Thomastik "Belcanto" Strings megathread - Page 35

martinc · #**681** 06-02-2012, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by engedi1

Oddly enough the Spiro weich g is not too bright on my bass. It is actually darker than the d string. The weich string I don't like is the e string. I think the e bel canto is the weak link there as well. Can't beat the mittel e for pizz imho.

I found that once the Spiro weich G settles in, it loses that "banjo string" sound and is not bad. I like the Zyex and Bel Canto G because they add a little more solid bottom end than the Weich G provides. However, I found the Zyex on my bass does not have the Bel Canto muddy-ness.
Funny thing is.... the Weich E sounds more full on my Eberle than the Mittel E. Different basses...and the different sounds we want.

iiipopes · #**682** 06-03-2012, 04:17 PM

Had a wedding reception gig this weekend. Good room, appreciative family & guests, etc. Great gig. The room had a lot of inherent clarity which benefitted the band greatly. The band, especially the band leader, who is also the drummer and a high school band director, really like the way the Bels sound on my CCB, with a Spiro 3885.5W 3/4 Weich E string to balance the Bels ADG.

engedi1 · #**683** 06-03-2012, 07:19 PM

iiipopes, I have been considering getting a 3885 weich E to replace my S42 weich E. It is the only weich that I am not loving. I will either get the 3885 or the Mittel s42. Do you find the 3885 to be significantly different than the mittel s42?

iiipopes · #**684** 06-04-2012, 10:18 AM

PM sent to engedi1

Hector Wolff · #**685** 06-09-2012, 09:20 AM

About a year ago I bought a set of Belcantos from Golihur. At the time his prices were lower than the other dealers (I assume it was older stock bought before a price hike).

I wanted to try the Belcantos out when it was time to replace the Evahs I had been using. When they came they were not in a set but as individual strings (but each was still in it's envelope though).

Today I unwrapped them to put them on, and I found that the G and D strings had a pronounced kink in them near the ball end but within the vibrating length (not where they would normally go over the bridge). They do not appear to have been used, as the upper silks showed no evidence of having been wound onto the pegs.

The windings under or inside of the kink were quite rough, and where the rest of the string showed a natural resistance to bending, at the kink these two strings seemed limp.

I don't want to waste my time putting the whole set on, only to find that these are now defective.

Do you think these two strings are damaged? Should I buy replacements?

martinc · #**686** 06-09-2012, 10:18 AM

Hector:

Your first move should have been to call Bob Gollihur.
I have dealt with him for a long time and have only good things to say about the way he does business.
Give him a chance to fix things....then let us know why you may have ended up with defective strings.

Hector Wolff · #**687** 06-09-2012, 07:32 PM

I didn't call Bob, because though I just opened the strings today, I had actually bought them over a year ago. I really don't expect any business man to send me new strings at this point.

I posted only because I wanted some experienced opinions on my strings - if what I am seeing really constitutes damage that would require replacement.

I decided to bite the bullet and order replacements from Bob, for those two strings. But you can bet I'll be opening them as soon as they arrive.

dfp · #**688** 09-22-2012, 08:10 AM

finally put on the used G and D Belcantos i've had on hand for a while... the first time i tried these was a really old set that had come installed on a Shen bass, and the windings were super rough, but the ones i have now, while still very much used, have nice smooth windings.

they sound much brighter, grittier under the bow than the Kaplans i just took off. takes some getting used to, but i think they're louder.. they seem to be a good match to the Superflexible A and E i have on now. a good jazz sound, imho.

Hector Wolff · #**689** 10-12-2012, 04:08 PM

Now that my first set of Belcantos are a couple of months old, I can say that they have gotten more mellow and I am hearing that darkness and fundamental most posters mention. The seem to speak more clearly, across strings in the higher positions than my Evahs regulars, which I really like. Also it seems easier to drop down across strings to snag a a single quick note the E string, as is often needed in the cello suites.

It is probably my imagination, but they seem to me to have gotten louder - though I imagine this has more to do with my sucessfully adapting my bowing technique to these strings.

Without doubt the D and G strings are the easiest and most responsive strings I have ever bowed, but I am not as pleased with the A and E when trying to play fast, staccato passages. I can't get them to speak as quickly and clearly as I could with my Evahs. There seems to be too much noise and not enough fundamental note. I have no problem with longer notes only the very fast repetitive ones.

To me it seems that the pressure required by the strings to speak well covers a broader range across the strings, than I remember with my Evahs. The upper two require little or no pressure but the lower two require more than I would expect.

