Double Bass 2022 Spirocore Challenge

[Who da Ville]

It's been much longer than a year for me, but since you asked...My old carved Romanian flatback came with student-level steel strings (DiaDardio or something, I think). Of course my skills were rudimentary, but I found these strings to be excessively thumpy and inarticulate. I upgraded to Spiro mediums 10 or so years ago based on conversations I read in this forum. Initially, I found them to be quite zingy and hard to control, until they broke in and/or my skills developed. They were especially hideous during my first 2-4 years of trying to learn arco.

Now, 10 years + into these strings, I love them. I don't find them that zingy at all; not sure if they're finally broken in, or if my skill has improved that much. When I'm having a good day, I can get exactly the tone I want with my fancy new Durrschmidt bow; anywhere on the fingerboard.

Occasionally, my mind wanders & I think it'd be fun to try a new string. But those thoughts are short-lived when I pick up my bass and hear the beautiful sounds it makes every day with my Spiro mediums.

PS @TroyK, I"m happy you've been able to address some of your pain problems. Best of luck with that!

 

[Notaluthier]

How are Spiro starks with the bow?

 

[Sam Dingle]

just ordered a sprio E as my perpetual is dying and i felt like a change. if the new string is too much i'll throw a new set of ADG perpetuals on. lets see how long it lasts.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

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.

Glad to hear your doing well with your recovery. I had both wrists done in 2005 as I did data entry for 5 years and I inputted over 5,000 cases for an attorney during that time. I think slapping the bass and doing lots of construction-type jobs also contributed, but it was the best decision I ever made. I’ve played with no pain ever since.

 

[RBPCRC]

I have a question about Spirocore A strings and didn’t want to start a new thread. I currently have 3/4 light ADG with a new 3/4 medium E. The new string is great and has really added volume and punch to the low end. I haven’t been happy with the feel or sound of the 3/4 light A string since it was installed. The luthier who set up the bass thought it sounded fine but I’m probably going to order a medium A. Would you recommend the 3/4 or 4/4 medium A? Does it matter?

 

[TroyK]

4/4 it matters.

It is the highest tension string on that set, the E and A might overpower your D/G.

Your bass might want a little set.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

For comparable string tension data consult my excel file in my Dropbox.
Link in string sticky.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

For comparable string tension data consult my excel file in my Dropbox.
Link in string sticky.

Will you ever update the spreadsheet with newer strings, such as Perpetuals or EP Slaps? I have found this resource to be quite helpful and I tried to enter them on my own copy but I was unsuccessful in getting the formulas to work.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Will you ever update the spreadsheet with newer strings, such as Perpetuals or EP Slaps? I have found this resource to be quite helpful and I tried to enter them on my own copy but I was unsuccessful in getting the formulas to work.

Yes, when I find time for that.
Unfortunately things stack up since half a year and that needs to be handled first.
But you can enter string data below the listed strings yourself. Just keep the formula fields as they are and enter name, pitch, orch/solo, vibrating string length for manufacturer tension data (get that from other strings from the same manufacturer) and the manufacturer tension data for this string.
The recalculation will magically appear through the already existing formulas in these lower fields (up to a certain point).

 

[Inky13]

How are Spiro starks with the bow?

I can only comment on the E, but no problem. But I like higher tension, especially for arco. But as Chris mentioned, you’re not likely to see a full set in the wild. Anyone out there with a full set? I know String Emporium, as well as others, caution against them on some basses.

 

[RBPCRC]

The 3/4 light A string sounds a little dead and muffled compared to the EDG. I’m wondering if the 4/4 medium A would even it out. Note: I did have a sound post adjustment very recently.

 

[ablumley]

Yes, when I find time for that.
Unfortunately things stack up since half a year and that needs to be handled first.
But you can enter string data below the listed strings yourself. Just keep the formula fields as they are and enter name, pitch, orch/solo, vibrating string length for manufacturer tension data (get that from other strings from the same manufacturer) and the manufacturer tension data for this string.
The recalculation will magically appear through the already existing formulas in these lower fields (up to a certain point).

@DoubleMIDI as always, thank you for making this spreadsheet! I use it often to generate hypothetical mixed sets for 5ths tuning. Nice to know that the formulas will also work with newly inputted string data. I hadn't tried this out yet. For strings not included on the list, I have been making simple comparisons by setting the scale length on the spreadsheet to the same as that used by a given company for its measurements. From here, it's fairly easy to determine what the approximate tension of these unlisted strings will be at different scale lengths.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Yes, when I find time for that.
Unfortunately things stack up since half a year and that needs to be handled first.
But you can enter string data below the listed strings yourself. Just keep the formula fields as they are and enter name, pitch, orch/solo, vibrating string length for manufacturer tension data (get that from other strings from the same manufacturer) and the manufacturer tension data for this string.
The recalculation will magically appear through the already existing formulas in these lower fields (up to a certain point).

