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Double Bass Biting the Silver Bullett- from Dominant To Eudoxa, initial impressions

MrSidecar

MrSidecar

Apr 9, 2008
1,104
1,132
Copenhagen, Denmark
quarterpounder.net
#1
I've been an absolutely devote Thomastik Dominant player ever since Chris Fitzgerald sent me their way. And I'd still be happy, but there was this recent repair on my bass that required taking the strings off and on again... After that the 3-year-old Dominants sounded new. Too new, in a way, with lots of sizzle and brightness going on that was distracting from the fundamental. I figured- maybe they didn't take the off/0n so well, and put some new Dominants on, only to have the effect even stronger...

At the same time, I have been intrigued by "The Queen Of Double Bass Strings" Pirastro Eudoxa for quite some time, having heard phenomenal sounds from both arco and pizz players on different basses.

For those who don't know, they go for about 650€. US$685. Serious cash.

But, to get the itch out of my system and return to Dominants, I decided to go all the way and put on a set yesterday.

I'll better start saving up for the next set already.

This is, after a day, exactly the sound I've had in my head for as long as I can remember, both pizz and arco. It's phenomenal. It's everything I could ever wish for- sustain, growl, though not too much, FATness across the board, even in thumb register... They kinda sound like minimum 2 year old Dominants (when the sizzle is gone and the fundamental gets more space in the mix), but then again, they are fatter sounding (on my bass) from the get-go, without being thuddy at all. It's a gut strings, for crying out loud, but it's a long way from Paul Chambers to those... They feel great, too.

Let's see how they'll be holding up, but as I said, I'll start saving up so when it's time for new ones (my optimistic luthier told me "These are going to last you long!" - this is Northern Europe climate), I can decide if I'll buy three sets of Dominants that'll last for about 20 years at least, or for the same cash, these really amazing strings.

Best
Sidecar
 
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#3
Sound clips or it didn't happen. :)

Seriously, glad you seem to have found your Holy Grail of strings. It will be interesting to hear how they age. The Thomastik jazz strings start out too bright, then after about a year they settle in.... until you take them off and put them back on again, when they brighten up and take a minute to settle back in. What happens when a string starts off perfect?
 
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#4
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Sound clips or it didn't happen. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know the dogma. Coming up sooner or later. Sooner, most likely.

Chris Fitzgerald said:
Seriously, glad you seem to have found your Holy Grail of strings. It will be interesting to hear how they age.
Click to expand...

This is actually the second holy grail, as they don't diminish my love for Dominants, at least not for now. The initial findings are really positive, but let's see, will they age like wine or like fish?
 
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#6
MrSidecar said:
I've been an absolutely devote Thomastik Dominant player ever since Chris Fitzgerald sent me their way. And I'd still be happy, but there was this recent repair on my bass that required taking the strings off and on again... After that the 3-year-old Dominants sounded new. Too new, in a way, with lots of sizzle and brightness going on that was distracting from the fundamental. I figured- maybe they didn't take the off/0n so well, and put some new Dominants on, only to have the effect even stronger...

At the same time, I have been intrigued by "The Queen Of Double Bass Strings" Pirastro Eudoxa for quite some time, having heard phenomenal sounds from both arco and pizz players on different basses.

For those who don't know, they go for about 650€. US$685. Serious cash.

But, to get the itch out of my system and return to Dominants, I decided to go all the way and put on a set yesterday.

I'll better start saving up for the next set already.

This is, after a day, exactly the sound I've had in my head for as long as I can remember, both pizz and arco. It's phenomenal. It's everything I could ever wish for- sustain, growl, though not too much, FATness across the board, even in thumb register... They kinda sound like minimum 2 year old Dominants (when the sizzle is gone and the fundamental gets more space in the mix), but then again, they are fatter sounding (on my bass) from the get-go, without being thuddy at all. It's a gut strings, for crying out loud, but it's a long way from Paul Chambers to those... They feel great, too.

Let's see how they'll be holding up, but as I said, I'll start saving up so when it's time for new ones (my optimistic luthier told me "These are going to last you long!" - this is Northern Europe climate), I can decide if I'll buy three sets of Dominants that'll last for about 20 years at least, or for the same cash, these really amazing strings.

Best
Sidecar
Click to expand...

I'm intrigued, but (at lemur prices w/an extended E) it would be a $700 experiment.

