Double Bass Alternative to Flexocor Deluxe?

[Selim]

I like the Flex Deluxe set very much but their tight feel is beginning to be a problem for me. What should I be looking at that will keep me in the same ballpark tonally, but are easier to play?

The tightness is not much of an issue with arco playing, it's a pizzicato thing.

 

[Selim]

Put it another way: if you've enjoyed Flexocor Deluxe but moved on, what did you move on to, and why?

 

[SVT4001]

A taller saddle can help with perceived tension. Have you checked into that?

 

[Sam Dingle]

That helped my bass a lot.

 

[the_Ryan]

Maybe Bel Cantos?

 

[Selim]

A taller saddle can help with perceived tension. Have you checked into that?

Funny you should mention that. I just got the bass back yesterday (new fingerboard, new bridge) and one of the things he also did was a taller saddle. And you're right, it did do something to reduce the tight feeling. The bass plays and sounds totally different (in a good way).

Maybe I'm just getting lazy in my elder years.

 

[Selim]

Maybe Bel Cantos?

The other day, I played a bass with these on them and liked them. I should give them a try.

 

[MikeCanada]

If you still have access to that bass, or a bass with Bel Cantos on it, you might want to give it a workout pizz. A lot of orchestra players really love them for arco work, but I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them pizz, and a lot of people really can't stand them. They're definitely sold as an orchestral string, not a pizz/crossover string.

As far as other suggestions go, I just recently switched to the Flex Deluxe and I'm loving them, so I'm not your man.

 

[Selim]

If you still have access to that bass, or a bass with Bel Cantos on it, you might want to give it a workout pizz. A lot of orchestra players really love them for arco work, but I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them pizz, and a lot of people really can't stand them. They're definitely sold as an orchestral string, not a pizz/crossover string.

As far as other suggestions go, I just recently switched to the Flex Deluxe and I'm loving them, so I'm not your man.

Then the BCs won't work for me. As you already know, FDs are hands down a great Arco string that also have a pretty nice pizzicato. Since I only have one bass, they work out for me.

Don't get me wrong; I love FDs. But I am curious about other FD lovers that nevertheless moved to something else, and more importantly, why they changed.

 

[Selim]

In any case, the improvements I noted above have changed the game anyway. The bass plays like a different instrument as a result, so I may need to get acclimated to these changes before trying another string.

 

[SVT4001]

If you still have access to that bass, or a bass with Bel Cantos on it, you might want to give it a workout pizz. A lot of orchestra players really love them for arco work, but I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them pizz, and a lot of people really can't stand them. They're definitely sold as an orchestral string, not a pizz/crossover string.

As far as other suggestions go, I just recently switched to the Flex Deluxe and I'm loving them, so I'm not your man.

Mike,

I liked Bel Cantos (Canti?) pizz- I used them for three or four years and I had no issues with their pizz sound, feel or response. I can't imagine that I'm the only person who liked them in this capacity! They had a very old school "thump"!

Joe

 

[the_Ryan]

If you still have access to that bass, or a bass with Bel Cantos on it, you might want to give it a workout pizz. A lot of orchestra players really love them for arco work, but I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them pizz, and a lot of people really can't stand them. They're definitely sold as an orchestral string, not a pizz/crossover string.

As far as other suggestions go, I just recently switched to the Flex Deluxe and I'm loving them, so I'm not your man.

Mike,

I liked Bel Cantos (Canti?) pizz- I used them for three or four years and I had no issues with their pizz sound, feel or response. I can't imagine that I'm the only person who liked them in this capacity! They had a very old school "thump"!

Joe

I agree with Joe. When I used them (albeit only the top three) I really liked their loose feel and thumpy sound. They are easier on the right hand than the Flex deluxes (or even Permanents), but the pizz sound is definitely very dark. If @Daveming has a fairly bright bass they could work really well.

 

[Selim]

If you still have access to that bass, or a bass with Bel Cantos on it, you might want to give it a workout pizz. A lot of orchestra players really love them for arco work, but I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them pizz, and a lot of people really can't stand them. They're definitely sold as an orchestral string, not a pizz/crossover string.

As far as other suggestions go, I just recently switched to the Flex Deluxe and I'm loving them, so I'm not your man.

They are said to be a tight feeling string. Do they feel that way on your bass?

I agree with Joe. When I used them (albeit only the top three) I really liked their loose feel and thumpy sound. They are easier on the right hand than the Flex deluxes (or even Permanents), but the pizz sound is definitely very dark. If @Daveming has a fairly bright bass they could work really well.

One of our bass string buying sites describe them as similar to Flex Deluxe, and another said they were designed as a hybrid. If they sound FDs and are a little easier on the hands, then they are worth checking into. (My bass is around the middle of the brightness bar, maybe slightly brighter.)

