Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass 2022 Spirocore Challenge
- Thread starter TroyK
- Start date
- Status
Back to Spiros on both basses...the gut journey was fun(and somewhat of a struggle) but it's time to go back to my roots. I'm realizing the sound concept in my head is just not guts, it's steel.
All of you are inspiring my revisitation of Spirocores. I just got a new bass from Upton and had it strung the same as my Lemur hybrid bass, EP weich E and A with Oliv D and G. I've been using the EP/Oliv combo for about four years now much to my bank account's displeasure. The Olivs are not behaving how I prefer (specifically pizz.) on the new big Upton so I'm going to put on a full set of S42 mittel with E/C extension and see how that goes. I was nearly at my wit's end with the Oliv tuning fluctuation during a recent pit gig, so this is a good opportunity for Spiros. For all of you Oliv users, what were your thoughts on going to and from Spiros to Olivs or vice versa? I LOVE the Oliv D and G for arco and pizz but the tuning issues and price combined with the different behavior on the new bass are causing me to switch to Spiros on the new bass.
I've had a set of Spirocore weichs on my German Flatback for just under two years. They still sound wonderful and there is no real need to install a new set. I do miss the "buzz" , however, associated with new strings and gear.
I recently made an appointment with Mario Lamarre, the expert Montreal luthier, to fix some rattling in the tuning peg area of my bass. While waiting for the appointment I bought a new set of Weichs to replace the two-year olds on my bass. At the appointment Mario fixed the rattling and installed the new strings. I noticed an immediate improvement in intonation and sustain with minimal twang.
I guess with my body chemistry and practice schedule two years is the lifespan of the beloved Spirocore.
I guess with my body chemistry and practice schedule two years is the lifespan of the beloved Spirocore.
for myself it was about a year, maybe a year and a half while i was gigging full time in new orleans. Currently rocking an almost 2 year old set of perpetuals and i'm getting the itch to change them.
A mid-next year update from me.
Spirocores are back/still on:
3/4 (3885 weich) E, A, D
4/4 (S42 mittel) G
I'm happy with them. I practice arco everyday and they are at least manageable. It's tough for me to judge, because it's been a long time since I've had orchestral strings on there, but I can play these with the bow at least to my abilities with the bow. Scales, intervals, triads, inversions, and an occasional accompaniment passage on a gig. The E and A require quite a bit more pressure than the D and G (maybe any strings? Don't know), but the sound I'm getting is nice, especially on the higher strings.
Pizz, they're great, of course. Springy and nice. Warm, but articulate. The season change effects my bass and my D is a bit wolfy right now, but I don't think that has anything do with the strings. I'm waiting it out and also making the little adjustments that I am comfortable making. I could always visit the luthier. They are NOT too bright, if anything, I wish they were a little bit brighter right now, but I think that's the wolfyness, not the strings.
I mentioned vaugely in this thread that I was having some physical problems. They turned out to be carpal tunnel syndrome and I had surgery at the end of January. I had to take about a month off of the bass and when I came back, I put old Perpetuals on to ease the workload a bit, but made my way back to Spirocores as soon as I could. I'm playing gigs and they ALWAYS feel like the right strings on the gig. My hand/arm/shoulder symptoms are WAY better. I have a little bit of pain lingering from the surgery, not the issue and it's getting stronger. Arco rudiments in every key are my PT.
So, I think the "challenge" was successful for me. There are other strings, knowing me, I'll want to try something else at some point, but I do think that this setup is my reference point for all other strings. And, I'm in no hurry. They're doing 110% of what I need them to.
What's the postlude with the rest of you who played along?
Spirocores are back/still on:
3/4 (3885 weich) E, A, D
4/4 (S42 mittel) G
I'm happy with them. I practice arco everyday and they are at least manageable. It's tough for me to judge, because it's been a long time since I've had orchestral strings on there, but I can play these with the bow at least to my abilities with the bow. Scales, intervals, triads, inversions, and an occasional accompaniment passage on a gig. The E and A require quite a bit more pressure than the D and G (maybe any strings? Don't know), but the sound I'm getting is nice, especially on the higher strings.
Pizz, they're great, of course. Springy and nice. Warm, but articulate. The season change effects my bass and my D is a bit wolfy right now, but I don't think that has anything do with the strings. I'm waiting it out and also making the little adjustments that I am comfortable making. I could always visit the luthier. They are NOT too bright, if anything, I wish they were a little bit brighter right now, but I think that's the wolfyness, not the strings.
