Thanks DoubleMIDI but I think I will settle with solo Spiros for a while now, they have been good at home and rehearsals so far. I`m playing my first gig with this setup tomorrow and I have a feeling it`s going to be fine.
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Double Bass GUTS ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!
- Thread starter Marc Piane
- Start date
In that case the downtuned Braided Solos might be a bit too light.
The dynamic response of the Braided Solo might be better than the one of the Evah Solo. The stretching of the Braided is closer to gut than the stretching of the Evahs which is a lot larger and responsible for the limit in dynamic response if you dig in hard. (I have written something with measurements in the DB string forum some months ago.)
But it must also fit tensionwise to feel good playing the mixed set, nothing is perfect.
Just played Ari Roland's travel bass (czech ease) after the concert and it sounds and plays amazingly easy with plain GD and eudoxa AE. great setup, low action. I wish there was a luthier here in st petersburg who could work with my bass to make it play so easy, although I'd probably prefer higher action for slap.
I have toyed with the idea of trying Pirastro Pizzicatos under reqular plain guts, but have my concerns about quality control and sticky feel. However, Spiro solos under plain guts were great playing live yesterday. 8-piece acoustic band in a small theatre room, no drums and only amped instrument was a electric mandolin, no mics, no PA whatsoever. Most times I heard myself pretty well, even with the flu and messed hearing I have at the moment, and a maestro bass buddy in the audience said that he could hear the bass all the time and that it sounded great. There`s still a lot for me to learn about the right hand attack on this setup, and arco could be louder on the low strings, but I`m pretty happy. As any string, it gives me just as much as I am able to put in, but generally there isn`t anything that this setup doesn`t do, now it`s all about learning to get the sound out of them. I really like how easy on the left hand this setup is, and the lower overall tension at gut string heights. EP weichs sounded great but killed my left hand and my time feel as playing got uncomfortable and painful.
Reiska, try downtuning the Evah Weich by a halftone. If that would work Evah Solos in orchestra tuning would do the job.
If that is still too much tune down one halftone more (whole tone total). If that works Innovation Braided Solo should work.
If you order directly from the factory in GB, you can order single strings. A bit more expensive that wholesalers, but not that much.
If that is still too much tune down one halftone more (whole tone total). If that works Innovation Braided Solo should work.
If you order directly from the factory in GB, you can order single strings. A bit more expensive that wholesalers, but not that much.
D
As always IMHO and YMMV, but I've tried a lot of different wound guts (Gamut, Lenzner, Pizzicato) on the low strings and everytime I think I love the sound, but after a while there is always something (the tension, stability, amplified sound) that makes me go back to Garbos or Spiros. The moral of this story being, there are cheaper strings to experiment with, especially when you're happy with the sound you are now getting
As always IMHO and YMMV, but I've tried a lot of different wound guts (Gamut, Lenzner, Pizzicato) on the low strings and everytime I think I love the sound, but after a while there is always something (the tension, stability, amplified sound) that makes me go back to Garbos or Spiros. The moral of this story being, there are cheaper strings to experiment with, especially when you're happy with the sound you are now getting
its the opposite with me! I tried many substitute and I love the sound of spiros over gut GD, but i keep returning to gut A and E cause they are just a better match both sonically, volume and tone wise. with the extreme humidity changes of my city i have to tune very often anyway, and i dont mind that at all since the tone is far superior with guts.
warmly,
Just threw on my Golden Spiral D and G. For those interested these are Plain Gut and not the famous Nylon Wrapped ones. I have them with Spirocore Weich, and I found out that the weich I have are the 3/4. The tension is too high and I feel like it chokes the gut on top. When I tune down the spiro weich a whole step it feels and sounds better. I'm gonna do some light experimenting on the E and A strings. I've got Zyex Lights on the way that I hope will do well. Anyone have recommendations? On my list are:
Zyex Lights
Hellicore lights
Evah Weich (My favorite with the artone guts)
Velvets if I have to haha
Zyex Lights
Hellicore lights
Evah Weich (My favorite with the artone guts)
Velvets if I have to haha
Innovation Braided Solo (downtuned)
Spirocore 4/4 Solo (downtuned)
Evah Pirazzi Solo (downtuned)
Sorry I forgot to say I'm hoping to stay way from solo strings because I have tried them on other basses and the E and A are just too small feeling. I may go back to the Evah Slap too.
If you want thick strings rule out any steel core strings.
I haven't had EP or Braided Solos in my hands, but they are generally a little bit thicker than Spiros. More on the higher strings than on the lower ones. Both are Synthetic core strings and have a thicker core than steel strings. The thickest core I know have Obligato, but the lower strings are less famous because of the "rolling".
Any strings except gut have the same core over the whole set with different kind and number of windings. Only gut cores grow towards the lower strings, so you might prefer some gut strings on E and A. But the thicker core gives you a less flexible string. That is the reason why metal wound strings exist. The higher mass of the metal makes the string thinner and more flexible.
I think you won't find a suitable string that is not a Solo string and not thin that works tensionwise with your gut strings.
I would try to find a used EP Solo set in the classifieds and check them out.
I haven't had EP or Braided Solos in my hands, but they are generally a little bit thicker than Spiros. More on the higher strings than on the lower ones. Both are Synthetic core strings and have a thicker core than steel strings. The thickest core I know have Obligato, but the lower strings are less famous because of the "rolling".
Any strings except gut have the same core over the whole set with different kind and number of windings. Only gut cores grow towards the lower strings, so you might prefer some gut strings on E and A. But the thicker core gives you a less flexible string. That is the reason why metal wound strings exist. The higher mass of the metal makes the string thinner and more flexible.
I think you won't find a suitable string that is not a Solo string and not thin that works tensionwise with your gut strings.
I would try to find a used EP Solo set in the classifieds and check them out.
I'll keep that in mind. I was thinking something like Innovation strings maybe or Velvet. That type of gauge. Simply based on feel. As I said tension wise the evah weich felt good on the E and A with other gut strings so I may give that a shot. I hear Zyex light are about the same tension so i'll try them and report back
For a while I ran Animas under a Gamut Lyon G. Great set. The EP Slaps might also work if boom is more important than singing sustain.
The slaps were a little too soft for me. I think animas will be the next investment if the zyex don't work
