

owen_liam · #6 09-07-2009, 01:11 PM

In that case, they are definitely Flex '92s! Thanks very much for your help and advice - it's so great to be able to tap into the experience of so many knowledgeable folks!

Jake: I looked at your site for the Bass Spa - looks like a fantastic place! Keep up the good work. Also, I visited your part of the world a few years ago and loved it - I'm jealous!