The search for the holy D and G strings!!! Any advice can help!

[gangsterska]

I have just tried the garbo d and g string on my bass .. and I don't know if you guys (or gals) own cats .. but put a cat in the back of your car and drive it to the vet ... do you hear that kind of deep gutural crying sound .. well thats the closest example I can give to explain the sound of these strings on my bass !!!! Now .. that being said .. there are many things I like about the strings .. the snap ... the low thud when you attack.. and the warmer less metallic sound .. but I miss the the focus of my obligato d and g strings ... is there any advice on a string which can find the middle ground between the garbo and the obligato?

[Uncletoad]

What else have you tried? What bass are you putting them on? Arco? Pizz? Styles?

Need more info to be helpful.

Perhaps filling out your profile may help everyone focus in on your specifics.

[gangsterska]

Thanks for the heads up on the profile .. new to the site ..

I haven't tried anything in the real gut area ever before .. strictly jazz pizz player ...1910 French bass ... check profile for rest ... basically I'm looking for strings that are steel wound without that thin metallic sound (spirocore, obligato, ect..) ... the obligato D string is not bad sounding whatsoever, but, I never seem to get the sound that I'm looking for .. the obligato g string is too physically thin .. and sounds shrill most of the time ..

I'm thinking of trying olivs... and I want to retry some of the d'addario hybrids as well (maybe the heavy set to try to get that thicker sound) .. but there are so many other choices .. d'addario orchestral, euxoda's .. so on so forth ... like I said earlier .. any advice on a nice middle ground between the obligatos and the Garbos would be greatly appreciated (before I spend 1000$ in my quest for the strings@!!!!!)....

Thanks so much

[Jeremy Allen]

Originally Posted by gangsterska

any advice on a nice middle ground between the obligatos and the Garbos would be greatly appreciated (before I spend 1000$ in my quest for the strings@!!!!!)....

Thanks so much

It's a quest many of us have been on. My answer (after spending well more than $1000...!) is Thomastik Dominants. Be warned, though--they can be a turn off if the action is too high (they're perfect on my one bass, but on the other the bridge in the lowest position is still kind of high and they're a drag on that one). I always recommend them to people who give the same criteria you mention--obligatos are not quite there, but something like Garbos is too far in the other direction.

You can find a ton of info on Dominants by searching here. You will find a good deal of discussion on how "breakable" they are, but don't get scared away by it. If you do the one thing Thomastik says not to do with these strings (letting the actual string get wound over the tuning peg when you install them), they'll break immediately. But I've had sets on and off of my basses multiple times, and they last a long time are really quite durable if you treat them right.

[gangsterska]

Thomastik Dominants ... thank you so much .. I'll take a closer look at some threads on here and check out there site .. and ask around .. thanks .. see thats a perfect example of a set of strings that I wouldn't have even thought about .. thanks ..

[TroyK]

Plain guts are something to try on someone else's bass first. It's a definite thing, if you like it, you can get your bass set up for them. If not, move on.

I have a bit of a personal bias against multi material strings (dominants, obligatos, wrapped gut, etc) which is not to say that I won't use them again. They can sound very good, but most have some degree of higher than all steel failure rate. Something I've not been willing to live with, but a lot of people are.

Try a heavy gauge Helicore Orchestra G string and see what you think. Maybe also a Flexicore. There are 2 strings that Pirastro calls Flexicore, so read some old post and make sure to get the ones that the jazz guys sometimes use. I really like them when I'm going through a darker phase. Medium was the right gauge for me, but some people use stark, which will be higher tension. Depends on your bass and your hands.

There are about 1 Million other options, but start there. Gut is a category. Steel arco strings are another. It will help you narrow your choices before you try every string on the market. If you like a G string, then try the matching D.

I've got an Anima G string that I could part with if you'd like to offer me something for it, PM me.

Good luck,

Troy

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by Jeremy Allen

It's a quest many of us have been on. My answer (after spending well more than $1000...!) is Thomastik Dominants.

