Double Bass high tension dark strings?

[elmer]

Thanks a mill once again for all the replies folks! In this case I think I'll give the Evah Pirazzi medium a go and take it from there. Just to clarify when ye say regular EP you mean the green one, right?

Both EP sets have the same green silks on the tailpiece end. EP Weichs have a pink ring on the peg end silks.

 

[Alberto Wang]

Hello folks, I am looking for a dual-purposed G/A string. I play both 4th-tuning and 5th-tuning, so I want to find a string that is suitable for both G-D and A-D on top. My current D is Spiro wiech 3885. I like darker sound on top, so my ideal string is a string dark enough on A, yet powerful enough when tuned G. A high tension solo A or a low tension orchestra G may be an option. To my taste, even Evah solo and Belcanto solo are too bright, Passione solo, Kaplan solo are too thin. Does a high tension dark solo A exist? I have heard of that Jargar Dolce G could also be tuned to A. Does anyone have thoughts on that, in terms of the sound? Or something like that, a powerful low tension G that will not snap easily?

 

[Sam Dingle]

Hello folks, I am looking for a dual-purposed G/A string. I play both 4th-tuning and 5th-tuning, so I want to find a string that is suitable for both G-D and A-D on top. My current D is Spiro wiech 3885. I like darker sound on top, so my ideal string is a string dark enough on A, yet powerful enough when tuned G. A high tension solo A or a low tension orchestra G may be an option. To my taste, even Evah solo and Belcanto solo are too bright, Passione solo, Kaplan solo are too thin. Does a high tension dark solo A exist? I have heard of that Jargar Dolce G could also be tuned to A. Does anyone have thoughts on that, in terms of the sound? Or something like that, a powerful low tension G that will not snap easily?

I heard a rumor that John Pattatucci worked with pirastro on the evah weich set so that it could be tuned to solo tuning now and again. I don't know how true that is but maybe try that? Full disclosure i have no idea if pirastro recommends that or not.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Hello folks, I am looking for a dual-purposed G/A string. I play both 4th-tuning and 5th-tuning Does a high tension dark solo A exist?

Not that I have found.

5ths tuning there is a difference in string sound and tension of the high A and the D.
Same with the F# solo tuned to G compared to low C and higher D.

Talking arco, I have tried high A solo Dominant, solo Belcanto and solo Pirastro Flex. All have been cello like. I have been advised, by someone who knows, that any regular G tuned up to A is not an improvement over a solo A.
The Dominant was the best sounding but it broke after two weeks.

My conclusion?
To get a dark full sound (like a high G Passione) with a solo A is not possible. Now I embrace the cello sounding high A. I sometimes contemplate putting the G passione back on because I like a dark sounding top string that matches the D, which is effectively tuning hybrid 5ths. It’s an option.

 

[Alberto Wang]

I sometimes contemplate putting the G passione back on because I like a dark sounding top string that matches the D, which is effectively tuning hybrid 5ths. It’s an option.

Thanks for your insight. How about doing so no the Helicore G or Evah wiech G?

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Thanks for your insight. How about doing so no the Helicore G or Evah wiech G?

I’ve never tried the Helicore or Evah.

 

[Calvin Marks]

Not that I have found.

5ths tuning there is a difference in string sound and tension of the high A and the D.
Same with the F# solo tuned to G compared to low C and higher D.

Talking arco, I have tried high A solo Dominant, solo Belcanto and solo Pirastro Flex. All have been cello like. I have been advised, by someone who knows, that any regular G tuned up to A is not an improvement over a solo A.
The Dominant was the best sounding but it broke after two weeks.

My conclusion?
To get a dark full sound (like a high G Passione) with a solo A is not possible. Now I embrace the cello sounding high A. I sometimes contemplate putting the G passione back on because I like a dark sounding top string that matches the D, which is effectively tuning hybrid 5ths. It’s an option.

A solo ‘A’ string will always sound cello-like. The obligato fifths tuning set has a robust sounding high ‘A’ string that sounds more like a regular orchestral G.

 

[16fuss]

While we are at tuning around, what is a good String for Low D to match Passione stark?

 

[Calvin Marks]

While we are at tuning around, what is a good String for Low D to match Passione stark?

I don’t worry about matching when it comes to the bottom string. Passione is a dark string and for a low D I would want something that can speak quickly and be relatively bright.

you’re probably going to want a spirocore tbh even though that is a brighter string

 

[16fuss]

... and they are available in all flavours (and cheap)! I was just hoping to find something more pirastroish sounding...

 

[elmer]

Try Permanent. It´s bright with tension and power.

 

[16fuss]

Good idea! I only had the soloversion of perms.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

For a darker sound you can use a tone filter (middle holed rüber disk) at the bridge. That might help with the strings that are a bit too bright for your taste.

But tension will differ by 22% (as far as I can remember, check formulas.html) for G and A. It is not a good idea to setzen a single string that much and keep the neighbor in tune.

Tuning up by a halftone might work well with many strings, specially on a shorter scale. I wouldn‘t do that by a wholetone.

I once tuned a string up by a major third and the string broke without touring it. Keep in mind that bowing and plucking stretches the string and enlarged tension that way.

 

[paulunger]

You add about 7.5 pounds of pressure for each half step you tune up. So going from G to A adds about 14 pounds I’d pressure.
Most solo strings are about 68-70 pounds, when dropped to G they are around 53-55 pounds. Check Joey Naeger’s website, he has them all calculated.