spirocore d-string problem

Kristian · #1 05-26-2009, 02:55 AM

I just bought a new set of spirocore mittels(have never tried them before!)and they sound great.
The only problem is that it sounds like the d-string have another sound,especially a bit up the neck.
I´ve had them on for about 2weeks now and it has been better but you can still hear the difference in sound.
Anyone had the same problem?

Co. · #2 05-26-2009, 03:02 AM

Everybody has this problem. The Mittel D take a long time to lose it's edge. I'd just wait a few more week. If brightness is not the problem, it might be your board. What strings did you use before the Mittels?

Kristian · #3 05-26-2009, 03:32 AM

I´ve used:
flat-chromsteel,Chromcor,belcanto,jazzer,eudoxa,olive,g amut,helicore hybrid,corda,evah...
and some other strings that I can´t remember.

Peder Waern · #4 05-26-2009, 05:05 AM

Hejsan Kristian

I had a similair issue with the Spiro D string when I had them on. It mellowed out and blended pretty well with the rest of the set after awhile.

On the other hand as Co. said if brightness is not the problem then maybe it's a defect string?....

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #5 05-26-2009, 05:27 AM

New spiro D strings have a notorious nasal "boing" starting about a major 6th up the neck on that string and going up to the octave, more or less. More if your strings are set low and your board isn't perfect. It lessens over time.

Kristian · #6 05-26-2009, 06:00 AM

It´s the "boing"-sound I don´t like.
Do Weich and Stark also have this problem?
Thanks for the answers and hejsan Peder!

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #7 05-26-2009, 06:07 AM

I can't say about the Weich, but the Stark do the same thing. You just have to wait it out.

Marc Piane · #8 05-26-2009, 06:23 AM

I've tried both the Stark and Weich and yes they both do it. I think Chris made a very good point about string height though. To my ears the twang gets worse the lower you have the strings.

quenoil · #9 05-27-2009, 11:04 AM

I did get a false D string in a set of Weichs a month ago or so. If it doesn't start to settle down you may want to talk to the folks you bought it from about trading it out for another.

Bill Amatneek · #10 06-26-2009, 11:44 AM

I bought a set of Spirocore Mediums a few months ago. The D-string was noticeably, irrefutably DEAD. Vendor sent me another D-string. It too was DEAD.

I emailed Thomastik. They said, Send us the bad string, we'll send you a new D-string. By the time their D-string was received, the set had evened out in its deadness.

I've been using Spirocore Mediums for a quarter century. The set went dead very quickly. My suspicion, and it is only that, is that they went to a different vendor for their steel, perhaps in Asia. I'm hoping they got over that, or whatever caused this issue. This set was a major disappointment.

Anyone have similar Spirocore Mediums problems recently?

bassdude93003 · #11 06-26-2009, 01:11 PM

I noticed the same problem on my last set. I thought about sending it back but decided to wait. It's less noticeable now that the other strings have settled in but it really bugged me at first.

Kristian · #12 06-26-2009, 04:15 PM

Mine sounds a lot better now after a couple of weeks but it still sounds different then the other strings!
Have just ordered a "stark"-set, looking forward to compare the two sets!

Bijoux · #13 06-26-2009, 10:35 PM

I just got a new set of Mittells. I've had the old ones for about 4 years and I was very happy. the new ones do sound bright and nasal, although I have something to look forward to. I think that they sound great as they get older, and they last forever with no intonation problems. it's really hard to try something new!
anyway, I had forgotten... the D string comes with this little plastic wrap at the end... is that suppose to go over the bridge maybe, and calm down or maybe even it out with the other ones??? I forgot about that.

George Barris · #14 06-28-2009, 02:16 AM

I had a dud new medium D recently, replaced by Lemur after I sent it back. The old well used D which I put back on in the meantime was brighter than the new one.
Could this be yet another Thomastik supplier conspiracy theory?

fergus currie · #15 06-28-2009, 06:36 AM

Tomastik Spirocore D strings have always been problematic as far back as I can remember. I quickly found out that there is a cure. There is a rubber washer that should be in the packet too. If you didn't get one in the set ask the shop guy to find one or make one yourself out if a piece of old garden hose (that's what I did). It fits between the string and the bridge, with half the washer above and half the washer below the bridge. This has the effect of 'damping' the d string slightly and bringing it 'in-line' with the rest of the set. After a few weeks the washer should be taken off to see if the set has settled in, whereupon you can leave it off. Save the washer for the next time in your rosin/cloth/tuner/stringwinder/mute/nut-oil/meth bag and you'll never need a new one!
FC

Johnny L · #16 06-29-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bijoux

the D string comes with this little plastic wrap at the end... is that suppose to go over the bridge maybe, and calm down or maybe even it out with the other ones??? I forgot about that.

Depends on who you ask here. Personally, I would use it for the bridge...just as violinists do. But there's no rule I know of demanding one not use it where you want, or not using it at all.

Uncletoad · #17 06-30-2009, 02:19 AM

The intention of that sleeve is to protect the string as it bends over the G string Peg where it rubs against as the post. Many have used it as a "tone filter" which is really just changing your string height an imperceptible amount or changing the ramp on your bridge slightly.

fergus currie · #18 06-30-2009, 03:45 AM

The little plasic wrap thing sucks! It does very little to change the sound problem common with Toms D strings. The rubber washers have been stopped by Tomastik now but it was the most effective way to damp the string. The plastic tube thing can cause buzzing and if you have a problem related to bridge notch height you should go to a luthier and get him to insert a new piece of wood into the bridge and make a new notch.
FC

bassdude93003 · #19 06-30-2009, 09:00 AM

It's interesting that we have two separate problems here - a D string that is too active and one that is dead!

Tomasito · #20 06-30-2009, 10:13 AM

My bass, probably for a number of little conspiring reasons, always has a minutely choked, more 'dead' sounding A string. It's nothing major, but it's always most noticeable with Spirocores.

I think perhaps the strings might bring out setup issues a bit, particularly when you hear, or DON'T hear so much of that conspicuous 'boiiiiiinnnng' when they're new.