super nil nylon

[rdwhit]

I hope to begin playing again in a month or 2 after recovering from neck surgery. The surgery was needed to repair a bum left arm. Right now the doctor won't let me near the bass. I don't expect to gig with nylon. I wonder if the tension is even lower than the usual low tension choices, corelli,etc. I'm thinking only in terms of left hand physical therapy to slowly rebuild the arm on the bass. Same as weight training begining with the lowest weight possible. First relearn to crawl, then gradually relearn to walk. Any ideas? Thanks

[TroyK]

Why don't try solo gauge strings of your choice tuned to orchestral pitch? very nice release from full tension strings. I know that flexicores can be used this way. I did it with Solo Spirocores for a little while and loved it. Loud, even, good tone. Low tension, without being wimpy. Even with the bow a very nice string.

Lots of brands make solo gauge strings and in theory, any of them should work, but if it's just an interim practice phase for you, I'd go straight to flexicores or spirocores, since they are well proven in this set up.

Troy

[rdwhit]

Originally Posted by TroyK

Why don't try solo gauge strings of your choice tuned to orchestral pitch? very nice release from full tension strings. I know that flexicores can be used this way. I did it with Solo Spirocores for a little while and loved it. Loud, even, good tone. Low tension, without being wimpy. Even with the bow a very nice string.

Lots of brands make solo gauge strings and in theory, any of them should work, but if it's just an interim practice phase for you, I'd go straight to flexicores or spirocores, since they are well proven in this set up.

Troy

Thanks Troy. I have a solo set that I've tuned down before, also some low tension corelli which seem to be about the same tension as the solos tuned down. I'll probably go w/ one of those, just curious about nylon. I tried out a set on my ply back-up bass a few years ago just for the heck of it. I think I remember them being even easier on my left hand than the strings we just talked about.I won't care about sound for a little while once I get back to it, just slowly rebuilding the left arm.The set I had was free, off a friends new bass and headed for the trash.

[Bobby King]

Supernil aren't all that bad, they're one of the oldest imitation gut strings. The low strings tend to be pretty springy and they're fairly thick diameter.

The Innovation black Rockabilly strings are very low tension and don't sound too bad for other types of music besides rockabilly. I haven't tried those Innovation Super Slivers but I understand that they're low tension and many seem to think that they're superior to Supernil.

Moving up the ladder, both Velvet Anima and Gardo are fairly light tension and very good strings too. More costly. I understand there is a Garbo light gauge available now.

None of the above are going to be good for arco.

The Corelli 370 medium are probably your best bet for a low tension, arco and pizz string.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by TroyK

Why don't try solo gauge strings of your choice tuned to orchestral pitch? very nice release from full tension strings. I know that flexicores can be used this way. I did it with Solo Spirocores for a little while and loved it. Loud, even, good tone. Low tension, without being wimpy. Even with the bow a very nice string.

Lots of brands make solo gauge strings and in theory, any of them should work, but if it's just an interim practice phase for you, I'd go straight to flexicores or spirocores, since they are well proven in this set up.

Troy

+1.

[ERIC A]

Give Innovation Silver Slap strings a try. They are very low tension and sound great. The cost of a set from Lemur is $129.00.

[M Ramsey]

Originally Posted by rdwhit

I hope to begin playing again in a month or 2 after recovering from neck surgery. The surgery was needed to repair a bum left arm. Right now the doctor won't let me near the bass. I don't expect to gig with nylon. I wonder if the tension is even lower than the usual low tension choices, corelli,etc. I'm thinking only in terms of left hand physical therapy to slowly rebuild the arm on the bass. Same as weight training begining with the lowest weight possible. First relearn to crawl, then gradually relearn to walk. Any ideas? Thanks

Are you playing pizz or arco? If pizz only, the supernils mught just be the thing for low tension strings, with a low cost to boot. You're wanting to slowly build hand/arm/shoulder strength and then switch back to steels, guts, whatever, right?

It would make really good sense to me to invest in the supernils and then throw them out (or give them to someone who may be interested) when you are ready for different strings.

Other opinions expected and respected,

[rdwhit]

Originally Posted by M Ramsey

Are you playing pizz or arco? If pizz only, the supernils mught just be the thing for low tension strings, with a low cost to boot. You're wanting to slowly build hand/arm/shoulder strength and then switch back to steels, guts, whatever, right?

It would make really good sense to me to invest in the supernils and then throw them out (or give them to someone who may be interested) when you are ready for different strings.

Other opinions expected and respected,

Thanks. I play pizz & arco, I know these strings wont work well for arco, but I don't care about that for now.Yes, I want to gradually rebuild the arm then get back into a low tension metal string and begin bowing again at that time, then hopefelly move up to a mediem tension string if possible. I still have a couple of months of recovery time, so I've got plenty of time to think about it. I seem to remember the nylon being even easier to push down than solo strings tuned down. They are a poor mans gut string, and are kind of cool in their own right.

[Jake deVilliers]

D'Addario Pro Arte strings are big, fat wound nylon babies with fairly low tension.

I didn't try them with a bow before I started taking the bass apart but the pizz sound was warm & fat on a 1939 Kay C-1.

Good luck with your rehab.

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

D'Addario Pro Arte strings are big, fat wound nylon babies with fairly low tension.

But they are discontinued, no?

[Jake deVilliers]

Ack! I don't know Francois, the set that came on the bass are the only ones I've ever seen.

