What can I expect if...

dragonetti11 · #1 05-30-2006, 07:07 PM

What can I expect if I change my black horse hair to white? I am hoping that I would get a smoother feel and darker sound....is this reasonable? I would like to hear from those out there that have made the switch and what they noticed about the sound.
P.S. I am not concerned with articulation as my bow and bass are already pretty good at that...only sound color and feel.

Thanks,
Michael

anonymous0726 · #2 05-30-2006, 07:26 PM

Steel strings?

I've heard anything ranging from 'not much difference' to 'raspy and bright, but nice and grabby'. I've never had the same bow with both types of hair, so nothing else useful to offer.

jallenbass · #3 05-30-2006, 09:04 PM

Only once did I have black hair and white hair on the same bow. That one time I thought that the white hair gave me a smoother, more refined (to my ear) tone.

damonsmith · #4 05-30-2006, 09:07 PM

I think we all have different arco sounds based on our bodies, ears, tastes, teachers and other factors. Mine is naturally bright and 'cello-y with either bow and on mine and other basses and it has been that way since soon after I started (while it sounds like a nice thing to have, but consider having that BEFORE consistent intonation!). My friend Reuben Radding has an enviable huge full bass sound that is also very clean but just powerful. I have tried to get it but I just can't.
Anyway, I have a bit of room in my sound for some grit so I use black hair and Spirocores and I can still get a clean sound when I want one. The black hair lasts longer and grabs longer, so it works for me. I also Feel like it projects better and gives me a wider range of color which serves the music I play.
You should assess your sound and also check out what bassists you like use.

BGreaney · #5 05-30-2006, 11:07 PM

I think it's a crap shoot man. I've heard of people who noticed huge difference and people who noticed nothing. You can't go wrong trying it though.

Cory Palmer · #6 05-31-2006, 12:07 AM

If you can find it you might want to try Butterscoth hair. I'm not sure how many people have Butterscotch hair in stock though. I got my bow rehaired a month ago from Don Cohen in D.C. and he was about out of it. Butterscotch is between Black and White as far as coarseness. It has a lot of grip but not too much. I'm not sure if I like it more than White hair. I had White hair on before I got the Butterscotch. I'll have to go back to White then I'll be able to tell which I like more.

mje · #7 05-31-2006, 06:29 AM

I suspect that the difference may be more in the ear of the player than in the hair itself. It's the rosin, not the hair, that grips the string; fiberglass "hair" works, even though it has a perfectly smooth surface.

anonymous0726 · #8 05-31-2006, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mje

I suspect that the difference may be more in the ear of the player than in the hair itself. It's the rosin, not the hair, that grips the string; fiberglass "hair" works, even though it has a perfectly smooth surface.

But, then, a bow would only have to be rehaired when all the hair fell out. I've had two different sorts of white hair from Shank and a rehair from Wylie and there is a noticable difference between the three.