MikeCanada, have you experimented with combining the FDs with other strings?

 

[MikeCanada]

I stand corrected on the Bel Cantos. That's always refreshing. The "thump" has been mentioned by orchestral guys who have tried them pizz and not liked them, likely because they are used to more of the spirocore zing instead. I have never really aimed for an "old school thump" sound, so I don't really know what to recommend for gear to get there.

I came to the Flex Deluxe from Permanents, which some people find to be a tighter string. I would say both of them fit in the middle of the spectrum for me. I never found the Permanents to be drastically high tension, and then when I switched to the Flex Deluxe, I did not feel a noticeable higher/lower shift in tension. Keep in mind that I am in 5ths so my top string is a solo A that is likely a bit tighter than some high G's, so a low tension D string would be a big unwelcomed change.

As far as mixing them, I have two Flex Deluxe over two Spiro Mittels right now, and I'm loving it. I can't comment on the bottom Flex Deluxe because I've never played them. I've found the Spiros on the bottom are what works for this particular bass, and they blend well with both the Permanents and the Flex Deluxe.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

I used the FDs only briefly before returning to the same set of Spiros I've had forever, and the FDs did feel markedly tighter. The E will growl if your setup allows.

Bels and I didn't get along at all. Too polite, and the bright edge to the top end under the bow made my teeth itch.

I need arco strings that sing like Jeff Buckley when I want them to and crunch like Metallica when I want them to. 92s are treating me right, and they feel nice. The pizz projection is meh, but they're great slap strings so I work around what they don't do well.

 

[Selim]

As far as mixing them, I have two Flex Deluxe over two Spiro Mittels right now, and I'm loving it.

I've been curious as to whether this combo would work for my bass for awhile now.

As far as pizzicato goes, the thing about the FDs that works for me and my bass is that they growl, but only a little. I happen to like that level of growl. The bottom FDs are very supportive.

But it's been a long time since I've had Spiros on, and in the mean time, my bass has become a substantially better instrument. I've got an old set around - I will report back on the FD/Spiro combo!

 

[Selim]

I had them on for a week, but (old) Spiros on the bottom don't really work for this bass. Besides, the tone just isn't what I hear in my head.

Hope I'm not going to go on trial for blasphemy...

Anyway, the new board feels great and the Flex Deluxe set is firing on all cylinders. Although they won't be accused of being "easy" strings, they don't feel objectionably tight anymore. If anything that shows what a strong set they are. Lovely tone and very solid.

I'm sticking with these.

 

[SAlcott]

The FDs may go through a slightly "dumb" period after a few weeks or so. don't despair-they'll come back around. I love them on my bass.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

If you still have access to that bass, or a bass with Bel Cantos on it, you might want to give it a workout pizz. A lot of orchestra players really love them for arco work, but I have yet to meet someone who enjoys them pizz, and a lot of people really can't stand them. They're definitely sold as an orchestral string, not a pizz/crossover string.

As far as other suggestions go, I just recently switched to the Flex Deluxe and I'm loving them, so I'm not your man.

I used Belcantos on a jazz gig the other night...sounded fine. I still prefer Spirocores for jazz.

 

[Selim]

I finally got around to trying a (new) set of Bel Cantos.

I guess it goes without saying by now, that they are one of the most unbelievably wonderful strings to bow. They are also the most play-ready string I've ever played, right out of the pack. But the pizzicato response is very quiet, polite and (a first for my bass) too dark. If I had to use one word for their pizzicato sound, it might be "tubey". (BTW, I like tubes and analog sound). That might change (as most strings do), but on this basis anyway, a full set of these wouldn't work for me as a multi purpose (hybrid) string.

I did like the pop on the front of the note very much. The Bel Canto E just didn't work at all for pizzicato - could barely get a sound out of it.

In contrast, a full set of Flexocor Deluxes bow just about as easily, yet offer a more vibrant and complex (in the midrange) sound with a lot more bottom end, both arco and pizzicato. They are more open-sounding in general.

I just thought I'd report in on my experiences of both these sets on the same bass, since they appear to be pretty similar designs. I think I read somewhere (maybe on TB) that the FDs were Pirastro's response to the quick rising popularity of Bel Cantos?

On a different bass, the BCs are probably awesome thru 'n thru, but my bass (a pretty nice, 30's-40's carved German gamba bass) chooses FDs.

Ironically, in working my way back to the full set of FDs, I'm experimenting with FDs on the bottom and BCs on the top, which actually works (and gives you a bit of the niceness of both), but because they're both pretty expensive sets, it's not enough to justify keeping both. If I had 2 basses and a steady orchestral gig, I probably wouldn't hesitate to put BCs on the orchestra bass.

So maybe now I'll stop stressing (and spending) and just play. Like the folks I've read here on TB who go down the string hole and end up going back to their 10 year old set of Spirocores ...