Strings for Upton Hawkes Hybrid

[lowEndRick]

I need to choose strings for the Upton Hybrid that I have on order. I am mainly a bluegrasser, but I plan to use this bass mainly for arco. I recently began venturing into the realm of orchestral playing. However, I will occasionally use this new bass for pizz.

For those of you who own upton hybrids what strings do you suggest I test out? I'd like to narrow down some of the possibilities. After reading some other posts about how certain basses respond best to certain strings it made me curious about what other upton hybrid owners are using. I will have the opportunity to sample some strings because I live within driving distance of upton and have a couple of friends who own this model.

Thanks in advance!

[ctxbass]

Superflexible E&A, Olive D&G.

We got my son got a Hawkes hybrid last year. It came with Flexocors but we switched to Superflexibles. The Flexocor E string was too floppy and dark. The Superflexibles sounded great on that bass, but the G string was a bit thin sounding (a common problem with Thomastiks). We put Olive D and G on and stopped looking.
Luckily, I had all but one of these in my string accumulation box.

BTW, that bass really sounds better and better as it breaks in.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Obligato G&D. Spiro Mittel E&A. On MY bass the Spirocore G was too bright. Obligatos top to bottom were great but the E died quickly. They are also a bit floppy on the bottom. Spirocores on the bottom really get the bass moving. The blend is nice and, when playing, I forget that the set is mixed.
They bow well.

Each bass is different, so you may have to experiment.

[jrlynch]

kolstein heritage with a stark e. totally jonsin' to put evah pirazzis on it though ...

jeff.

[lowEndRick]

Thanks for the replies thus far. I am anxious to try Obligatos, although I am concerned about the reported short life. I hear Spiros do not bow well. Anyone using Dominants?

[Thomas Stone]

I'm not an upton bass player but thought I'd throw some things in.

Spirocores bow fine.

They are however bright and sustaining strings and this is reflected in the arco sound. They need the right approach and once achieved have a very distinct arco voice. The musical setting will dictate if this voice is appropriate. For most it isn't.

If you were primarily going to be playing pizz put them on and learn to get good with the bow.

Lots of people use and like dominants, just have a look at the mega thread
These would probably be a very good bet if this is an arco then pizz priority bass.


Obligatos are like marmite (erm don't know what the US equivalent is) people either love them or hate them.
I was in the latter category (not with marmite though. I lOVE that). You'll only know by trying them.

But I'd go with Doms.

Good luck

[wendell]

I would say try the Evah Pirazzis. I just put some on my Upton Hawkes (laminate) and they sound great.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Thomas Stone

I'm not an upton bass player but thought I'd throw some things in.

Spirocores bow fine.

They are however bright and sustaining strings and this is reflected in the arco sound. They need the right approach and once achieved have a very distinct arco voice. The musical setting will dictate if this voice is appropriate. For most it isn't.

If you were primarily going to be playing pizz put them on and learn to get good with the bow.

Lots of people use and like dominants, just have a look at the mega thread
These would probably be a very good bet if this is an arco then pizz priority bass.


Obligatos are like marmite (erm don't know what the US equivalent is) people either love them or hate them.
I was in the latter category (not with marmite though. I lOVE that). You'll only know by trying them.

But I'd go with Doms.

Good luck

I love the Doms. I'm not sure why you say, "These would probably be a very good bet if this is an arco then pizz priority bass." My priority is pizz. and I still (at least, for now) prefer the Doms to the Spiros.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

If you happen to love the Obligatos, give it a few months .

They stay on top to balance the bass a bit.

These basses, mine anyway, have little tension to begin with. I don't know why, but the bass needs manly strings to get it moving. Something with the tension of Mittels is the minimum IMO.

I'm thinking of a Stark E, but the Mittel is less than a month old and Uncle Toad's string disease hasn't gotten me yet.

[ZuluFunk]

The recomended UB Blacks for me. For a bit, I was going to get Spiro Mittels...but went back to Upton's original suggestion.

Originally Posted by clink

If you happen to love the Obligatos, give it a few months .

They stay on top to balance the bass a bit.

These basses, mine anyway, have little tension to begin with. I don't know why, but the bass needs manly strings to get it moving. Something with the tension of Mittels is the minimum IMO.

I'm thinking of a Stark E, but the Mittel is less than a month old and Uncle Toad's string disease hasn't gotten me yet.

[coreybass]

I have spirocores on my Upton Hawkes Laminate and they sound great. I like spiros because they are loud and have tons of sustain. As is always the case with spirocores for me, I hate them at first and after a month or so of playing, they mellow out, but retain that great sustain and volume. I don't have the cash to experiment too much and I've always used Spirocores, so i stick with them.

Corey

[abaguer]

Evah EAD Oliv G. Sound great for jazz, bluegrass, country, swing AND they bow very nicely in bass section.