I agree with this. A full set of Doms would be at the top of my list to try on that bass. They are like Obligatos on steroids.

Perhaps consider after that Pirastro Flatchromes or Permanants and Velvet Animas. All are interesting strings.

If your bass is darker you may like Corelli's or Spiro Weichs. They can be thin on many basses.

I hear very few Jazz Pizz folks that prefer pure arco strings like the Flexocor, Helicore, or the Belcanto but some like them quite a bit.

Ultimately you'll end up like most of the rest of us with a huge investment in strings you hate that sit in a drawer.

Report back on your findings.

[gangsterska]

Guys .. thank you so much for your advice .. I'll check the stores around to see if they have a dominant g and d string .. if not I'll have to order them .. as soon as I do I'll post my thoughts on them ...

p.s. its funny ... you gig like 5 nights a week for like 7 years and only now do you realize you can really actually sound better if you want to .. lol

[Uncletoad]

Not sure about the Dominant top, Obligato bottom. The Dominants will be significantlly stiffer than the Obligatos and will probably kill them in volume and clarity.

To me there is more majic in the Dominant A/E than the D/G.

I'm biased though. I can't figure out why people like Obligatos in the first place.

[TroyK]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

I can't figure out why people like Obligatos in the first place.

Because they go great with their Rev Solos. :-)

[anonymous8547j7d7b]

Originally Posted by gangsterska

I have just tried the garbo d and g string on my bass .. and I don't know if you guys (or gals) own cats .. but put a cat in the back of your car and drive it to the vet ... do you hear that kind of deep gutural crying sound .. well thats the closest example I can give to explain the sound of these strings on my bass !!!! Now .. that being said .. there are many things I like about the strings .. the snap ... the low thud when you attack.. and the warmer less metallic sound .. but I miss the the focus of my obligato d and g strings ... is there any advice on a string which can find the middle ground between the garbo and the obligato?

Give the Garbos at least a week to settle in. The cat-like noise, I assume, is that kinda strange, almost metallic overtony response they have when you first install them. I didn't like it either so I emailed Velvet and got a really nice response from Mr Schertler himself. he said it was a feature of the strings which fades when they settle - which it did. They are the best strings I have ever used in many respects - but the tuning instability and the fact that it can be difficult to hear your own intonation on gigs with them (IME - I suspect if I upgraded from the mini-brute III to a full range hi-fi rig this problem would go away) switched me back onto spiro reds (the other best string ever). I'm pretty unsure how they would be as a mixed set - if you've only tried the d & g then you're missing out on a truly awesome room-shuddering a string.

[gangsterska]

I was planning on keeping them for another week before trying the dominants .. and your right .. that crying cat sound is going away ... I recorded yesterday with them .. and they (D and G Garbo) sounded really good .. nice and warm .. then we played back the recording form the last session where I had my D and G obligatos on .. and I had almost forgotten how they actually sounded! They were so focused and in tune yet metallic sounding and thin .. grrr .. I'll keep trying these out for a week .. thanks for the info ...

[martinc]

Spirocore Weichs. Good way to start your quest. Many people, including me, aways seem to come back to them after trying other strings.
The Weichs are one of the few string brands that seem to sound fine on most basses.
Good luck.

[TimoMetzemakers]

Originally Posted by gangsterska

.. and your right .. that crying cat sound is going away

To my ears, new Garbos and Animas have a piano-ish sound... It takes around a month to go away, you just have to give the strings some time (preferably more than a week).

My cats do make strange sounds, however. The feline vocal insubordination usually occurs when I attempt Body And Soul, arco.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by TimoMetzemakers

To my ears, new Garbos and Animas have a piano-ish sound... It takes around a month to go away, you just have to give the strings some time (preferably more than a week).

Same here... and then they get just astoundingly full and loud in my experience. They take a little more patience at the outset, but the payback is really worth it.

[TroyK]

Originally Posted by martinc

Spirocore Weichs. Good way to start your quest. Many people, including me, aways seem to come back to them after trying other strings.