Tried that and it didn’t copy the formulas. That’s why I asked. Thanks!

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Tried that and it didn’t copy the formulas. That’s why I asked. Thanks!

The formulas should already be in the fields where needed. The cell is just cleared if no string data in front of these fields is entered. At least that should be the case but it may not.
I check that and add and protect the formula fields for those cells below the entered string data (not sure if I already did this).
I may even add the two sets and check twice. Might be ready in a few days (hopefully).
Just got another stack of invoices today that I need to check …

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I finished up a nice German bass recently and immediately assembled a set of Mittels from my stash. I think they are S42 but i cant be completely sure. Next, came a C extension using a Mittel which I bought used several years ago, and was told had several years on it. Still, the bass sounds so good that I’m committed to spirocores on this bass. Some basses don’t sound good with them, but when they do there’s nothing better. I owned a bass for several years which couldn't be bowed so I kept trying darker strings but didn't like the indistinct pizz, went back to spirocores, and repeated the frustrating cycle. Bye bye.

I ordered a new set of 3885 weichs and will try them with the old C string first, but will likely buy a weich C string. I sense that this bass might respond better with slightly less tension, and as good as it sounds under the stick, I think the arco response could be better. I played two basses last week owned by great orchestra players and they both sounded great with spirocores. One had S42 Mitts with a weich Low C and on the other one I installed 3885 weichs. They impressed me and felt very similar to the 4/4 Mitts I had on another bass. Very similar, but better.
I’m in.

P.S. Its going to be hard to resist an Oliv G because its been a near constant for over a decade. Still, this bass sounds good with a spirocore G and it’s nice that it stays in tune.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

After a brief affair with Evah Pirazzis and Spiro Weichs, I’m back to a full set of Spirocore Orchestras.

Put the same set that was nearly 2 years old back on. They sound great and do everything I need them to.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

The 3/4 weich G, D and A are on with the Mittel C extension string and I have high hopes. Immediately, I notice the lower tension compared to the 4/4 Mittels but they sound good and the bass doesn’t seem to have lost any volume. They bow well. The low string has about a million miles on it and sounds deader than the others but it’s really not bad. I’ll probably wait a few weeks before deciding what to do. They only make weich and Mittel in this string so if I replace it, it will be with a weich.

 

[Ryan in PDX]

18 month check in. Still loving the 4/4 mittel set on my 3/4 bass. I've had some epiphanies about left hand technique lately, and continue to find new sounds waiting to be pulled from these strings like Excalibur.

I'm honestly not curious about other strings at this point. I am learning a lot by trying to emulate the attack and projection I hear on the old recordings, and it's slowly but surely working its way in to my own playing. It feels more valuable for me to go through this stage of my development with one string set, than to try different strings and add another variable to the equation. When I have a more complete concept of what "my sound" is, maybe I'll want a more subdued string. Not for now, though.

I wonder if it's a similar line of thinking that leads to guys like Ray Brown and Avishai Cohen sticking with Spiros for decades...

 

[TroyK]

Excellent post, @Ryan in PDX. I 100% relate.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

10 year check in with the same set of Dominants with a Spiro Stark E that is only 6 months old, changed only because the old one finally broke: I can only echo @Ryan in PDX 's sentiments. There is so much to be said for sticking with a set of strings and a basic setup and learning how to find your voice from that place over time. So often I have seen people looking for a magic bullet in the form of a new bass or amp or set of strings that will get them the sound they are looking for; but by jumping from one thing to another in this quest, it is easy to overlook the one constant in all of it - the player. It's true that new things are exciting, but there is also a certain beauty in discovering how to be your best self with precisely what you already have at your fingertips.

Clearly I am on my second glass of post-gig wine, but I am reminded of an old favorite passage from Will Durant when this topic comes up:

Marry. It is better than burning, as Holy Writ has it, and enables one to think of something else. For an abnormal man like Nietzsche, a sister may be better than a wife; but a normal man will find a sister inadequate. Once that elementary problem is solved, we can move about in the world without being distracted at every turn by the flutter of a skirt; we realize that however different the garments may be, women* are substantially identical; that under the varying phenomena (as a metaphysician would say) there is always the same underlying reality. And so we become moderately content, and even learn to love our mates after a while. It may be true that a married man will do anything for money; but only a married man could develop such versatility.

And so it is, I think, with basses and strings and amps. Post-gig wine or no, the fact is that the gig was excellent on a bass that has been the main axe for 18 years now, with an amp that has been the main amp for 15 years, and with a 10 year old set of strings. This focus on the music would not have been likely had I been tweaking and experimenting with gear. The old wife is a good wife, and the dancing is more enjoyable for the familiarity.

Back on topic, keep on rocking those wonderful Spirocores!



* please forgive Mr. Durant this politically incorrect phraseology; this book was written in the 1930s, and it's clear that he and Ariel did indeed love each other very much!