weichs--yikes!

[PB+J]

So kindly UncleToad sent me a set of Spirocore weichs to try. These are the red/purple spiros

I just put them on this morning and busted a few scales before I have to head off to work. Wow--very strange. They must be low tension, because the action went up a lot. Somewhat less volume than the red/red mittles. Easier to bow--very nice sound on the G and D, but very cello-ish. Easier to play, despite the higher action. Hmmm--I might really like these.

Of course, there's the disturbing thought that Uncle Toad played these, sweated on them, maybe coughed or......shudder....sneezed. Or maybe he infused them with some special Buckeye mojo

More later, let them settle in

[billyfalconer]

Originally Posted by PB+J

So kindly UncleToad sent me a set of Spirocore weichs to try. These are the red/purple spiros

I just put them on this morning and busted a few scales before I have to head off to work. Wow--very strange. They must be low tension, because the action went up a lot. Somewhat less volume than the red/red mittles. Easier to bow--very nice sound on the G and D, but very cello-ish. Easier to play, despite the higher action. Hmmm--I might really like these.

Are they as loud as the mittles? Do they have as much sustain?

[PB+J]

I would say slightly less loud, slightly less full, but not a huge amount. Maybe a bit less sustain, but this is a used set--I'm not sure how used

i thought they would be "more" of all the things that annoy me about spiros--the sometimes nasally, overly growly, overly twangy thing. But that wasn't my first response. They seem a little softer sounding

It's not a huge difference

[Marcus Johnson]

Weichs continue to surprise me with their sonic versatility. You might expect them to be somewhat spindly sounding, but once they're well broken in, they can have a nice fatness to them. They will never be considered a real cannon of a string, but they aren't wimpy by any means. The arco sound is somewhat cello-like, but it's usable, though you probably wouldn't want them for orch section work.

I like them with a Mittel E, there's a nice balance that way.

[Randy Ward]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

I like them with a Mittel E, there's a nice balance that way.

I am about to try this because of my Spiro Mittel ext C/E.
It was just enough softer feeling than the DOM ADG's that it was bugging me. I am really unclear as to what I could use as a heavier ext C/E for jazz pizz because there is no Spiro stark ext C/E. at some point I am going to compile diameters and tension for various extended E strings. Anyway I am going the other route and go with Weich ADG, keep the Mittle ext C/E and raise the bridge. The thing that is funny is that this is exactly the string combination the good fellows at New Standard recommended for my bass in the first place!

[Marcus Johnson]

Same here.... Arnold said "Even Eddie's using 'em". Good enough for me.

[Randy Ward]

Originally Posted by PB+J

They must be low tension, because the action went up a lot.

PB&J;
Putting 'weich' in to BABLEFISH from German to English translate as 'softly.'

What I've always found odd is they don't really behave
purely like 'skinnier' Spiros. They seem different somehow. For example, to me, Helicore's various gauges do just seem like the same string but with different dimensions. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. Or even if it is just my imagination with the weichs.

Originally Posted by PB+J

More later, let them settle in

Please let us know how it goes.............

[Mark Carlsen]

Ya know I got reamed a few monthes back for trashing Velvet's [ Prolly justified ] and now I see some of you are starting to dig Spiro's of all flavors.
Not at all am I trying to say 'Told Ya so..." , But I think I know what I was talking about back then.
That being said I must also remind you Cats that you should be checking in w your favorite luthier for soundpost work/adjustment as it might even make more of a difference when you change strings.Just changing strings is only one part of getting the most out of your bass....
My .00076543432 cents worth [2006 inflation and string costs]

[Marcus Johnson]

My only beef with the Velvet Animas was that they were difficult for me to bow, and I wanted to concentrate on my arco stuff more, so I put on a "dead" set of Spiros from the drawer. They aren't the pizz string that the Animas were, but they do okay, even though I can't play unamplified as much anymore. Acoustic volume and presence are reduced by quite a bit. When I get over the fact that I'm not much of an arco player, the Velvets could very easily find their way back onto the bass.

[Mark Carlsen]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

My only beef with the Velvet Animas was that they were difficult for me to bow, and I wanted to concentrate on my arco stuff more, so I put on a "dead" set of Spiros from the drawer. They aren't the pizz string that the Animas were, but they do okay, even though I can't play unamplified as much anymore. Acoustic volume and presence are reduced by quite a bit. When I get over the fact that I'm not much of an arco player, the Velvets could very easily find their way back onto the bass.

Alot of this could be the Tension and Tone thread from before.Notice I mention tension before tone ....there is a vast difference in tension between Spiro's [dead or alive] and Velvets.Your bass sounds like the post is setup for Velvet tension and not the tension of a set of Spiro's. Could be a life changing hurdle if you get your bass adjusted for the spiro thang. Just a hunch...[Been there..done that..]

[Chasarms]

I have E and A weichs on the NS EUB. They are great for that bass. They cover the spectrum from DBish thing using the piezzos and sound kind of EBG-like using the magnetics.

