Spirocores:D'addario/Thomastik??

danengland · #1 07-05-2007, 03:21 AM

I am thinking of changing strings as the current ones I have really burn my fingers and I keep getting blisters, and torn skin. The strings on my bass were on when I bought it 3 years ago, I think they are D'addario Spirocores. They are good for bowing and sound good for pizz too, but they are painful! Would Thomastik Spirocores be the same?? I still want similar tension for pizz and response with the bow. Any ideas?? I know very little about the different tensions etc..

TimoMetzemakers · #2 07-05-2007, 06:16 AM

Hi Dan,

There's no such thing as d'Addario Spirocores, because the "Spirocore" name belongs to Thomastik-Infeld. D'Addario makes Helicores. Could you describe the top and bottom silk ends of your current strings?

danengland · #3 07-05-2007, 06:27 AM

Hi
The silk windings on the top and bottom of the strings are red..Whats the difference between spirocores and helicores? Thanks for the help.

TimoMetzemakers · #4 07-05-2007, 06:38 AM

You have a set of Spirocores (the medium tension "Mittel" variety). Some people call them Spirocore Orchestras.

The difference between Spirocores and Helicores is that Spirocores are made by Thomastik, an Austrian company, and Helicores are made by d'Addario, an American company. They're competitors, it's as simple as that.

danengland · #5 07-05-2007, 08:47 AM

Ok, thanks. Its good to have established exactly what they are! Sorry to keep asking questions but do you think that the lower tension Spirocores would still burn the fingers as much as the Mittel variety?

MingusAmongUs · #6 07-05-2007, 09:53 AM

The red ends are Weichs, no?
There IS a difference between the two brands. As I understand it, the Spirocores are better suited to pizz playing, give a fatter tone, and have a higher tension, whereas the Heliocores are made to bridge the gap between pizz and arco. They sound better and/or make for easier playing/faster response for arco than the Spirocores.

That's my experience anyway, having recently (a year ago or so) switched from Spiro Weichs to Heliocores. The feel of the Helios is a little softer, and bowing is a little less of a chore, at the cost of a little of that low-end thump.

Uncletoad · #7 07-05-2007, 10:15 AM

The strings you have are excellent. Unless they are 10 years old or rusty they should be fine.

Your issue may be either setup or stamina. If you have been playing a long time the instrument may need attention. You can tear up your hands with spirocores if the setup is really off. See a luthier.

If you are just beginning to play the instrument get a teacher. They can help you with developing stamina.

If it's neither and you are looking to make a string change there are a huge amount of discussions in the Strings category here on TB. Start reading with the newbie links and then ask more specific questions here in this thread when they occur to you.

To answer your specific question, the Weich Spirocores are easier to play on a well set up bass than the Mittels. The cost is a different sound you may or may not like and a bit less volume on some basses.

Weichs have red ball ends and purple tuning key ends, Mittels have Red at both ends.

Easier to bow strings are "hybrid" strings. There are a bunch and they are all compromises. Read the threads on them and figure out which compromise you are willing to make.

Some examples are Thomastic Dominants, Pirastro Evah Parrazi, Pirastro Obligato, D'Addario Helicore Hybrid, Pirastro Flatchrome and more.

MingusAmongUs · #8 07-05-2007, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Weichs have red ball ends and purple tuning key ends, Mittels have Red at both ends.

Thanks for clearing that up, King of Poo!

Mark Perna · #9 07-05-2007, 11:33 AM

I'd like to offer a slightly different opinion on the lifespan of Spiros. I've been using Spiros for the last 10 years and I find they go kind of dead after about 6-9 months of hard playing depending on conditions. If I play a lot of gigs in high humidity they go faster. Low humidity, they last longer. They go dead gradually but a point comes where I'm pulling like crazy, frying my fingers and not getting much out of them. I replace them and the bass comes back to life and after they've broken in, they're easy to play, loud and sound great again.

Ten years ago, it took about 2-3 weeks to really break a set in. I think Thomastik changed their formula because they sound like a 2 week old set when I put them on now. They still take a good week to settle down though.

Be prepared, you'll probably be horrified when you put first put on a new set. They will sound very bright and thin. Play the crap out of them for a couple of hours and they'll start settling in. They will sound better each day for next week or two (depending on how much you play on them) until they've fully settled in. You will notice how much faster they respond right away though.

**Matthew Tucker** · #10 07-05-2007, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calivox

I've been using Spiros for the last 10 years and I find they go kind of dead after about 6-9 months

Have you tried detuning your "dead" strings overnight, eg: loosen the middle two right off till floppy then re-tune them in the morning or after a day or so. I find this brings back the brightness, I find the strings stay nice for quite a while afterwards. Alternate with the other two strings.

Mark Perna · #11 07-05-2007, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Have you tried detuning your "dead" strings overnight, eg: loosen the middle two right off till floppy then re-tune them in the morning or after a day or so. I find this brings back the brightness, I find the strings stay nice for quite a while afterwards. Alternate with the other two strings.

No I haven't. I'll give it a try when I next detect the strings going dead. My strings are relatively new right now so it'll be a while before they go dead. Depending on the humidity, I should be able to go until winter with the set as is. Thanks for the tip.