Fellow bassists -
In 1997 and 1999 I solicited opinions from 2xbasslist bassists regarding strings -- let's face it, we all know that buying strings is an expensive hobby, and the more we can learn from each others' experience, the better off we are.
If you haven't seen it, or want to refresh your memories, it is posted at
http://www.bobthebassguy.com/dbstrings.html
All the opinions were very useful to me in finding strings suited to my needs and tastes, and I'd like to continue to pass on the favor to other bass players "in search of". This time around, though, I'm going to take advantage of technology and create a web page with a form that will make it easier for you to express your opinions, and hopefully easier for me to present them.
Before I create the new page, I'd like other players' opinions of the questions I'll include, to make sure they cover all the bases - after all, an incomplete opinion isn't worth much, especially if it creates more questions than answers.
Brand- (company, eg. D'Addario))
Type- (name of model eg. Helicore Orchestra)
Mfr. Weight or Gauge- (eg. medium)
Bass used to evaluate- (name or type, size, and carved or laminated)
Any special notes about bass- (dark sounding, etc.)
Tension- (subjective feel, asterisked and linked to them if actual figures are available elsewhere)
Tone- (these are not choices, just suggestive fodder: metallic, warm, dark, bright, muddy, thin-sounding, nasal, tubby, etc., as compared to....)
Arco- (these are not choices, just suggestive fodder: very bowable, not easy to bow, scratchy, smooth, etc., as compared to....)
Pizz Sustain- perhaps five choices from short to long?
Volume- perhaps five choices from loud to soft?
Experience with different strings- perhaps five choices from lots to very few?
Recommended for (1 to 5, 5 being the highest rating):
-Jazz
-Country/bluegrass
-Orchestral
-Rockabilly
-All around utility
General comments: (include comparisons to other strings if helpful)
This may even be too much in terms of questions, but I have to say from the last two surveys, well over half the responses weren't complete or the information didn't result in a definitive opinion -- in order for this to be of value to each other, the info must be complete and clear.
You may wish to reply privately to me at
bob@gollihur.com with your opinions of these questions with any suggestions for alterations, eliminating any question or anything I missed you deem important. This resource at
http://www.bobthebassguy.com/dbstrings.html has been heavily consulted over the past few years, and can be a valuable resource for a lot of players. I hope you will be interested in contributing your experience when the survey page is created.
