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Double Bass "Chewy" sound

bassmanchu

bassmanchu

Jan 2, 2009
286
12
New Haven, CT
www.svensendoublebass.com
#1
I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but since I think it has to do with the sound and the strings primarily (as well as with the rosin, bow and hair... and everything else), this is the best place I could come up with.

Have you ever noticed your bass developing a "chewy" sound when bowed? The characteristics of this sound are a woody, dark, rough qualities, with some "string sound", "sizzle" or "grit" under the bow. This is not an all-the-time sound, but more an occasional development for me.

I can't quite pinpoint what is doing that, but it's causing a loss of focus in the tone. My current string setup is E/A Spiro Mittel, D/G Flexocor Original. My bass is naturally very dark, but lately it's developed a chewy tone. I'm experimenting with strings right now, so this combo has been on for about a few days now (the spiros are a few weeks old and the flexos are old as dirt).

Perhaps it's a bow hair issue. I've noticed it coming on when hair starts to get old, or when my rosin (Pops) starts to glass over in high humidity.

That's another observation - it comes on in high-humidity weather. Hot, muggy weather. Tonight is cool but humid (just rained).

Any suggestions as to why this is happening? Honestly, I can't tell if I like it or not. It's a great orchestral sound, and I imagine it would blend well in a section, but it's rough for solo work.
 
#2
Is this a problem across all four strings? Original Flexocor and Spiros are really different sounding strings that I wouldn't think would balance well tonally (especially old flexocors). If you feel like you are getting the same "chewy" sounds on both the a and d strings, I would guess it is not the strings.

My trouble shooting might go like this:
1. rehair bow,
2. fresher stings (those flexocor originals can be pretty dead sounding when they get old),
3. Wait for weather to change,
4. New rosin,
5. Take bass to be adjusted at a shop,
6. Buy new bow,
7. adjust bass again,
8. Buy new bass,
9. adjust new bass,
10. Quit bass.
(numbers 6-10 are probably not necessary ;) )
 
#3
Haha. I bought a bass, a bow and new strings in the past year, so I may just skip right to #10 if it comes to that.

When it cooled down a bit over the last couple days the "chewyness" subsided significantly. The humidity also dropped a bit, too.

My rosin (Pops) is about 3 weeks old, so I'm going to rule that out (unless it's a weird batch). The bow hair is old, so I'm taking it in on Monday to see what that does.

Oddly enough, the Spiro/Flexo mix on my bass is incredibly even. They feel and sound like a full set of the same strings with only two slight differences - the Flexos feel a bit tighter on the top and the Spiros on the bottom are louder. I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks they match so well...

I'm waiting for some used Obligatos to come in the mail and I'm hoping that they reduce the overall tension on the instrument. The setup now is a bit tight for my taste. I have to be a bit too careful with the bow. I find I can't really dig in the way I want to on Strauss.

I'll report back when I've changed the strings and let another heat wave pass through (supposed to be next week). For now I'm chalking it up to weather.
 

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