I'm sorry if I've made an inappropriate suggestion.

[Bobby King]

I believe that Pro Arte for bass are discontinued.

If my memory serves me, D'Addario bought the Kaplan line and continued to produce Golden Spirals for a while. I don't know if Pro Arte was originally Kaplan too, but I think they were discontinued around the same time. It was sometimes suggested to pair Pro Arte E&A with the Spirals on top.

I had some Pro Arte NOS at one time but never tried them. They were very thick in diameter. They had a thick nylon core like Supernil, but with more of a flatwound winding.

[kwd]

I have a repetitive stress injury in my right shoulder and some tendonitis in my right arm from computer work. Like the original poster I'm wondering if Supernils might afford some relief. I do play arco but I'm willing to forego that for a while. I like the affordability aspect of Supernils. The main question is, will I have fun playing on them? Or will I be cursing the cheap, plastic tone?

[M Ramsey]

Originally Posted by kwd

I have a repetitive stress injury in my right shoulder and some tendonitis in my right arm from computer work. Like the original poster I'm wondering if Supernils might afford some relief. I do play arco but I'm willing to forego that for a while. I like the affordability aspect of Supernils. The main question is, will I have fun playing on them? Or will I be cursing the cheap, plastic tone?

The Supernils were an early (if not the first) alternative to gut strings. They've been around for years. Now, these will be lower tension strings, much lower than steels. If you have ever had the opportunity to play guts, these will be a go between gut and steels. At the affordable price, if you decide you don't like them, you could probably get a decent amount of your money back from someone who may like them, via the classifieds.

There would need to be some tweaking to the height of you action. Bigger strings, bigger action to allow them to occillate without rattling the fingerboard.

I hope this helps,

[wingnut]

Hey RDWhit, I have used supernils for quite awhile and just recently switched to Eurosonics. They come in light (that's what I use) and extra light. They are a little easier on the left hand and sliding from note to note is much smoother. They also sound more like gut strings to my ear. They seem to take a pounding and stay in tune. You can get them from Bob G for 140 shipped.

[rdwhit]

Thanks for all the responses and sugjestions. I'll concider them all.Keep 'em coming. The info may help others then me as well.

Update. The surgery was 2 months ago. The arm is starting to feel better. The doc said it would be 2-3 months before it would. It still has a long way to go. I talked to a bass player who had the same surgery 10 years ago. He said it took 3 months for him to start feelng better, but he felt great after about 4 months. He wishes he had done it years earlier. 4 months may seem extreem, but it's a small price to pay in the long run. A few people get much quicker results, but 2-3 months is more usual. Success rates for this procedure are very high. My advise to others with similar problems is to try all other treatments first, but if You end up needing surgery, don't fear it. Always get a 2nd opinion and don't rush into it. I've seen a couple of other posts claiming that success rates for surgery are not good. These were generalizations which I asked the posters to back up with specific info. None was given, and I dissagree with them. Of course there are exeptions, but success rates are very high for the procedure I had.

I would really like to see a catagory on here dealing with injuries, bass related or others that effect one's playing. I'll bet there are lot of folks out there with questions and stories to tell. Thanks all. Rob Whitmer

Oh, to recap, I had a badly herniated disk removed from my neck which was crushing the nerve root to all nerves in my left arm and hand. It got progressively worse over a 10 year period to the point that I couldn't play the bass or use it for much else. Don't worry, most herniated disks don't require surgery.

[kwd]

Originally Posted by M Ramsey

The Supernils were an early (if not the first) alternative to gut strings. They've been around for years. Now, these will be lower tension strings, much lower than steels. If you have ever had the opportunity to play guts, these will be a go between gut and steels. At the affordable price, if you decide you don't like them, you could probably get a decent amount of your money back from someone who may like them, via the classifieds.

There would need to be some tweaking to the height of you action. Bigger strings, bigger action to allow them to occillate without rattling the fingerboard.

I hope this helps,

Thank you. I has helped. I had a $75 Lemur gift certificate that was burning a hole in my pocket. I decided to use it on a set of Supernils. When I made the request the service rep asked if I had ever tried them. It sounded ominous. I told him that I was aware of the unbowability and other weirdnesses. I love gut and have my action pretty high already so that shouldn't be an issue. The rep said that you actually can bow them, but I'm not really worried about it if I can't. I have jazz trio gig next month and I'm thinking of holding off on changing strings until then. Has anyone played these strings in a jazz context? I prefer the old school sound but I understand that the E/A might lack a preciseness of fundamental that might be a problem.

[kwd]

With the average price of a set of strings at about $150, I wasn't expecting much from a set of strings half the amount. I was interested in them primarily as a string that would minimize my arthritis and tendonitis pain. In that respect they don't disappoint. I do play arco but I was willing to forego that for a few months to concentrate on pizz. They can be bowed enough to keep your arco chops up but the sound is nasal and hollow. They are a lot of fun to play.

I played with a tenor player last weekend to see how they'd do in a group context. I never felt locked into the pitch. I noticed this the most on the E string. This is nothing new as it's well documented that the center of the E/A strings is ambiguous. On the positive side these strings give you a nice pulse in a walking or two feel line. So rhythmically they're happening, harmonically not so much.

I took them off and put on metal strings for the gig this Saturday. There was a big letdown because my bass lost that big, resonant sound. After three days the bass still sounds choked. I'm finding out that I'm a hopless gut fanatic and synthetics just aren't satisfying that need.