No offense, but I think is terrible advice for someone who is looking for that "Paul Chambers sound". Weiches are very popular strings for jazz, but they are about as far away from thuddy, unwound gut as you can get. If I were comparing strings, especially D and G strings, I would draw a continuim with weiches on one end of the sound spectrum and plain gut on the other and then talk about where everything in between fell. Not just sound, but also diameter and feel. Totally different.

If plain gut is associated with Paul Chambers then weiches are associated with say George Mraz. He's a fine bassist, if you want your tone to sound like that, then go that way, but if you're going for old school gut, weiches are the last thing I'd try.

Were you trying to answer his question or just name your favorite strings?

[martinc]

Originally Posted by TroyK

No offense, but I think is terrible advice for someone who is looking for that "Paul Chambers sound". Weiches are very popular strings for jazz, but they are about as far away from thuddy, unwound gut as you can get. If I were comparing strings, especially D and G strings, I would draw a continuim with weiches on one end of the sound spectrum and plain gut on the other and then talk about where everything in between fell. Not just sound, but also diameter and feel. Totally different.

If plain gut is associated with Paul Chambers then weiches are associated with say George Mraz. He's a fine bassist, if you want your tone to sound like that, then go that way, but if you're going for old school gut, weiches are the last thing I'd try.Were you trying to answer his question or just name your favorite strings?

Troy:

Oops. I thought he originally said D and A. But "terrible advice etc"? I don't think so...other than the nasally Weich G Jazz player Uncle Toad suggested them in an earlier post. After Weichs have been on for a short while (we are talking about the D, A and E here they become very solid sounding, depending on the bass. Excellent jazz string I would think.
And no...they are not my favourite string. Right now I have a mixture of Pyramid solos with a Spirocore Orchestra E. I love the gut sound. Its in my head. But I got tired of the unravelling and expense. I can live with the Weichs
or the Solos as a substitute on my Eberle better than Obligato's, or Dominants.
Maybe you did not like Weichs on your bass but many others do. They are worth a shot (with another G) because they are very popular....which is all I was suggesting.

[gangsterska]

I like the heat in this forum!!! ... so longer then a week you say .. the funny thing is I have all these concert gigs in the next while .. I've done a few concerts with them already .. and I keep apologizing afterwards .. and explaining that I'm trying a new thing .. but no one ever notices!!! Isn't that funny .. no one is actually listening to us guys!!!! ... Joking aside ... its been giving my playing a different approach (higher action ect...) and I'm starting to hear the strings break in .. I've had the D on awhile before the G .. and I'm starting to really like that big D baby .. anyways .. I'll try it out for a few more weeks then .. as long as no one is noticing .. I might as well try!!! .. thanks for your posts guys ...

[Andy Allen]

Also I think that a lot of that zing you are hearing is reaching you directly from the strings and fingerboard, and not being projected by the body of the bass into the room. At least that was my experience with an Anima G.

Andy

[Uncletoad]

fwiw the Spiro Weich D and G are not my favorite strings for my DB. I mentioned them in the context of trying full sets of strings rather than just the D and G. I realize I didn't say that as well as I should have.

There are many people who like the sound of well broken in Weichs on their basses. I've played them on some basses and liked them. I like a fatter sound on my D and G, hence my preference for the Gut and the Belcanto on D and G.

Full sets sound different than partial and mixed stuff. Sometimes it works, many times it doesn't. I don't like discounting the time a stringmaker puts into gage and tension choices. So if you ask a general question I'd say try full sets of strings you think you might like first and then plug holes later if need be.

For example I didn't like the Dominant E string when I first came to it from Spirocores as I thought it was wimpy and I drove it to hard all night.

It ended up sounding huge when I got used to it, and now I prefer it over most other E strings.

So there is a "me getting used to it" factor that requires time in addition to the bass settling in time and the string settling in time that should be taken into account when evaluating strings.

I don't always honor that as you all well know.