I don't know if Eudoxas are the "Queen of Strings", but they darn near take a royal checkbook balance to spring for a set.
 
#7
Carl Hillman said:
I'm intrigued, but (at lemur prices w/an extended E) it would be a $700 experiment.

I don't know if Eudoxas are the "Queen of Strings", but they darn near take a royal checkbook balance to spring for a set.
Click to expand...
Maybe we could all petition Queen E to create a worldwide double bass string fund. I read an article this morning that said it costs the taxpayers $334 million a year to “look after” the royals.
 
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#9
james condino said:
Very cool strings. I wish they had the surface quality of Olives; they seem to be a bit more matte finish rather than fully polished.....
Click to expand...

This is a good point. I haven't played either, but the feel of Dominants is one of the big positives for me. If a string is going to be stiff, it has to sound really good, but it also needs to be hella smooth on the fingers.
 
#12
Played my first rehearsal with Eudoxa tonight. Acoustic singer/songwriter with rather sparse drums, vibes, and occasional electric guitar. Not my usual bag. Whatever.

The first observation is that my sound sits in the mix quite differently, though not at all in an unpleasant way. You're really taking care of the low end here, and that's actually great, filling an acoustic spot that otherwise was not covered by anyone. It's maybe a tad bit harder to hear myself, but that can easily be the room. It kinda makes me think of when I first played flat wounds on a precision. Something immediately falls into place, and the sensation is that it just "feels right", which is part listening experience and part "filling the low end frequency void".

But boy do they stretch. Tuning approx, 1/4 tone up after every tune.

They project great nevertheless, everyone can hear the bass perfectly. And while I have read someone said Eudoxas "amplify badly", I cannot at all attest to that. IMO, you amplify the bass, not the strings (I do, anyway, with the EAP). So, what I can say is that the difference (to Dominant) i perceive when playing acoustically, comes through amplified just as well. Plus, the bass actually sounds "freer" and less constricted.

Playing feel is rather soft (not spongy), and I actually like the way they feel- some may call it sticky, or grabby. No hindrance for either left or right hand. The fatness in the upper register is really cool, thumb position sounds "bigger" than ever before.

I'll post solo sound clips tomorrow.

Best
Sidecar
 
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#13
I played a bass with Eudoxas and it's exactly what I've been looking for for quite a while. Please keep us posted on how they last. I really can't justify the cost unless I can get 2 years or so out of them.
 
#16
Have you played real guts before? All guts take a while to stretch out and settle in; much more so that any steel or synthetic string but once you get the sweet spot it is unlike anything else. The number one thing to making these strings last is pay very close attention to where they cross at the bridge and be nice to the outer windings. The gut core almost never breaks, but if you don't stay up on it the outer winding will separate and then it is all over. 'Same with Olives.
 
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#17
Biggest issue with wound gut is if/when the gut core shrinks, making the winding loosen. Maintain 40% humidity through the winter dry season and remember to tune down a whole step before you take the bass to a non-humidified place. They tighten up when it's dry.
 
#18
james condino said:
Have you played real guts before? All guts take a while to stretch out and settle in; much more so that any steel or synthetic string but once you get the sweet spot it is unlike anything else. The number one thing to making these strings last is pay very close attention to where they cross at the bridge and be nice to the outer windings.
Click to expand...

I am most afraid of the pegbox- the G has stretched so much already that the metal winding is on the peg. So far no problem as I can tell, but I know from Dominants that there are strings that don’t take this well...
 
#19
Pay attention to the fit at the nut and the bridge. The smaller grooves from steel strings will pinch the outer windings on larger strings like Eudoxa and cause them damage very fast. The slots need to be widened a little bit. A trip to your luthier nerd would be best; it is a simple 10 minute task while you wait, but in a fix you could do it with a small $2 file from almost any local hobby / model shop.
 
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#20
james condino said:
Pay attention to the fit at the nut and the bridge. The smaller grooves from steel strings will pinch the outer windings on larger strings like Eudoxa and cause them damage very fast. The slots need to be widened a little bit. A trip to your luthier nerd would be best; it is a simple 10 minute task while you wait, but in a fix you could do it with a small $2 file from almost any local hobby / model shop.
Click to expand...

That has been checked on. In fact, it was my luthier who put them on after having checked on the slots.
 

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