Double Bass Bows and strings

[D McCartney]

I only have experience with one bow and a couple types of strings. My question is, does one bow work well with one kind of string, while another bow works better with another kind of string? How would you tell? Does the type of wood make a difference? Might one wood brighten a dark string, or darken a bright string?
Thanks,
Dwight

 

[toman]

Personally, I don't think there's a lot of difference; some strings work well under the bow and others don't. The biggest issue is how well a certain string works with a certain instrument; the bow is simply as good as it is. If I understand the question right.

 

[PocketGroove82]

I'm by no means an expert on bows but I will share the advice I was given by my instructor when I purchased my first "professional" bow. I was told to buy the best bow I could afford. lol.
Pretty lame advice, I guess, since every bassist has their own opinion about weight, length, wood, and what they consider as good. But, I think the point he was trying to make was that once I found a bow I liked, felt comfortable, and was able to afford then I should stick with it and really grow with that bow, rather than mixing it up in an effort to change my tone.

I think toman is right when he says certain strings will sound better on certain instruments. On a bright, mid-rangy plywood/hybrid you might want a mellow string to tame the overtones or if your mature bass has a strong fundamental then brighter strings could really add sweetness. I'm a jazz player and I find my cheap hybrid sounds really nice played pizz. with Spirocores, but when bowed it sounds very bright and acrid, so I bow close to the fingerboard to compensate.

As far as your other questions, I'm sure that different wood makes a difference in the quality, tone, and feel of a bow. I wouldn't worry about it though because you can manually "brighten" or "darken" your sound simply by adjusting where you bow in relation to the bridge.

Sorry if I'm no help at all but I gotta get in mandatory post-work comments!

Matt

 

[emilio g]

Generally the "brighter" strings are harder to get a good sound out of with a cheapo bow. Everyone told me that Spirocores don't bow well, which held true when I was using a Glasser fiberglass bow or my slighter warmer, but clumsy brazilwood bow.

But I kept using Spiros because the pizz sound was so good. When I got my $1200 pernambuco bow, with real horse hair, it was still bright, but I LOVED how much power and projection I got.

Play as many basses as you can and check out other players to get an idea of the kind of sound you like, then research strings that might help you to achieve that. Personally I like a very focused, bright sound that projects well at a distance, so the Spiros are my ticket.

As for the bow, try out lots of them to see what you like. I played at least 2 dozen, and my favorite wasn't even the most expensive of the bunch!

 

[D McCartney]

Thanks for the replies.
Ok, so strings affect one area of sound, such as brightness or darkness along with the bass itself, and the bow another, such as power, spicato, feel, ease of drawing sound but not the tone so much. Is that it?
I'm looking toward an upgrade bow and have tried a few, but didn't know whether strings would be a factor. I will try to compare each bow with a variety of strings if I can, and wait until one knocks me out.

 

[damonsmith]

No strings bow well. People bow well or not well. Anyone with good arco chops can get a great sound with sprios and many, like myself prefer them for arco.
The double bass is more about the hands and and how much/what you practice than gear. Get a decent wood or carbon bow with pops rosin and start with some really standard strings like Spiros, Heliocores or Corellis and try to fix every thing in your technique.
Try other strings/bows/rosin as a last resort.
Bright, dark etc. is more about what overtones you are bringing out (or not) by bow speed/pressure/placement.
Problems are better solved by technique and practice than by gear.
Even more so now when we can't really travel with our own basses anymore unless there are really deep pockets behind the trip or tour.
The reality of borrowing basses makes over-dependence on strings and set up a problem - not to say we should not develop our preferences.
The real point is there is no "buying" a good double bass sound, even with the best of instruments, bows, etc. you still have to work on it.