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Double Bass Floppy E/C Spirocore Weich
- Thread starter Oscar Yanez
- Start date
You know I rarely chime in and respond to comments about my playing or bass setup, but I find it amazing and somewhat entertaining what people say about me, my playing, my sound, my action, my string height, my strings, my....on and on. You know there was a time when we all used to listen to music, listen to someone's voice on the instrument, their approach, their style, their ..... you know what I mean. Why would anyone care what my setup is? If it works for me then so be it. What difference does it make? Is there a golden rule book that says what you are supposed to do or what you can and can't do? Are there rules on how you are supposed to play, what strings you are supposed to use, what pickups you are supposed to use, how high your strings are supposed to be, and how much scoop is supposed to be on your fingerboard? The day there are rules is the day I quit playing bass. I was told by doctors many many years ago that if I didn't change my whole approach to the bass I would never be able to play again. They wanted to cut my arms open and shave off the mineral deposits that infested my forearm tendons from playing too fast, too hard, too long with higher action, and a bigger scoop on the fingerboard because I was still bowing back then. So, I had a choice, either change my whole approach to the bass and my setup or not be able to play bass again because of the severe tendon damage I did being young and stupid. So, I changed my approach and the geometry of my bass setup, and guess what, I can still play the bass all these years later. I can't play as fast as I used to, I can't play as strong as I used to, but, I can still play the instrument I love. Who cares how my bass is set up, how does that affect your playing and career? Does it matter? If you want to play with high action then knock yourself out. Play the way and how you want to play, just as I do, but don't judge someone because what they do is different than what you do. Who gives a $hit? Music is personal, and the setup is personal. It's all good, there are no rules. If there were then you would shred Red Mitchell as he tuned his bass in 5ths. Is that in the rule book? On and on with so many cats who find their way to play the bass they love. We should all appreciate when someone devotes their entire life to playing the bass, or any instrument to the best of their abilities. That is for us to honor, not judge because we think it should be done only in a certain way. Tell that to Stanley Jordon or Jimi Hendrix. FYI, my action is lower than a lot of guys, but I have played many basses with lower action than mine. When people play my bass they all say that they thought my action was lower than it is. Go figure. Again, who cares?
Thank you for your insight
You make me want to start re-evaluating my own playing style. I try to be as relaxed as I can but I also play aggressively. Because of this thread, I ended up raising my action. All that has really done was just make my G-D-A harder to play than it already was. My E/C is higher now but it is still so floppy.
I am going to lower the action back to how I liked it and I am going to slap a Mittel E/C on instead.
Play aggressively? You mean with strength and power and loud? IDK -- The real secret is to play effortlessly with intensity and passion as Brian B appears to do.
Thanks Brian for chiming in earlier. I love all of your work, the tone you get with your wood bass both live and recorded, and the intensity, passion and accuracy with which you play. I really enjoyed the raw sound in your "Hands solo bass" record. So exposed and vulnerable, and yet so effortless, confident and authoritative. And your sideman work, like for example with George Duke, is instantly recognizable as your playing without being distracting from the artist. I bought George's "In A Mellow Tone" record, not knowing you were on it, and right from the start I just knew it was you. That's how powerful and unique your voice on bass is.
In more detail, I often catch myself raising my shoulder to position my arm more over the instrument to get more bow weight into the string. I fear that if I am not careful I will probably hurt my shoulder doing this.
Brian B has an incredible sound, I love it!
Thanks for the kind words guys. What I have learned is to listen to your body, it will tell you the truth. Practice and play in front of a big mirror so you can see what you look like when you play and where your body is telling you to adjust. Film yourself playing iso you can really see what you are doing and adjust accordingly. It's not just about plucking strings, its balance, physics, geometry, approach, ownership of your instrument. all of it plus a lot more is what makes a difference in your playing.......
Boy does this hit home. I recently had to change my setup because of a flair up of tendonitis. My main changes were to my strings - I'm playing detuned Spirochore Solos, which have about 10% less tension than the Weichs. That's helped. Also, I make sure that I don't play tensed up or overly aggressively. That's helped too. The main thing, as you say, is the ability to play the instrument I love, playing the music I love.
Depending on the bass, a Mittel E under Weichs may be the ultimate do-everything string set.
I just replaced my belcantos with Flexocor '92 G + D and a Original Flexocor A
Maybe next year I will go for all weichs with the mittel E
Oooo - please update us with how you like this combination. It is on my bucket list. F92 G&D, OF A, S42 mitt E. Does the tension across the board feel balanced? How about the bow response? And what about the volume and timbre differences across the board? And finally, how's the pizzicato with this combination?
Original Flex A is a BEAST. The one on my Solano is from the ‘70s at the latest and just rumbles.
Depends on the bass. The timbre is pretty close from what I remember. The difference in tension may be an issue.
So far these are my thoughts. I still feel like I need more time for the strings to properly break in to give a more accurate response.
Across the board the timbre is really similar. My bass used to be on the brighter side but this gave me a bit more of a darker/complex sound than the belcantos/weich spirocore setup.
The pizz. is more of a round sound than a direct sound compared to the previous string.
The 92's respond to the bow almost immediately. With enough rosin I can get the E/C to speak quickly and the A feels fine.
Tension wise, it just feels a little stiffer on the bass side, but that is expected. The A + C string may feel a little thick but it's not a deal breaker.
I am able to project well, and the pianissimos sound great.
Up in thumb position sounds fantastic, and the harmonics speak well for me. I especially notice this because in one piece I am playing I have a solo that finishes with ponticello. I really get so many overtones with the 92' G.
The flexocor 92 G also came with a tone filter. I used it for about 5 mintues but it just seems counterproductive. I am really just muting the string with it
