I've used Oliv D, Evah Slap D, Golden Spiral D. But surprisingly the best sounding/functioning D had been a Stark Perpetual. Mixes well, bows well, feels good tension wise and has better high end info. Been pretty happy with it.
I loved his playing, especially on all the Ry Cooder albums. He handled a lot of different grooves effortlessly. I remember learning some of lines and being really impressed with the articulation. Great player, sorely missed.
I've got a perp stark D that has been great on my Kay with Spiro weich EA. I had Oliv G (which projected great) on for a while but the winding came undone around B Bb so I put Evah Slap G which has been working nicely. I thought about putting on the Evah Slap D for DG match, but the stark...
Though about 90% of my jazz gigs are on upright, there have been a few because of space considerations Ive done on P bass and I've really enjoyed them. A few of the pianists I played with liked the sustain on high notes that would have decayed quicker in Thumb position. (Have always loved...
The weich E starts better and feels better tension-wise than the Spiro Mittel and Evah Pirazzi Medium Es I had prior. Starts a little slower than OF A but not a dealbreaker. On this bass those two lower strings pair well