What's on your Cleveland?

[Peck_Time]

Hi, Arnold and Wil have just received my deposit on a New Standard Cleveland (first one in New Zealand!), and I was wondering what strings other Cleveland owners use and like.

Does the Cleveland have any 'preference' for strings as far as tension/ string type goes?

On the website, it looks like Spirocore mittels.

All comments gratefully received while I begin my wait!

-Daniel Y

[Steve Killingsworth]

I used Spirocore Orchs for a couple of years and they sounded great. I've had a set of Animas on for about 9 months now--great tone, great volume. I would really like to experiment with some others just to see how they would sound but I love the Animas so much, I hate to change things.

[JeffKissell]

Daniel,
I would check out any and all posts from UNCLETOAD'SWILDRIDE. He's had just about every string made on his Cleveland lately. I currently have spirocore mittels on my bass. The tension seems fine for me........although I am about embark on a decent into madness and have this bass set up for gut.

I think there was a very similar thread on this subject last year.

-J

[Peck_Time]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

At the moment, i'm thinking of going plain gut G & D with Spiro mittel E and A.

I went back through some posts, and made a quick list of Uncle Toad's Wild Ride on his Cleveland:

Belcantos
Gamut G & D
Dominants
Spiro Mittels
Animas
Obligatos
Stark E & A

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Peck_Time

Uncle Toad's Wild Ride

I love it. Let's look for a publisher.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by Peck_Time

Thanks for the replies everyone.

At the moment, i'm thinking of going plain gut G & D with Spiro mittel E and A.

I went back through some posts, and made a quick list of Uncle Toad's Wild Ride on his Cleveland:

Belcantos
Gamut G & D
Dominants
Spiro Mittels
Animas
Obligatos
Stark E & A

Add Spiro Wiech, Spiro Solo,Full Set of Spiro Starks, Original Flexocore (purple), Velvet 360, Labella Gut full set, Labella (those black things). Helicore Hybrids, Corelli somethings, Several singles, Permanant E and A, Eudoxa E, Flexocor Stark E, FCS A....I'm missing something.

Most of those (save some of the Thomastics) I had on another bass or bought used from somebody.

Fwiw the spiro mittel E and A mixed with gut tops is very weird unless the spiros are really old and dead. I'm not sure why that combo was popular.

Most of the time I've had either Spiro Reds, Dominants or Animas on there. Everything else is just hit or miss or short trials. Mine came set up with spiro reds. I left them on there initially to get used to them and the bass. I don't really like them all that much. I like a darker sound.

As of now of all of those I like the following in order. (I reserve the right to change my mind)

For pizz

1. Dominant E/A Gamut D/G
2. Dominant full set
3. Animas
4. Belcanto
5. Spiro Mittel

For Arco

1. Belcanto
2. Dominants

So if I was to choose a set of anything I've tried on there with no option for future changes....

Dominants.

I haven't tried them all yet. The FCS, Superflexibles, Inovations, Flatchromes are all on my to try list.

Someday I'll try them all.

A side note. When I first played the bass I loved the tone but hated the new spiros. I kept thinking "I'll bet this thing would kill with Dominants".

[Freddels]

I had LaBella Black Tape wounds on it and it sounded great. I really liked those strings. Then I put on Animas and they sound really good too. I still have the Animas on and still enjoying them.

I think it all depends on what sound you are looking for. I believe the Cleveland will sound great with just about anything. It's got a huge sound.

Are you getting a laminate or hybrid?

[Peck_Time]

Originally Posted by Freddels

Are you getting a laminate or hybrid?

I'm getting a laminate. The reason I was thinking about combining Spiro Orchs on the bottom with plain guts on top is that my current bass sounds great with (almost) this combination (I have a Super Silver A instead).

Maybe i'll short-circuit the string-a-go-round and cut straight to Dominants...

[kwd]

Originally Posted by Peck_Time

I'm getting a laminate. The reason I was thinking about combining Spiro Orchs on the bottom with plain guts on top is that my current bass sounds great with (almost) this combination (I have a Super Silver A instead).

So the Super Silver E didn't make the cut? Could you comment on that?

[Peck_Time]

Originally Posted by kwd

So the Super Silver E didn't make the cut? Could you comment on that?

I liked the Super Silver E, it sounded like a good gut E. But the Spiro E firmed up the tension and was louder on my bass.

[mchildree]

The full Super Silver set worked great on my ply Cleveland. My fave so far after trying Spiros, Helicore Pizz mediums, Obligatos (nice, too), and Super Silvers.