String Identification?

mattfong · #1 03-01-2008, 11:24 AM

So my bass came with a bunch of different strings on it. The E is a Spiro, the G is a Dominant, and the A and D, I'm not sure.

Steve at Heinl's told me that they were made in Switzerland and are about $600 a set

but didn't actually tell me the brand or anything. They are purple on the ends, and theres no ball, theres a sort of loop you have to put the string through after wrapping it through the bridge (kind of like a slip knot) and I'm pretty sure they're arco strings.

Anyone know what these are?

Thanks!

**Francois Blais** · #2 03-02-2008, 08:55 PM

Velvets.

mattfong · #3 03-02-2008, 09:06 PM

Francois, aren't velvets more jazz inclined? As far as I know these are for arco. As well, I mentioned Velvets to Steve and he had never heard of them.

Then again, the pictures on the Velvet website seem to match the end, other than the colour. The pics are small though, so its hard to tell.

**Francois Blais** · #4 03-02-2008, 09:41 PM

Do you have a pic?
I don't know of any other swiss made strings at $600 a set than velvets!

TimoMetzemakers · #5 03-03-2008, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattfong

Then again, the pictures on the Velvet website seem to match the end, other than the colour. The pics are small though, so its hard to tell.

This document has better pictures: http://www.lnrmusic.com/images/velvetdetail.pdf

The strings could be an old version of Compas 180s, but IIRC those had gold loop ends. Nuno A. should be able to provide more information, maybe he'll chime in.

Nuno A. · #6 03-03-2008, 02:46 AM

600$ a set? There was never a set of Velvet strings that costed 600$, maybe in the past somebody ordered golden strings?

the most expensive set of Velvets (price list-which is not really the street price as this is always lower) is the compas 180 V tuning that cost 442$, price list for Garbo and Anima is $317 , and you can find these strings cheaper on the net. prices aside, i would like to see some pictures, the V tuning set has purple ends on one side and black on the other, if you could post pictures it would help a lot, i can show the pictures to the owner and see if its an old model, etc
thanks

Nuno

mattfong · #7 03-03-2008, 09:25 PM

So they're not velvets? Unless Steve gave me the wrong price... I'd put up pictures but my camera is at my girlfriends house.

By the way, it's almost impossible to see any winding on the string, it almost looks like a solid metal wire. Well, thats an exaggeration, but you have to look pretty closely compared to, say, a spirocore to see it.

IMPORTANT EDIT: I screwed up... just looked at em again, and the silks at the tailpiece are black, with a bit of blue on the A and a bit of green on the D. Sorry guys, I hadn't looked at them in a bit when I made the original post.

Nuno A. · #8 03-04-2008, 01:35 AM

Now that you tell that the ends of the strings are black and that theres a bit of blue on A and green on D , i can say that they are Velvets.
But if the ends on top are purple, thats the com 180 V tuning which means that the string with the green part is a D but the string with the Blue part is a G. (if thats true and you're using it as an A, the tension must be higher..) please post pictures of the top and bottom ends so that i can tell you for sure what they are, and whatever they are, they dont cost $600

Nuno

Jake deVilliers · #9 03-04-2008, 12:52 PM

According to their website their Online price for a set of Eudoxas is $610.00, marked down from $813.50 (!), so maybe they'd be happy to sell you a set of Velvets for a similar price.

mattfong · #10 03-05-2008, 12:00 PM

So the silks at the top end are red.

Jack: Who's website?

Nuno A. · #11 03-05-2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattfong

So the silks at the top end are red.

Jack: Who's website?

Red endings at the top + black endings at the bottom = Velvet Compas 180 .

Nuno

Jake deVilliers · #12 03-05-2008, 02:05 PM

"Jack: Who's website?"

If you mean me Jake, then Heinl's website, as you referenced them in your initial post..

**Francois Blais** · #13 03-05-2008, 02:43 PM

http://www.georgeheinl.com/catalogue...l1=4&level2=27

mattfong · #14 03-05-2008, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

"Jack: Who's website?"

If you mean me Jake, then Heinl's website, as you referenced them in your initial post..

Haha yeah man sorry about that! Yeah after I posted that I realized thats what you were probably talking about and went and had a look.

Alright cool, so they're velvets. I like them a lot, especially for arco. Whats weird though, is when I asked Steve about Velvets, he didn't know what I was talking about haha.

Thanks guys!