Strings for a jazz and classical??????

Golemanjazz27 · #1 07-04-2007, 06:22 PM

Right now I'm in high school, I'm graduating this year and have college auditions this year. I'm gonna buy my own bass and I already have one picked out that my teacher found but I don't like the strings on it, they're superflexibles. They sound okay but they don't sound great. So I'm planning on buying new strings for the bass but I don't know which ones. I'm also gonna equip it with a Realist pickup. I took the advice of a bass player from University of Miami CJB and brought a set of Velvet Garbos. They're great for jazz playing but sounded horrendous when I showed up to symphony practice. So I need strings that can give a Christian McBride, Ray Brown, or John Pattitucci kind of tone, with enough volume to project really well in a big band. A VERY LOUD big band. I want loud, dark strings but I also want to stay with steel strings, no guts and I still want a good arco tone to play in classical situations. I'm mostly a jazz player so I'm willing to sacrifice some bow tone for pizz tone but not to the extent of the Garbos. What are your suggestions?

txstatebass · #2 07-04-2007, 06:45 PM

I'm a big fan of Bel Cantos (after much searching and much more money) but I recommend a spirocore for the e string. The BC's on my bass give a nice punchy tone and more than enough sustain if those are the players you're into. The Spiro E isn't that bad on the bow, but the BC's sound GREAT (again on my bass). Good luck bass-brother, it's a long road to find the strings that are right for you.

my .02 anyway.

**Francois Blais** · #3 07-04-2007, 06:47 PM

The players you mentioned don't bow a lot...
You'll need to sacrifice several things for a good bowed tone, and an easy to bow string.
Some hybrid strings:

Thomastik Superflexibles (you don't seem to like them)
Pirastro Obligatos (synthetic core)
Corellis (steel)
D'Addario Helicore orchestrals
Pirastro FlatChromes
Kolstein Varicores

The Corellis could be interesting for you.
They're available in both nickel (380 series) and tungsten (370 series) and several gauges. (two for the 380's and three for the 370's)
However they may not be very loud, unless you go with the TX gauge, which are more pizz oriented.

**Francois Blais** · #4 07-04-2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txstatebass

I'm a big fan of Bel Cantos [...]

Although they're probably great arco strings, I wouldn't recommend them for pizz. They're much too dark and lacking pizz punch to my taste to be a good alternative for pizz playing.
But that's just my opinion!

greitzer · #5 07-04-2007, 10:05 PM

Goleman --- Francois has suggested a number of string possibilities that might work for you. Pirastro FlatChromesteels and Corellis, both of which I've used, could do the job but Corellis are rather low-volume as Francois pointed out.

Thing is, I'm not sure I'd worry about the loudness of string types if you're in a very loud big band. In order to be heard (or even felt) in a loud band, the loudness is going to have to come from you (your arm, your shoulder, your upper back), and your pickup and amplifier. I don't think string choice will make a whole lot of difference as far as carrying power in a big band. I say this out of experience because I also play in a very loud big band.

I would have suggested Superflexibles as a really good pizz string that has decent arco capability. Can you tell us what it is you didn't like about their sound?

One additional string choice you might ask around about, is Flexocor. They have a nice pizz sound (somewhat old-timey in my opinion) and they bow very very nicely. Not too trebly, a pretty full deep sound to my ear.

JimmyM · #6 07-04-2007, 11:45 PM

I'll take the old Superflexibles if you don't want them.

drurb · #7 07-05-2007, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francois

Although they're probably great arco strings, I wouldn't recommend them for pizz. They're much too dark and lacking pizz punch to my taste to be a good alternative for pizz playing.
But that's just my opinion!

I agree. I don't like the Bel Cantos at all for pizz. Another very worthy hybrid set is Thomastik Dominants. IMO, great pizz. sound and decent for arco. I find them better all around than Obligatos. Then again, the Doms have the breakage issue but, for me, their virtues outweigh that drawback.

bopeuph · #8 07-05-2007, 09:45 AM

I've heard a lot of good things about D'addario Hybrids. I talked to Christian McBride about it, since his arco sounds so great, and he had so much nice stuff to say about them. I'm going to buy them as my next set.

Nick

txstatebass · #9 07-06-2007, 08:41 AM

Of course, then again I forgot to mention I take a lot of arco solos.

jfv · #10 07-06-2007, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golemanjazz27

...
So I need strings that can give a Christian McBride, Ray Brown, or John Pattitucci kind of tone, with enough volume to project really well in a big band. A VERY LOUD big band. ...

LOL, so gonna buy some magic beans, er strings and
sound like Ray Brown

Keep repeating to yourself... the sound is in the man, not
the gear.

As for your 'VERY LOUD' big band, you are using an amp,
right? so turn it up

**Francois Blais** · #11 07-11-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by francois

Kolstein Varicores

Put back my Varicores A, D & G today and remembered how great they are. (ordered the missing E)
These are orchestral strings, and I think Barrie Kolstein designed them because he wasn't satisfied anymore with the quality of the Pirastro Original Flexocors, which he felt was more or less consistent.
Anyway, they use the same concept; big fat bottom strings, and a singing top.
Overall, the Varicors speak more clearly, have more mids and sustain; the D in particular, than Pirastro's OF.
They give a very nice pizz tone if you don't need the buzz of Spirocores, but more fundamental instead.

damonsmith · #12 07-17-2007, 04:30 PM

No string is going to play the bass for you. I use Spiros because I practice a lot with the bow, so I can get a clean sound with them.
I also love the wide range of colors they have arco and Pizz they have unbeatable clarity and sustain.
I have hated every D'addarrio I have tried except my 7 string Ergo came with a low B that really broke in nicely. I was going to buy a Spiro B and just decided to save the money - so maybe they are getting better.
I heard a lot of recordings by a bassist who uses the Kolstien strings and his sound was always extremely dull. That could be him and not the string of course, or the so called audiophile recording process the label touts.

In the end Spiros plus practice seems to be the best formula for those wanting the best of both worlds. Corelli's can also work.

Mark Perna · #13 07-17-2007, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damonsmith

I heard a lot of recordings by a bassist who uses the Kolstien strings and his sound was always extremely dull. That could be him and not the string of course, or the so called audiophile recording process the label touts.

There are two Kolstein strings: Varicores and Heritage. I have a Kolstein Lafaro Travel bass and it came with Heritage strings on it. I had them taken off and Spiro Mittels put on before I even took it out of the place I bought it. Recently, I've experimented with using a Thomastik Dominant G in place of the Spiro G on one of my big basses (very successfully, I might add, it fixed the long standing problem of the whiny thin Spiro G). Unfortunately, the Kolstein bass's mensur is too short (at 39.5 inches) to use a Dom G as it would likely break--the G would wind past the wrappings which isn't a problem with the more indestructible Spiro Mittel. I still had the never used Heritage strings so I tried putting the Heritage G on in place of the Spiro G and it was dreadfully dull. Painfully dull. Unusably dull. It came back off really quickly.

mark perna