Weighing Low Tension, Attack Time, Maintenance

[bilco]

I have a set of Spirocore Weichs on my upright, which I have been playing about a month. I like the sound of the strings, but they are kind of rough to slap and I would like lower tension on my left hand. I also found videos of Roy Huskey Jr. and that is a tone that I would like to get closer to.

I have gone through the Newbie threads and many others and I have concluded that in a perfect world, I want strings that are:

• Lower Tension than the Spirocores for Slapping (I have bursitis, arthitis, man, I'm just getting old......)
• Responsive in attack;no delay with the note developing like gut does (I have enough trouble playing on the beat without having to play a note before it sounds!)
• Low Maintenance - No hair clipping, oiling, etc.
• Going to last at least a year, preferably longer
• Going to Stay in Tune at outdoor festivals
• Similar in tone to gut more than steel
• Have a more defined pitch than gut if possible
• Good for pizz only, no arco for this old dog
• Less than $200 if possible
• Not going to require drastic changes to the nut by the luthier if possible (because I may end up going back to the Weichs)

I will be playing mostly bluegrass, with maybe a few gigs where I double and use the upright on 30s and 40s standards and a Pbass on the 60s pop tunes.

I am looking at these strings:

La Bella Supernils
Innovation Silver Slaps
Eurosonic Ultralight

I found that the Eurosonic Ultralight string tensions are:
46, 60, 77 and 104, but I can not find any info on the tensions for the Supernils or the Innovations.

Help me pick some new strings please. I want to find something I like and just stay with it.

It would especially be helpful if anyone has experience with both the Innovations and the Eurosonics and can compare them.

Thanks,
bilco

[Francois Blais]

Out of curiosity, did you think of trying the Spiros in solo gauge?
They're even thinner than the Weichs.

[Bob Gollihur]

I would choose the Eurosonic Lights over the Supernils. The Eurosonic Ultralights are a little too low in tension for regular play, at least to my hands and ears; they are great if you're slapping only. The Supernil's A and E are a bit indefinite and I don't like the rough surface... but some folks really love 'em. It's all a matter of personal taste, but I'd choose the Eurosonic Lights.

[Jake deVilliers]

Hi bilco.

Those numbers are actually the Gauges of the strings. If you look at the second post in the String Gauges Sticky you'll find a spreadsheet that has a lot of tension data.

http://baen.tamu.edu/users/rel/perso...ssStrings.html

If anybody can help fill in some of the blanks, please email.

[ZuluFunk]

Eurosonics.

I'm not a huge fan of the tone for slap compared to gut, but they are a good compromise to get a faster response.
I played kevlar core weed whackers for a while, but I was always dragging.

I went ahead and got Clef Guts...they really are WAY better. Not the same loud pizz tone and attack as when I use Spirocores (which I put on for non-slapping gigs), but when I do pluck em, I get good comments..."nice sound, very vintage, very natural". I only had to snip a couple of hairs in the last 3 months or so. I only oiled them twice. Not much in the way of maintenance if you ask me.

[bilco]

Originally Posted by ZuluFunk

Eurosonics.

I'm not a huge fan of the tone for slap compared to gut, but they are a good compromise to get a faster response.
I played kevlar core weed whackers for a while, but I was always dragging.

I went ahead and got Clef Guts...they really are WAY better. Not the same loud pizz tone and attack as when I use Spirocores (which I put on for non-slapping gigs), but when I do pluck em, I get good comments..."nice sound, very vintage, very natural". I only had to snip a couple of hairs in the last 3 months or so. I only oiled them twice. Not much in the way of maintenance if you ask me.

Do the gut strings give you any kind of problem keeping accurate time with the band like the kevlar strings did? How is the tension of the clef guts compared to the Eurosonics?

Thanks,
bilco

[TimoMetzemakers]

Hi bilco,

Please forgive me if this assumption is incorrect, but it sounds as if you've done a lot of reading on gut strings, but never actually tried them. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course.)

If this is so, I think that you need to get some gut strings (or maybe only a G string) in order to see for yourself how they feel, how they sound, how they behave. All the things you mention about gut are true to some extent, but you might find out that they work out just fine for you all the same. Take the supposed "slowness", for instance. It's true that the note blooms differently than with Spiros, but for some kinds of music this is expected, and it sounds good. And remember that there is a host of guys who had no problems at all keeping time on gut. If you like to slap, the "click" of gut strings is unmatched...

The bottom line is that you'll have to try each and every string under the sun like the rest of us, there's just no way around it . A cost-effective way to do the string dance is to buy only G strings at first, and proceed from there.

OK, I'll stop pontificating now . Here are some more ideas:

• Weed whackers. Very cheap. Some slappers swear by them.
• Jargar Dolce. Very dark and soft.
• Velvets (Anima, Garbo, 180 Suit). Not cheap. Huge "organic" pizz sound. Lots of volume. Long life. Slapped, they sound more like steel strings.

All the best with your string search!

Timo

[bilco]

Thanks Timo, I know I just need to make a decision and get something. The G string at a time thing is a good idea. I can afford to experiment that much anyway.

bilco

[jsbarber]

Just a cautionary note on the "tension" of strings. Tension does not correspond to the flexibility or plyability of the string - i.e. how soft it feels when you pluck it or finger it with your left handand. Tension will affect how the bass is loaded by the forces in the string: there are compressive forces from the pegbox and tail piece, and the bending of the strings as they pass accross the bridge generated a force that pushes it down into the top plate/belly. Some basses sound better with higher tension strings, some with lower tension strings.

But, it sounds like you are not happy with how stiff the string feels. This, I believe, is more related to how stretchy the string is. String makers don't publish data on this, you will need to read some threads here to see which strings are more flexible. (There is a term that people have been using for this on this forum, but I forget what it is, maybe "supple"(?))

Also, if you switch to a more plyable string, you may need to adjust your bridge height to get the best sound out of that particular string. For instance, I have seen several posts where people have switched between Obligato and Spirocore Orchestral. The Obligato seems to be better suited when played at a higher string height than the Spirocore. So you may want to experiment with this as you try various strings.

This is my understanding of how all this works, hope it helps.

Jim

[Marcus Johnson]

BTW, Bilco... there are some lightly used LaBella guts at a very reasonable price in the classifieds section at the moment. I've played these, they aren't half bad. Might be worth a try at the price.

[ZuluFunk]

Originally Posted by bilco

Do the gut strings give you any kind of problem keeping accurate time with the band like the kevlar strings did? How is the tension of the clef guts compared to the Eurosonics?

Thanks,
bilco

With guts, I have no problem playing in time. With the whackers...definately had to play in front of the beat. It sucked. Also, the note was much deader. This has not been a problem with guts. The tone is not what you get from steel, but it's a nice tone that blooms.

Another thing you get from nylon wrapped kevlar core strings that you don't get from guts - friction. My pinky was in way worse shape when I had whackers on vs guts. All I can attribute it to is the higher surface friction. They drag, for both hands. They also roll more than guts.

Euros..tension was stiffer than guts. I only kept the E.