Double Bass Bright EUB strings??

[MidnightBottle]

Hello! I am getting ready to go into the recording studio for my alt-folk/grunge/prog rock band. A couple of the songs I have written the parts on my EUB and as such prefer to play them on it, due to left hand muscle memory and all that. But ultimately I need to cut through a mix with two busy guitarists.... neither of whom can be convinced to strum and hold a chord for a single measure in a two hour set... or to upstroke in unison with the snare, or (god forbid) not play for a section. Anytime I suggest such a thing it seems to be taken as a personal attack... but that's another story! if my other band wasn't a masterclass in musical humility I'd have killed both these guitarist by now.

Anyways.... My current strings just don't have enough bright top end to do the job. The fingerboard is purpleheart so it's pretty tough, but I still don't want to put any roundwounds on it (do such a thing even exist in 41" scale???) but some compression wounds would be pretty slick. So who's got recommendations for bright(!!!) EUB strings. 41" from nut to bridge. 6 1/2" from bridge to ball end. I'm contacting Ken Smith to see if he can make any compression wounds in this length, but would love any other ideas. Thanks!

 

[Francois Blais]

What’s the brand of your EUB?

 

[HateyMcAmp]

Spirocores are very bright straight out of the pack. LaBella 7720 series is also very bright, and a little cheaper.

 

[MidnightBottle]

What’s the brand of your EUB?

It's a hand built one of a kind.

 

[BarfanyShart]

Spirocore mittels sound good on EUB. They are very bright pizz for a whole year, and they don't go dead for at least 10 after that.

It's a cool bass, love the purple heart fingerboard.

 

[MidnightBottle]

Thanks!

Spirocore mittels sound good on EUB. They are very bright pizz for a whole year, and they don't go dead for at least 10 after that.

It's a cool bass, love the purple heart fingerboard.

Thanks! it's a sweet instrument, great tone, the humbucker sounds niiice. Pretty sure the stage presence of it is half the reason I hired onto my first real professional band (original soul/reggae/funk/hip-hop music). The warm, dark tone kills it for that band, but the rock stuff... not so much. I'm growing out my fingernails after reading Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) grew his out to try to get a little extra bite. Another idea is to install some trebly piezo pickups and blend the signals.

Man! These strings are a lot more expensive than bass guitar strings, that's for sure. The 7720's are looking like a good option due to price constraints, maybe even the light tension ones? I'd have to check with the luthier who built it to see if light tensions would be okay.

Here's a pic of the rest of it. I'd like to get the leg replaced with one about 5 inches longer ultimately, the woman who built it (wisely) made it easily removable.

 

[BarfanyShart]

Thanks!

Thanks! it's a sweet instrument, great tone, the humbucker sounds niiice. Pretty sure the stage presence of it is half the reason I hired onto my first real professional band (original soul/reggae/funk/hip-hop music). The warm, dark tone kills it for that band, but the rock stuff... not so much. I'm growing out my fingernails after reading Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) grew his out to try to get a little extra bite. Another idea is to install some trebly piezo pickups and blend the signals.

Man! These strings are a lot more expensive than bass guitar strings, that's for sure. The 7720's are looking like a good option due to price constraints, maybe even the light tension ones? I'd have to check with the luthier who built it to see if light tensions would be okay.

Here's a pic of the rest of it. I'd like to get the leg replaced with one about 5 inches longer ultimately, the woman who built it (wisely) made it easily removable.View attachment 4021420

If you are using a magnetic pickup, then I think the lights/weichs are actually much better. With piezos, I think you get a lot out of the heavier, medium/mittel, string.

 

[Francois Blais]

I suggest to first add some piezo to the instrument.
This will add the highs you’re the missing with the mag pickup.
You could think about strings in a later step.

Did you try playing seated?
With my EUB, I definitely prefer to be seated.
I use a drummer's throne.

 

[Jaygetsreal]

Really like your custom plank!
Off topic but could you tell me more about your magnetic pickup (I just have piezo on mine, which with Helicore mediums are fine for brightness but lack 'attack') What radius at the end of the fingerboard does it fit? Where did you get it?

 

[Ric Vice]

Man! These strings are a lot more expensive than bass guitar strings, that's for sure. The 7720's are looking like a good option due to price constraints, maybe even the light tension ones? I'd have to check with the luthier who built it to see if light tensions would be okay. View attachment 4021420

The same company that makes Spirocore Double Bass Strings (Thomastick) also manufactures Jazz Flat’s for bass guitar. They aremore expensive several reasons. 1. They sound better 2. They play easier 3. They last quite a long time. American Manufactures like Labella and Dadarrio are less expensive because they are manufactured here in the U.S..

 

[sidonbass]

After trying others, I just put the Thomastik jazz flats on my recently acquired Ibanez EUB and WOW, worth the price. It’s a 34” scale, so these strings fit perfectly. As I am primarily an acoustic upright player, these feel like upright strings, and on my EUB, sound better than others I’ve tried.