best strings for bluegrass?

[jonjo57]

I have just upgraded from a CCB to a Christopher 3 series DB. I play mostly bluerass and country and a little slap. I changed from Thomastic spirocore Infeld to Velvet Animas. I like the sound of the Animas except for the G string which I think is to twangy. I use a cheap kevlar Weedwhacker G at the moment which sounds OK. Any suggestions on which strings are best for my DB and my kind on music.

[D McCartney]

I like the ones you just took off. Spiro Mittles.

[bass dan]

i play bluegrass and country and have tried many strings including guts. guts were great but not worth the tuning instability to me. i settled on evah's because they sounded close enough to guts and are very stable.
you can hear them on a upton hybrid if you click the my space link in my signature. WARNING: if your on a laptop computer you probably will need headphones to hear the bass.

[larssonanton]

Originally Posted by bass dan

i play bluegrass and country and have tried many strings including guts. guts were great but not worth the tuning instability to me. i settled on evah's because they sounded close enough to guts and are very stable.
you can hear them on a upton hybrid if you click the my space link in my signature. WARNING: if your on a laptop computer you probably will need headphones to hear the bass.

Hey, that´s some nice bass playing on your MySpace site, and I really like your sound!

[Charles Wilson]

I use Dominants on the A and E and Gamut lyon guts on the G and D and they sound fantastic.

[Bass]

I like Innovation Rockabillys.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

There seems to be some confusion as to whether this thread should be in "Bluegrass" or "Strings". Let's see how it does here where it is.

[JStevenR]

does anyone know if red label strings are any good?

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by JStevenR

does anyone know if red label strings are any good?

They're very stiff and metallic sounding.
Forget them.

[akmusicfreak]

Originally Posted by Francois Blais

They're very stiff and metallic sounding.
Forget them.

I agree with the string master here Red Labels are very unsatisfactory.
I have my bass strung with Spyro Weichs, I play bluegrass and country mostly on my bass. Some might think it's an odd choice of string for this style but with the spyros I can get a "bluegrass sound" or a "jazzy sound" just by changing my playing technique a little.

[martinc]

Originally Posted by jonjo57

I have just upgraded from a CCB to a Christopher 3 series DB. I play mostly bluerass and country and a little slap. I changed from Thomastic spirocore Infeld to Velvet Animas. I like the sound of the Animas except for the G string which I think is to twangy. I use a cheap kevlar Weedwhacker G at the moment which sounds OK. Any suggestions on which strings are best for my DB and my kind on music.

jonjo:

Consider another approach. Find out which strings sound best on your bass.
To me thats all that matters.
I like the gut sound and have gone that route but I have since found that an all steel combination ( Spiro Mittel E and Jazzers on the rest) gives me every bit as full sound as and gut or gut steel combo I have used on my Eberle ply. Part of the reason is that I set up my sound post for the all-steel combo and changed to a composite tailpiece and a carbon-fibre end pin assembly.
It has been a long and expensive process but I am very happy with the sound now. I play bluegrass, country and folk.
If you play arco and pizz you may have to make a compromise for the bow but if the bass is playing to its full potential, to me it really doesn't matter what kind of music you play on it.

[bluegrassboy]

This is an interesting thread. One thing I've been curious about: I believe a bass needs to be setup for a particular type of string. For example, my Englehardt (which I bought used) had been set up for Velvet Garbos. New tailpiece wire and endpin and new soundpost. I switched it to Obligatos simply because I think Velvet Garbos are just too darn expensive.

The sound with the Obligatos is good, but not like the Garbos. Could that be because the bass was setup for lower tension strings? I'm no luthier, but am I wrong in thinking that a soundpost for a bass that was set up for low tension strings would just be "choked" (for lack of a better word) with strings that were higher in tension?

I'd love input from folks who obviously know more about this than I do!

Thanks!

[martinc]

Originally Posted by bluegrassboy

This is an interesting thread. One thing I've been curious about: I believe a bass needs to be setup for a particular type of string. For example, my Englehardt (which I bought used) had been set up for Velvet Garbos. New tailpiece wire and endpin and new soundpost. I switched it to Obligatos simply because I think Velvet Garbos are just too darn expensive.

The sound with the Obligatos is good, but not like the Garbos. Could that be because the bass was setup for lower tension strings? I'm no luthier, but am I wrong in thinking that a soundpost for a bass that was set up for low tension strings would just be "choked" (for lack of a better word) with strings that were higher in tension?

I'd love input from folks who obviously know more about this than I do!

Thanks!

Bluegrass boy:
I have found that sometimes moving the soundpost can help with different strings. Other times it does not change much.
I think it helps more to adjust the soundpost when there is a noticeable tension difference with the new strings. Assuming the soundpost was in the best position in the first place. The way you play (strong? light?) also comes into the equation too. A player with a lighter touch may not notice any difference.
I think the relationship between the top and the downward string pressure is important in sound production so I can't see there being a "one size fits all" position for the soundpost for every bass. Others who are more qualified than me may have a different opinion.
All I know is that I have had an improvement on volume and "fullness" occasionally when I changed the position of the soundpost slightly when I tried a different string combination.
I do it myself but would recommend taking the bass to someone who knows what they are doing if you have not messed with the soundpost before. Sometimes it may have to be refitted.

[Steve Killingsworth]

Originally Posted by jonjo57

Any suggestions on which strings are best for my DB and my kind on music.

What do you want to sound like? Do you want a dull thump? Lots of clicking on the fingerboard? More tone and definition? Metallic twang? Organic growl?

Which string is best is in the ear of the beholder.

Unfortunately, it can be an expensive proposition to find the string that suits your bass and taste. Fifty posters can give you their opinion and none of their suggestions may work for your bass and/or ear.

[bluegrassboy]

Originally Posted by martinc

Bluegrass boy:

I think the relationship between the top and the downward string pressure is important in sound production so I can't see there being a "one size fits all" position for the soundpost for every bass. Others who are more qualified than me may have a different opinion.

I think this is the exactly the point I was trying to make. I believe the Obligatos may be putting more downward pressure than the Velvets. Since the bass was setup for the Velvets, that's when the pressure is at its best. I'm going to switch to a lower tension string (Innovation Rockabillys) as a test. I know they'll sound different anyway because of the way the strings are made, but I was just curious about my amateur theory of a bass setup for various tension strings.

[Les Clayton]

When I first started playing bluegrass i was using Super-nils but I recently switched to Innovation strings and I love there great for slap wile keeping great tone

[larssonanton]

Originally Posted by Les Clayton

When I first started playing bluegrass i was using Super-nils but I recently switched to Innovation strings and I love there great for slap wile keeping great tone

How are the Innovations for other than just slapping? I'm searching for a string suitable for country/blues/rockabilly for my laminated bass. On my carved bass I'm using Velvet Anima G and Helicore Hybrid Medium D,A,E and I'm loving it - but slapping on that setup is a little to hard for me who mostly just play jazz pizz.

Anton

[Bass]

Originally Posted by larssonanton

How are the Innovations for other than just slapping?...

Good! I tend to play pizz half the time, and slap the other half. For me Innovation Rockabillies work well, good tone & sustain. Probably less tension than steels and slightly easier to slap.