I'm digging it. I'll probably slap on D and G as soon as I could scratch together the loot.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by PB+J

Of course, there's the disturbing thought that Uncle Toad played these, sweated on them, maybe coughed or......shudder....sneezed. Or maybe he infused them with some special Buckeye mojo

Hmmn. Should I bottle that?

I hated those strings. I lasted 2 weeks with them. D and G layed down on the floor and died. E and A were buzzy as a chainsaw. If I have to play spiros I'd rather use the mittels with a stark E. I liked the Animas a lot better.

Different strokes though...

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Mark Carlsen

Alot of this could be the Tension and Tone thread from before.Notice I mention tension before tone ....there is a vast difference in tension between Spiro's [dead or alive] and Velvets.Your bass sounds like the post is setup for Velvet tension and not the tension of a set of Spiro's. Could be a life changing hurdle if you get your bass adjusted for the spiro thang. Just a hunch...[Been there..done that..]

Yup, that actually occurred to me after my last post. See.. we can be taught!

However... my bass was actually set up by Arnold for Spiros. So I dunno... I'm gradually doing the slippery slide towards a gut string experiment next. But the Spiros sound really good every time, and to be honest, I can play the most amazing things on them. It's always a tradeoff between the tone of the big fat strings, and the lightning response of the Spiros. One thing's for sure... there will always be a set of Spiros in the string drawer, for the times when I need to get back to square one.

[Randy Ward]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

One thing's for sure ... there will always be a set of Spiros in the string drawer, for the times when I need to get back to square one.

Chuck Bergeron is a friend of mine:

http://www.chuckbergeron.com/miamibasspage.htm

And about a year ago we were talking about strings at a gig of his and I was going on and on about a weird combination I was using at the time. He said something I thought was pretty wise:

It's good for you to be trying all this stuff to find your sound, I did the same thing. But like it or not you'll just end up with some Spirocores and start to worry more about your playing, you've already got your sound.

BTW for the record, that night he was using weich D-G and Mittle E-A on a pre war Juzek set up by Gage with a wilson PU into a woods and of course sounded great!

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by univac jr. paraphrasing Chuck Bergeron

It's good for you to be trying all this stuff to find your sound, I did the same thing. But like it or not you'll just end up with some Spirocores and start to worry more about your playing, you've already got your sound.

I hate stuff like that 'cause I know he's right.

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer, August 2005 in a private email

Glad to hear you are digging the bass...I would avoid getting into the string/pickup holy grail search thing like the plague!

As you can see I obey instructions well.


Having said that I know I need to try it all to come around for myself. Other people's experiences are helpful but no substitute for my own.

[PB+J]

I still, think the animas are great--they may be going back on. But I'm surprised by the difference between the mittels and the weichs. On my bass the weichs don't twang like the mittels, they're as loud or almost as loud, and they are easier on the hand. They have more of what i liked about the animas, a softer sound. They're easier to bow than the animas, and less scratchy than the mittels, but compared to bel cantos, they have a more raw sound arco sound and are more chancy--every change of string with the weichs, for me, is a little bit of a jump off a cliff, whereas with the belcantos it's pretty effortless

Yeah, probably this string swapping is a waste of time, but I learn something each time--I hope

[jazzbassnerd]

Originally Posted by univac jr.

It's good for you to be trying all this stuff to find your sound, I did the same thing. But like it or not you'll just end up with some Spirocores and start to worry more about your playing, you've already got your sound.

This quote is so great. I love it!

I just put weichs back on my bass recently after a 3 year search for a better string. I've now come to call this the "grass is greener syndrome." Spirocore's are great strings.

[Marcus Johnson]

One other thing that I'd like to mention.... as much as I love Animas, breaking an E string on the bandstand is not something that I want to have happen again! Although it may have been a one time thing, it was always in the back of my mind, especially when I was playing a high-level show with some name artist. By contrast, I've never heard of anyone breaking a Spirocore.

[flatback]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

One other thing that I'd like to mention.... as much as I love Animas, breaking an E string on the bandstand is not something that I want to have happen again! Although it may have been a one time thing, it was always in the back of my mind, especially when I was playing a high-level show with some name artist. By contrast, I've never heard of anyone breaking a Spirocore.

This all sounds sooo familiar... I went thru the whole Anima thing breaking them on the band stand, trying out all the "like Anima's but not quite:, etc and I'm back with spiro reds...But I have this thing at the bottom of my bass now that allows me to reduce the tension (or increase it) by moving a titanium bar (check franz mosers webpage) and the reds with just a bit of tension reduction feels like home to me. Course I just was listening to the Ben Monder CD Dust with Ben Street who plays Velvet Garbo's and he sure sounds good...

[damonsmith]

I have used Weichs for a few years, I get a strong sound out of them and a ton sonic variety with the bow.
I like the pizz sound of a reds better, but ultimately I am able to get more out of these.
I am way over the holy grail pick-up/amp sound. I have a nice strong sound, if the other musicians want a good sound they can play sensitive enough for me to get through.
As far as strings, it is up to how much you practice on them, there are no miracles.