Back in December I bought a Shen SB 80 plywood bass to use as my "steel string" bass ( I'm an erstwhile gut-head). It came with Obligatos which sounded pretty good, but something about Obligatos doesn't quite do it for me. Then I had some Helicore Orchestras on it and the arco was beautiful but the pizz was a total thud. So, for the last few months I had been using an old set of Superflexibles which all around worked well on the bass.
But as you all know, a little money in a Paypal account will keep a string junkie from leaving well-enough alone.
I read so many posts from self-satisfied, well-adjusted Spirocore users that I thought, "it's been years, give 'em a try again". And I'd never used the Weichs in the past so I ordered a set.
Well surprise, surprise! I like Weichs. First of all, this Shen bass is not a very bright bass. It's an excellent bass for the money, it has nice even response and good sustain for a ply, but it's on the darker side so the Weichs seem to compliment it. I really like the tension of the Weichs, quite similar to the Pirastro Pizzicatos on my Strunal hybrid. I can keep the action a little higher than I could with the Superflexibles. The G string is not whiny. The Superflex actually "mwahed" more. I think it's the lower tension. It seems that a lower tension string will let certain basses produce more punch, more bass and more volume and this is the case with the Weichs on the Shen.
As for arco, it's not really that bad at all. A little buzzy right now, but I hear everyone say that this will improve over time. In any event, the bow grabs the strings and starts well. I recall playing on other Spirocores (maybe Orchestra gauge) and finding them hard to bow on. Maybe it's the lighter gauge or maybe I've improved my arco skills but it's better than I expected.
I have to say, I'm really enjoying them. My past prejudices have been unwarranted.
But as you all know, a little money in a Paypal account will keep a string junkie from leaving well-enough alone.
I read so many posts from self-satisfied, well-adjusted Spirocore users that I thought, "it's been years, give 'em a try again". And I'd never used the Weichs in the past so I ordered a set.
Well surprise, surprise! I like Weichs. First of all, this Shen bass is not a very bright bass. It's an excellent bass for the money, it has nice even response and good sustain for a ply, but it's on the darker side so the Weichs seem to compliment it. I really like the tension of the Weichs, quite similar to the Pirastro Pizzicatos on my Strunal hybrid. I can keep the action a little higher than I could with the Superflexibles. The G string is not whiny. The Superflex actually "mwahed" more. I think it's the lower tension. It seems that a lower tension string will let certain basses produce more punch, more bass and more volume and this is the case with the Weichs on the Shen.
As for arco, it's not really that bad at all. A little buzzy right now, but I hear everyone say that this will improve over time. In any event, the bow grabs the strings and starts well. I recall playing on other Spirocores (maybe Orchestra gauge) and finding them hard to bow on. Maybe it's the lighter gauge or maybe I've improved my arco skills but it's better than I expected.
I have to say, I'm really enjoying them. My past prejudices have been unwarranted.
......could be my new favorite steel strings.
) with the three Pizzicatos and a plain G on it. But for several years I've managed to have a second bass strung with steel strings to practice arco and when I want more of a modern jazz pizz tone. I've generally favored strings for arco but the Weichs are so great for pizz, and now I find that they're OK for arco too. Pizz-wise they're really fun - you can really fly on them!
, but fast is not always the objective 
