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Double Bass First spirocore, Weich or Mittel?

P

passionbass

Nov 9, 2010
51
1
#1
I use a 4/4 Plywood bass strung with super sensitive red labels.

Totally regret for buying the super sensitive, ridiculously high tension makes the G strings sounds like a board.

Im looking into the spirocores weich.
Is there any issue on the light E strings? Will the lower tension cause the E strings to buzz more easily?

How much volume punch will it sacrifice compare with mittel?

Any one who is experienced with this too gauge of strings?

I am looking for a low tension, long sustain, deep growly sound.
 
#3
No great experience myself in strings (I've been using superflexibles, and just recently changed the E&A for spirocores), but I've seen to change the sound of a new g string of a superflexible set from a ridicolous boxy sound, to a very balanced set, just in two days. No setup, no big playing, nothing but the bass placed in a corner. No clue about what happened, but happened. Maybe this can also happen to your bass.
 
#4
I never used Super Sensitive Red Label, but tried Super Sensitive Supreme and Pinnacle (high-C string only). They don't have much tension specially the supreme is rather flexible. Maybe you don't like the solid core of the red label, Supreme and Pnnacle have a rope core. Both are thinner than most other steel strings I tried, including Spiros (which are also rope core strings).

Spirocore Mittel have a lot of tension, probably too much for you to play for a longer time. Spirocore Weich will be better, I think, but still have some tension, specially the 3885,0 3/4 used on a 4/4 bass.

Since you play a 4/4 be sure to get the 4/4 Spirocore strings (S42 or S42W), because they are longer than the 3885,0 3/4 strings but also lighter to compensate for the longer vibrating string length of a 4/4 bass. (Thomastik is probably the only string company which constructs 4/4 strings differently from 3/4 strings).
But even on a 4/4 the Super Sensitive Supreme and Pinnacle are lighter in tension (but also thinner which might become unpleasant on G and really does on high C).

The Mittel will growl more easily than the weich, no problem with buzzing when playing low action on both, Mittel and Weich if played properly.

If you change from high tension to low tension it may take about one to two weeks for the bass to accomodate to the changed pressure. Also up to two weeks for Spiro Weich strings itself and up to several months with Spiro Mittel to settle to the final sound. (Might sound awful during the beginning but can change overnight.)

The S42W might fit your requirements (specially the low tension). If you don't like the sound of the G (you wouldn't be the only one) you might want to change to something else like Innovation 140B/Braided (or 140H/Honeys) or Evah Pirazzi Weich or Obligato (maybe a bit too much tension). A lot of people like Pirastro Oliv G, but it's expensive and not very durable.
Personally I like G and D 140B and A and E S42W Spiros. Really nice to play on my carved 4/4 but needed some time for the bass to accomodate. (The 140B E and A had too less sustain for may taste.) A bit softer in sound but really nice and still has power potential in them.
A complete set of Innovation 140H (Honeys) might also do the job with even less tension, but probably bit too less for my taste and probably also with a bit less sustain on the lower strings than the Spiros.
You won't get that power sound you get with Spiro Mittel with most lower tension strings, but you might get close with some really good gut strings or probably some velvet strings (like Compas 180 and Garbo). But rather expensive to try. The 140B/S42W or 140H solution is much cheaper and not bad at all.

If you use soft higher strings the Spiro Mittel E might be too much for them, but it is not wrong to have one for testing too. Remember that these strings need a lot of time to break in.

If you want to get the final sound of the strings a bit quicker, bow them a lot and also loud. With soft to medium pizzicato only it can take much longer.
 
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#7
Anyone here bought weichs lately? I just bought a new set for the first time in years and I'm thinking that the rumor that they have gone downhill are true! No life to these strings compared to the older ones...
 
#8
I bought a set of Weichs about 6 months ago. My experience: same as they always were.

Weichs are darker on my basses than Mittels. Mittels were louder, and of course more tense.

On my basses, the tension difference seems negligible. I found that it was easier for me to get the mittles to speak. But because I like the darker tone and slightly less tension of the weichs, that's what I currently play.
 
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#9
Mittels are higher tension, louder, but also brighter. Weichs are a little darker, and since they are lighter in tension, you tend to keep the action a little higher, which adds to the darker, airier sound. I also like the Solo Gauge Spiros tuned to regular pitch, they are darkest of all. My bass has guts on top and Spiro Solos on the bottom and I love it. All the Spiros are good in their own way. The Mittels may have the longest break-in time, but they last forever and sound good for years. In my experience, in general, higher tension+lower action produces more brightness and sustain, while lower tension and higher action gives a darker sound with more punch.
 
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#11
834federal said:
Anyone here bought weichs lately? I just bought a new set for the first time in years and I'm thinking that the rumor that they have gone downhill are true! No life to these strings compared to the older ones...
Click to expand...

I just put some on a few months ago (with a Mittel E string)... and I sort of felt the same way at first. They did seem quite different from the many Spiros I'd played before. They seemed a little flat and lifeless for about a week. The upside was that there wasn't any of that usual Spiro z-z-zing, which isn't really what I like to hear on my bass. After a couple of weeks of gigging, they just came to life, and now they are giving me a nice sound indeed... very lively, great sustain, but with a nice burnished fatness. They are really nice under the bow. I couldn't be happier. Maybe give them a little more time....
 
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#12
Marcus Johnson said:
FWIW... I just got an email from Chris Quinn... looks like Spiro prices are going up again on March 1. I just got a set not long ago, so I should be good until about 2025. I didn't check the new prices, but in my opinion, Spiros are still a screaming great deal because they age so gracefully over the years.
Click to expand...

Biggus,

I use The Weichs D & A with a Mittel E and they just seem to sound better and better over time. Of course the Olive G always sounds great! :hyper:
 
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#14
On my big ole 4/4 Strunal, the weichs basically feel like a "normal" tensioned string. Maybe a little lighter - but probably pretty close to how Mittels feel on my 3/4.
In the OP you said you're looking for low tension. Go with the weichs. I don't know what the mensur (string length) of your bass is, but Mittels were way too much string for mine.
 
#15
Bobby King said:
Mittels are higher tension, louder, but also brighter. Weichs are a little darker, and since they are lighter in tension, you tend to keep the action a little higher, which adds to the darker, airier sound. I also like the Solo Gauge Spiros tuned to regular pitch, they are darkest of all. My bass has guts on top and Spiro Solos on the bottom and I love it. All the Spiros are good in their own way. The Mittels may have the longest break-in time, but they last forever and sound good for years. In my experience, in general, higher tension+lower action produces more brightness and sustain, while lower tension and higher action gives a darker sound with more punch.
Click to expand...
I realize this is a very old thread but I'm curious to know what guts you used with the spiro solos E and A.
 
#16
Mouldy said:
I realize this is a very old thread but I'm curious to know what guts you used with the spiro solos E and A.
Click to expand...

Hey there. The Gamut guts are some of the best IMO, but expensive. I use a Gamut Pistoy Gut D, and I've used their G as well, but I find that gut Gs are not as finicky as Ds, so I'm currently using a Lenzner G, which is not as expensive. Cheaper gut Ds often can be thuddy-sounding, especially as you go up the neck, but the Gamut Pistoy D is very good. Expensive though! The single string is around $175!
 
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#19
damonsmith said:
Weichs will for sure get you to a better place that Super Sensitives, a particularly nasty string!
Click to expand...

My first teacher 30-some years ago used to call Super Sensitives "Super Insensitives". I only learned in the last year or so that it wasn't some junky student string, but a real product that some people actually use or recommend. I'm not sure they're the string for me, but I believe they may well work for some people.
 

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