I mentioned vaugely in this thread that I was having some physical problems. They turned out to be carpal tunnel syndrome and I had surgery at the end of January. I had to take about a month off of the bass and when I came back, I put old Perpetuals on to ease the workload a bit, but made my way back to Spirocores as soon as I could. I'm playing gigs and they ALWAYS feel like the right strings on the gig. My hand/arm/shoulder symptoms are WAY better. I have a little bit of pain lingering from the surgery, not the issue and it's getting stronger. Arco rudiments in every key are my PT.
So, I think the "challenge" was successful for me. There are other strings, knowing me, I'll want to try something else at some point, but I do think that this setup is my reference point for all other strings. And, I'm in no hurry. They're doing 110% of what I need them to.
What's the postlude with the rest of you who played along?
Still have the 3/4 lights on my bass that went on around New Years. Curious about 3/4 mediums or possibly a 3/4 medium E with the lights, but I haven’t ordered anything yet.
Wow carpal tunnel … both arms???
I’m still slugging it out on the 3/4 3885s. I raised the action a little because I had an amp less gig and they did great.
We’ve had an unusually dry spring here in the mid Atlantic but the humidity’s picking back up. I can feel the tension on the bass increasing slightly so I might roll the action back a smidge if this keeps up.
I’m still slugging it out on the 3/4 3885s. I raised the action a little because I had an amp less gig and they did great.
We’ve had an unusually dry spring here in the mid Atlantic but the humidity’s picking back up. I can feel the tension on the bass increasing slightly so I might roll the action back a smidge if this keeps up.
Nope, just left. It's been going on for a while, maybe years. I was seeing doctors and PTists, and taking stuff, and rolling, and getting massages. Everyone had a theory.
The test for carpal tunnel is AWEFUL, but it is objective. The surgeon told me that he could fix it and he was right. But, the cutting will take most of the year to fully go away. It is about 10% of what I was dealing with before surgery, though, so raging success.
The test for carpal tunnel is AWEFUL, but it is objective. The surgeon told me that he could fix it and he was right. But, the cutting will take most of the year to fully go away. It is about 10% of what I was dealing with before surgery, though, so raging success.
I'm still a relatively innocent bystander.
On the other side of the fence, I did get the bug and tried other synthetic strings last year, Sugar Slaps, and loved them, but unfortunately had to abandon them due to not working well with my custom tailpiece...
On moving back to my old reliable SilverSlaps/DirtyGuts mix I rediscovered that I really like them too. So there I am.
In the meantime my hands continue to change with RA and age. I've had and mostly recovered from trigger fingers and joint stiffness, and somehow am happily still plugging away. I plan to continue doing so for as long as possible.
On the other side of the fence, I did get the bug and tried other synthetic strings last year, Sugar Slaps, and loved them, but unfortunately had to abandon them due to not working well with my custom tailpiece...
On moving back to my old reliable SilverSlaps/DirtyGuts mix I rediscovered that I really like them too. So there I am.
In the meantime my hands continue to change with RA and age. I've had and mostly recovered from trigger fingers and joint stiffness, and somehow am happily still plugging away. I plan to continue doing so for as long as possible.
I put an Oliv D & G on my bass late last year once I was already out of the challenge. Regretted it due to tuning stability during my community orchestra season, but stuck it out until a month ago. Now I have a set of S42 on. Breaking them in preparation of a masters program this fall and loving the balance of the set… and they never go out of tune on a gig!
I'm actually really surprised at how dark and rich these are now that they're broken in. I tuned my tailpiece a little today and...glorious. I can dig in and they speak, but they have a dark richness that I don't usually hear Spirocores described as having.
I’m enjoying the Stark E. Never had a decent E before. Starting to wonder what a full set would be like. But that’s crazy talk right?
Not crazy, just masochistic. Ask me how I know. But I’ve kept the Stark E on as a staple ever since. It just kills every other possibility with Excalibur-like efficiency. Of course, the hard part is extracting it from the stone….
I keep hearing about this tuning the tailpiece - how exactly is this done and what are the benefits vs “not tuned”?
Maybe there’s a thread for this, I didn’t check. Sorry to derail..
It's real, but there are non-believers. Let's not detail. If I can't find an existing thread, I'll start a new one and tag you.
- Status
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
I asked for feedback here a little while ago, and this is what it turned into- Latest: MultiScaleMale