SuperDuper Superflexibles

godoze · #1 01-04-2005, 10:05 PM

Just got a Shen 180 Hybrid in and set up. Put a set of Thomastik Superflexibles on with a Pecanic tailpiece.

These strings are a breeze to bow without any rolling and the have a very cool pizzicato tone;growly and articulate.

I've been a huge fan of the Oblis but I think these may be a better all around unit.

Just thought i'd share...

tww001 · #2 01-04-2005, 10:49 PM

I agree. I had Oblis and Pecanic tailpiece, switched over to the Superflexibles near the end of the summer. They sound great even on my cheap chinese plywood.

Steve Boisen · #3 01-05-2005, 12:20 AM

Seems like these strings are making a comeback. They were a popular bowable jazz string before all of the newer so- called "hybrid" strings came on the market (Obligato, Corelli, Innovation. Kolstein, Helicore, etc.). I guess they stand up to the competition. Maybe I'll order a set next time and give 'em a try.

- Steve

http://kaybass.home.att.net

Marcus Johnson · #4 01-05-2005, 04:59 AM

I just passed on a deal where a guy (not a bassist) was selling a Glasser German bow "and some strings"...he didn't know what they were....all for fifty bucks. I just wasn't interested at the time. A friend of mine who's just starting out bought the bow and the strings, which turned out to be TWO new sets of Superflexibles in the package.

As Charlie Brown would say..."Rats".

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #5 01-05-2005, 11:41 AM

Are these the ones with the light blue windings?

AMJBASS · #6 01-05-2005, 11:45 AM

They are the ones with the light blue windings. Top and bottom. Decent strings, although I have found them to be inconsistant sometimes...

jimclark68 · #7 01-05-2005, 12:01 PM

I am continuing to enjoy them as well. I have had the same set on for 13 months with no loss of performance. They continue to darken, but the sustain is still good as well as intonation. There are times when I want to go back to the meat of Spiro mittels, but the Superf's just bow so much better for me. An excellent alternative for Spiro fans.

godoze · #8 01-05-2005, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrian Juras

They are the ones with the light blue windings. Top and bottom. Decent strings, although I have found them to be inconsistant sometimes...

Adrian, light blue at the tailpiece and yellow at the scroll...

AMJBASS · #9 01-05-2005, 12:14 PM

Those would be Superflexible solos.

godoze · #10 01-05-2005, 12:16 PM

no, well, they came labelled orchestra.

jimclark68 · #11 01-05-2005, 12:23 PM

Orchestra Supers are light blue/light blue. If I'm not mistaken, all Thomastik strings use the gold tuner windings for solo strings. I could be wrong about this, though.

ctxbass · #12 01-05-2005, 01:27 PM

I have both here. Orchestras are blue/blue, solos are yellow/blue.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #13 01-05-2005, 02:54 PM

Shame they don't make these in a heavy gauge...

craig yarbrough · #14 01-06-2005, 03:36 PM

Based purely on what I've seen in the archives, etc, I'm thinking about ordering a set of these. Currently I'm playing medium Heli pizz, and I see that the Superflex Orchs are about the same tension as those. Does anybody have experience with both of these kinds of strings? What differences should I expect?

thanks! Craig

larry · #15 07-31-2005, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DZ

Just got a Shen 180 Hybrid in and set up. Put a set of Thomastik Superflexibles on with a Pecanic tailpiece.

These strings are a breeze to bow without any rolling and the have a very cool pizzicato tone;growly and articulate.

I've been a huge fan of the Oblis but I think these may be a better all around unit.

Just thought i'd share...

I know this thread is a few months old, but I just did the same thing. I went from Obligatos to Superflexible and I think it's worth another mention.

Obli's seemed to me to be too low in tension. I wanted to move to a string that pushed back a little more when I dig in (pizz), but I did not want to go back to Sipros. The Superflex (on my bass) are only slightly brighter than the Obli, about 15% louder, and about the tension I was looking for. Not to mention that they will probably last way longer than Obli. Arco is still undecided, but not my main bag anyhow.

Obli.'s are great strings, no doubt; but Superflex seems to be more of the benefits of a steel string without totally sounding like one.

jneuman · #16 07-31-2005, 03:38 PM

For 60/40 Pizz arco these are great strings. I've always liked them and if I were going for a steel string jazz sound, I would probably use them. They work very well on the bottom with a gut mix also. I've played old school basses from the sixties with the original superflexibles that were essentially falling apart...broken outer wrap, oxidization, etc. And they still sounded pretty good. I think they may last almost as long as spirocores. You can't beat the cost either. They're just your basic rope core string without much damping. The main problem I have with them is they suffer from the usual Thomastik problem of overly bright middle strings when new, and the top string is a little thin in comparison with the others. The E string Simply rocks IMO.

Jon

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #17 07-31-2005, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAWRENCE OF MALARIA

The Superflex (on my bass) are only slightly brighter than the Obli, about 15% louder....

Of course you realize that our resident Lluthier contingent will want to know by what scientific method you arrived at that figure, right?

OTOH, maybe you should try the new "veneerflexibles" set that I keep hearing about through the grapevine a try.

larry · #18 07-31-2005, 09:22 PM

I knew my 15% increase in volume comment would draw a comment or two.

Which is why I used my Texas Instruments bassvolumecompare-o-meter with the mechanical, specially calibrated pizzfinger-o-consistantpull so it was truly scientific.

15.273% (at sea level) to be exact.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #19 07-31-2005, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHEMP

I knew my 15% increase in volume comment would draw a comment or two.

Which is why I used my Texas Instruments bassvolumecompare-o-meter with the mechanical, specially calibrated pizzfinger-o-consistantpull so it was truly scientific.

15.273% (at sea level) to be exact.

Ah. Well why didn't you say so? Nnick, Ahnnuld, and Jeff will be glad to hear this.

dfp · #20 08-03-2005, 02:32 PM

Superflexible G and D with med. Spirocore A and E makes a great set for hybrid use

i echo someones earlier statement: too bad they don't make a heavy gauge. i think it would be fun to try with Stark Spiro A and E.

by the way, i read something on the Thomastik web site about special ordering strings. for example, they mention that you could special order a light gauge Dominant string, as long as you order a minimum of 12 sets. anyone wanna explore getting them to make 12 sets of "stark" size Superflexibles? if the price turned out to be reasonable, i'd pick up a set, maybe 2. if they turned out to be great, maybe more...