It doesn't help that I am also trying to adjust to a rehair, as well. But I am trying to find that magic combination of position, speed and pressure that will get the A and E to speak quickly and clearly into a strong fundamental. I just was more successful at doing this on the Evah regualars I had been using for about three years or so.

Ryanpet42 · #**690** 10-12-2012, 05:12 PM

I have two questions. How are they for playing solo music and how are they for Jazz?

iiipopes · #**691** 10-12-2012, 09:19 PM

As far as jazz, what genre? I play a 3/4 Spiro Weich 3885.5W E string with the Bel ADG, and it gives a rounder, darker pizz that the guys in the dance/jazz bands I play with really like and also seem to be enjoyed by the audiences (both concert and dance club audiences) we play for: a little rounder, a little darker, a little less sustain, not much, if any "growl," but the Bel E string was a little too loose and dark to get good presence, so on that string only, back to the Spiro.

I have a Jazzer A and D string waiting, and waiting, and waiting. From all accounts, they are probably in between the feel and tone of the Bels and the Spiros, and every time I think I want to try them, I look at them, look at my bass, and its, "Nah, not yet...."

Hector Wolff · #**692** 10-13-2012, 07:28 AM

My feeling is that for solo music such as the Bach Cello Suites, the Belcantos are very nice. As I mentioned above I do think the "sing" better in the upper registers and sound clearer across all four strings up around the octave. On the upper two strings particularly you can play light and fast quite easily.

But I am not a real solo rep player, thumb position is not my strong suit. I am more of an orchestral section player, who likes to play the cello suites for fun and as a challenge to my technique and expression.

Having come from using Evah regulars for a little more than three years (two sets of Evahs), I am not impressed with the pizz quality of the Belcantos. Even in the orchestral setting they seem weak, but for jazz they can't compare to the Evah Regulars.

maoyam · #**693** 12-22-2012, 08:18 AM

I've just taken off Gamut G & D combined with Helicore Orchestral Medium E & A from my bass. This is only because I'm looking at an awful void in my diary till well into next year, I've decided to move away from my comfort Gut zone, and spend some time with steel strings. There's a set of Belcanto I bought in september this year in my strings drawer. It was for a recording, only for the set to arrive late and hence I have not had any chance to put this set on any bass till now. Top two strings feel well thin to my hands, but I'm not disliking the sound at this point.
No adjusters on my bridge, but the set-up ain't extreme in any way, it should be alright.
I shall report back later.

Will Yager · #**694** 12-26-2012, 08:28 AM

I'm about to pull the trigger on the BC/Spiro mix but I've got one question: BC or Spiro A? I'm doing about 90% arco in school but most of my gigs are jazz. I'm concerned with how, if at all, thumpy/dark the BC A is for pizz. Thanks in advance.

petesenkowski · #**695** 12-26-2012, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will Yager

I'm about to pull the trigger on the BC/Spiro mix but I've got one question: BC or Spiro A? I'm doing about 90% arco in school but most of my gigs are jazz. I'm concerned with how, if at all, thumpy/dark the BC A is for pizz. Thanks in advance.

I had Bel Cantos (Bel Canti?) on my Shen hybrid for about four years until I decided to use guts. I play mostly pizz -- roots music and old standards -- and preferred the slightly darker sound of the BCs to the (very ringy) spiros that were on the bass for the first month.

I have to admit that the BC E's pizz was a bit weak, so you may be right to use a spiro there, but I was always pleased with the BC A's pizz sound.

And of course the BC's arco sound was great.

Thanks,
Pete

engedi1 · #**696** 12-27-2012, 12:33 AM

The BC A is very nice plucked. Good pizz tone. The E string is really puny and is only useful for Arco. Spiro E should go nice with the rest being BC's. Cheers!

Will Yager · #**697** 12-28-2012, 10:20 AM

Thanks dudes. I went with the BC A.

engedi1 · #**698** 12-30-2012, 09:01 AM

I actually think the A was my favorite of the BC's when plucked as far as power and projection and sustain on my bass.

TonyD · #**699** 01-10-2013, 01:56 PM

Are there any Belcanto pizz soundclips available?

marco zomer · #**700** 01-11-2013, 09:37 AM

Well, if you have a nice bass, strings can sound very nice as well.

Here is a You Tube link with ....
The Bass2012 First Place for Tone winning bass
The award winning Upton Bass Brescian Double Bass model, handmade in there Mystic, Connecticut workshop.
After some talking Gary starts playing at 3.00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB5bcetdR-w