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Double Bass I give up...

#23
Yup. They are nice indeed. Thanks Will. Wish I tried them out sooner. Always had a suspicion that I'd end up really liking them.

Yeah I noticed they were a little soft at first and just within a couple weeks they started firming up a bit (or that I'm just getting used to them). Yeah I don't see any particular need to replace them with something else unless I'm bored too.

I would also say that they don't feel like they have any particular strenghths over other strings but that goes hand in hand with not having any particular weaknesses either - which is why I like 'em more. Solid. Better to just forget about what the strings are doing and get on with the business of making music.
 
#24
Ha! We're going to start a Jazzer Renaissance! I'm in the club, would describe them very similarly. Solid, under-rated string. For me, the unique goodness is in the gauge/tension/suppleness. Meatier than sweichs and more bounce than smittels. Aside from that, just generic goodness that doesn't stand out, but doesn't cause problems.
 
#25
Played my first gig with the Jazzers. Perfect amount of growl - not too much, not too little. Nice bloom with the bass using a BP-100 into Focus SA & Wizzy 10. Attacks well if I give the right pull and fattens up nicely if you relax. Very happy camper.

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#27
Thanks. Believe it or not, that was a single simple Zoom digital recorder placed in front of the band. Bass/amp was not mic'd at all. It's why the guitar comes out a little too loud and the piano a little too soft but the bass punched through to the mic without too much problem.

We played at a little cafe in Berkeley, CA - in the back patio. The acoustics turned out to be great to our surprise. It's surrounded by tall walls so I guess the sound just bounced around and stayed in the space.
 
#28
hdiddy said:
Thanks. Believe it or not, that was a single simple Zoom digital recorder placed in front of the band. Bass/amp was not mic'd at all. It's why the guitar comes out a little too loud and the piano a little too soft but the bass punched through to the mic without too much problem.

We played at a little cafe in Berkeley, CA - in the back patio. The acoustics turned out to be great to our surprise. It's surrounded by tall walls so I guess the sound just bounced around and stayed in the space.
Click to expand...

Hey man, that sounded really nice all the way around - keep it up! ;)
 
#30
Will Kelly said:
BTW, I've found Jazzers tend to get even better with age. I had a set on for almost seven years, and they just sounded better and better. I only changed them out of boredom.
Click to expand...

Will, am I reading that right, you had the same set on one bass for 7 years? That's very Joe Osborn of you... ;)

I think I should try those strings...
 
#31
Havent checked up on this thread in a little while. Thanks for the kind comments guys. I am REALLY digging these string in a big way.

I just discovered if I pull with a firm (yet supple) attack past the fingerboard, I get this wonderful gut like thump/attack. I have to come at it with an almost vertical finger pull - somewhere between Ray Brown and Buster Williams. Through the string as always. The tone reminds me of what I was getting with the Animas.

Slapping with them is pretty great too. I'll have to come with a decent recording.
 
#33
And the saga goes on...

Jazzers are off. :hmm:

Recently got a new soundpost and setup done. Bass is now stiffer than before and the Jazzers were wearing down my left hand - even with the adjusters almost all the way down. Took an arco lesson yesterday and I think I'm hooked so I need something more bow friendly.

On came a set of Helicore Hybrid Orchs. Used to not like them. Whaddaya know? Not bad! With the bow, the sound just jumps right out of the bass.

I hate how things like a setup change and throw all the variables. Glad I didn't sell lots of those strings in the closet.
 
#34
I just dealt with a similar situation. Fingerboard pops off, so I take the ol' girl to David Gage and it came back sounding GREAT. My colleagues all noticed, and its been nice days at the office.

I'm using these weird rockabilly nylon strings now as a cheap gut / Velvet substitute, and because the bass was sounding so good I sprung for high quality plain gut d and g. My bass has always loved guts, so why not go for it? Well, it seems like it somehow no longer works as well as i remember. Buzzy (I need a fingerboard plane, to be fair), inconsistent, not worth the gut drama.

Put the wacky rockabilly nylons back on. Sounds great, plays like butter, loud.

So, yeah, the string search is a brutal slog.
 
#35
The Helicores have served me well untill i have to get into really upper register stuff. Then they get a little disobedient. For Jazz and Orchestral work they are great. I still like my Evahs though for playing stuff like Bach and Koussevitsky.
 
#36
I think that kind of thing is bass dependent. Upper registers are fine on my bass. Am noticing that they're not as loud acoustically compared to the last several set of strings I've used. I won't do EP mediums - too much tension. I might give weichs a try.
 
#37
The Hybrids are nice strings. They do have a bit of trouble with quality control but if you get a good set I believe they are an underrated string.
Of all of the strings I've tried, the EP weichs seem to work the best. I've been using an Olive G, although the EP G is really good. The E has always been a bit weak, not speaking well unless it's at 9mm or higher so I have a spirocore mittel on now. About the only complete set I've been able to tolerate has been a dead set of spirocore weichs but then again, I missed the meaty feel on the G.

Bottom line? We each must find what works for us and best allows the creation of music. Strings are tools. The right tools help but it's the mind, heart and hands that make it happen.
 

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