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I'd vote for a light gauge D'addario Heliocore Orchestra set.
D'Addario Prelude's are another good choice, they're quality strings that happen to be very inexpensive.
Joe
Joe
Is there a budget limitation? I have Pirastro Obligatos on all 1/2 and 1/4 size basses. 1/8 get fractional D'Addarios.
Helicores tend to be peoples go-to string but the Obligatos are much easier on younger fingers as they are lower tension and easier to bow. Also make cheap basses sound better.
Helicores tend to be peoples go-to string but the Obligatos are much easier on younger fingers as they are lower tension and easier to bow. Also make cheap basses sound better.
The only caveat to the above is that some people don't report great longevity from Obligatos. I liked them just fine, and I found them to last a very long time, for me, on my bass.
Joe
Another vote for Preludes, but Corellis 380M would be easier to play for students, and they're about the same price.
Me too. I had the same set of Obligatos on my main bass for three or four years. They still sounded great when I took them off- sadly suffering from a severe case of "string fever"...but that's a story for another thread!
I think Obligatos would be a great choice, just wanted to play "devil's advocate" for the dissenting views!
Joe
cool coolMe too. I had the same set of Obligatos on my main bass for three or four years. They still sounded great when I took them off- sadly suffering from a severe case of "string fever"...but that's a story for another thread!
I think Obligatos would be a great choice, just wanted to play "devil's advocate" for the dissenting views!
Joe
The Helicore Orchestra strings are pretty common. They bow well, they're inexpensive, they make them in fractional sizes, etc. As for them being used as a hybrid/crossover string, it is fairly rare for a strings program to do much repertoire where that would be required. If it is a concert band with a double bass, that's a different ball game. I've found that they still work pretty well pizz with the exception of the really tiny basses, but I don't know if there is much you can put on a 1/8 sized bass to get a powerful pizz sound out of it.
I've like D'A Helicore Orchestrals on 1/4 size basses for both arco and pizz.
The longevity issue I've had with Obligatos is that they come apart, not just that they start sounding old.
-S-
The longevity issue I've had with Obligatos is that they come apart, not just that they start sounding old.
-S-
