strings like pirastro EUDOXA n Olive..

[chipsas]

ok, i've tried lots of steel strings ( jargar's, pirastro, thomastik, helicore, corelli) and pirastro wound gut strings (eudoxa, olive).. on my old german double bass..
and i just realized, that i can't go back to steel strings after using eudoxa, olive.. i like them for warm, deep and big fat sound..
i play mostly classical (arco) .. solo , chamber and symphony orchestra..
so, i was wandering if there are some other similar choices on the market like eudoxa and olive..?

P.S.
by the way, i heard about- innovation 140B strings.. are they really like gut strings..? who have any experience with them?

[AMJBASS]

The Innovations are really nice strings. Higher tension than most though. They are very similar to the Dominants in construction. It is pretty hard to find a string that has the qualities of the Eudoxa/Olives but with the stability of steel. I am using Helicore Solo D and G right now and believe it or not they are close. I am really enjoying them.

[chipsas]

i am not really looking for steel strings with "gut like" sound..
i'm just looking for other similar strings like eudoxa/olive to try..
i've tried jargars.. (some people say they are "gut like" strings) , but they are absolutely different.. they are not "gut like" strings.. they just sound darker and warmer than other metal strings.. but .. are bright and thin sounding compared to eudoxa/olive..
so i'll probably stay with wound gut strings.. 'course it is hard to believe that there are any steel strings with gut sound..

[Don Higdon]

Cheaps -
I don't get it. You already have the richest arco string made. Why do you want to spend more money on a string that won't be as good as the Oliv?

[chipsas]

do you really think so? hmm, i don't know.. probably i just wanna be sure.. sometimes expensive stuff doesn't mean "the best"..

[brianh]

I've been using Eudoxa D and G and generally really like them...

Just curious how long their expected life is?

I've had mine on for 3-4 months and they're starting to go I think...but it's also humid where I am. Also, the G string has developed a big buzz anytime I play an a flat....

but all in all, big sound and good definition

[chipsas]

i've read somewhere that eudoxa/olive life- is about 2 years..
but there are lot of circumstaces of course.. for egz. these strings react very sesitive if you need to reload them..
especially G (eudoxa) .. problems with windings, and so on..

[Don Higdon]

Mine are 3+ years old and have been on and off of different basses many times with no problems at all.

[chipsas]

hmm.. maybe you are lucky man.. 'course about that problem with silver windings especially G eudoxa i heard from people time to time, till i had once the same problem..
by the way, you're talking about eudoxa's or olive's?

[Don Higdon]

Oliv.
Not Olive.
Oliv.
I believe a proper humidity level is as important to gut strings as it is to basses.

[chipsas]

ok ok , oliv..
your oliv's = the whole set.. ?
and you play arco or pizz in general..?

[Don Higdon]

I play both, and I use 3 basses. Oliv for orchestra, Animas (lately) for pizz. I also use Thomastik Spiros for pizz. Some guys love the pizz sound I get from Olivs on my good bass, but I'm looking for more clarity and sustain in the jazz settings I play.

[Adrian Cho]

Some guys use Olivs on G and D and Eudoxas on A and E.

[chipsas]

i know that, i use this mix at the moment.. but in arco playing you can hear some color differences going from eudoxa string to oliv.. 'course eudoxa's are a little brighter in color..
i never tried oliv's A and E. people say that oliv A and E pizz sound is dead.. very short sustain.. are they good for arco playing, compared to eudoxa A and E? color? articulation? and so on..

[Bobby King]

I think that the Innovation 140B is a fantastic arco string! They have a great warm tone, start easily and are one of the easiest bowing strings I've played. I didn't find them to be particularly high-tension. When I have to do a combination of pizz and arco, I've used the 140B for the G&D strings and the 140H for the E&A. The H have a bit more sustain but still bow well, they're a little brighter, too. If you play mostly arco, the B set should be fine for pizz as well. The Innovations are very reasonably priced. My only complaint is that occasionally, I've gotten an Innovation string with either a rough spot or crack in the winding. I've bought them from Quinn and Lemur and both have sent me replacements if I had a problem.

[jneuman]

Ok, after messing around with many different orchestral strings, I finally just decided to go for the best and put Olivs on my orchestra bass. The reasons: 1) I absolutely love the sound and feel of gut, 2) these are a modern string and won't draw sideways glances in a sections 3) they are IMO the biggest sounding orchestra strings made - and the benchmark against which steel strings are measured. 4)they get a very nice pizz for Jazz, well at least as good as classic gut setups but are more defined in the upper octave. I've noticed that Kolstein and maybe D'addario have tried to duplicalte the sound and feel of these strings. BTW, they are lower tension than pirastro steel orch. strings, but stiffer, so they feel about the same but a little plusher. I'm very happy with these. I think they are the best sounding strings on my bass.
-Jon

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by jneuman

Ok, after messing around with many different orchestral strings, I finally just decided to go for the best and put Olivs on my orchestra bass.-Jon

Welcome to the club. The more you play them, the more you'll like them.