• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass I like Weichs!

#42
martinc said:
Bobby:

Glad you like the Weich G.......lucky you.
That string has been an irritant to me for 10 years. I want to have it on to finally have a complete set of something on a bass but my ears and the sound in my head that I want to hear from a G just don't want any part of the Weich G.
Click to expand...

Martin,

Having a second bass makes it easier to like any of the strings I put on it :). I know I always have my gut bass to "go home" to. If I had only one bass, I'm not sure it would have a Weich G.

But given all that, the Weich G sounds good on this Shen plywood bass. The whole set sounds good in fact. The Shen bass has a somewhat unusual response IMO. It responds quickly, it's even and sustains well, but it's not bright sounding. When I had Helicore Orchs on it the pizz was really dull, whereas on my Strunal hybrid they had a reasonably decent pizz tone. So maybe the Weiches and the Shen just match up well and I wouldn't like them as much on another bass.

I'd highly recommend those Shens for a beginner or a second bass. I bought it from Dustin Williams' shop and it was very well set up. Nice ebony fingerboard. I paid around $1500. It's not real loud, and it didn't sound very good with guts on it, but for what I use it for it's perfect.

My Strunal sounds great with guts, Animas, Olives, etc. It's got good volume too. I bought it originally to do what the Shen does now, but I found it sounded better with guts than my old King bass, or the Kay that I bought after that. So I sold them, wound up ahead $$-wise, and bought the Shen which I'm really happy with. Neither of the ones I have now have much "cool factor", but you know, f*#k a bunch of that s*#t, I say! If it plays well and sounds good, I don't care when it was made or who made it.
 
#43
Bobby King said:
.... My Strunal sounds great with guts, Animas, Olives, etc. It's got good volume too. I bought it originally to do what the Shen does now, but I found it sounded better with guts than my old King bass, or the Kay that I bought after that. So I sold them, wound up ahead $$-wise, and bought the Shen which I'm really happy with. Neither of the ones I have now have much "cool factor", but you know, f*#k a bunch of that s*#t, I say! If it plays well and sounds good, I don't care when it was made or who made it.
Click to expand...

Atta Boy Bobby :D .... Let yer Ear be yer Guide and Damn the Frickin' Mojo Cool Factors ! I always listen to what you have to say. Glad you have some wood that speaks yer language now. I would really like to hear a Shen sometime but they're just too far away from me. Forge On Mr. King and Enjoy those Weak-A$$ Mojo Basses with their Guts 'n Weichs :p !!
 
#46
Weichs are great, I'm getting about 9 months per set with the Weich's but I used to get about 1 year or more from Spiros. My current set are just about done so I have to pony up and get another one.

What type of longevity are others gettng with their Weichs?

For the record I think they bow fine, can't say the same for Velvets...
 
#48
I agree, I think they're a really expressive arco string.

It's hard to say how long they last, because I usually put the same set on repeatedly whenever I momentarily quit farting around with other strings. The last set I had on was probably on and off half a dozen times; I've no idea how old they are. At the moment, they're out on loan on a student's bass, and they sound great. They're Kryptonite.
 
#50
Brian:
Less tension...which makes it easier to get a full sound out of the string. The Weich still has a big sound and lots of sustain on many basses that may have a tough time responding the same way to the extra tension of the Orchestra. The only exception me for and others is the Weich E. The orchestra (Mittel) E has a bigger oomph but the tension does not feel much greater than the Weich.....unlike the rest of the set.
The Weich is one of the few strings that sounds good on a lot of basses.
 
#51
Carl Johnson said:
Weichs are great, I'm getting about 9 months per set with the Weich's but I used to get about 1 year or more from Spiros. My current set are just about done so I have to pony up and get another one.

What type of longevity are others gettng with their Weichs?

For the record I think they bow fine, can't say the same for Velvets...
Click to expand...

I have a set of spirocore weichs on my old Meisel laminate, that have been on there for over 14 years. I gig with them at least once a week. They just sound better all the time. I have no intentions of swapping them out any time soon. As far as arco goes, if you can't bow on weichs, you are in serious need of some arco lessons.
 
#52
The arco sound of spiro weichs is not that ugly. It takes some time to get used to, but that´s with every string. They sound harsh and itchy-scratchy out of the bag, but after a break-in and after some practice (which is always a good way of spending your time), I remeber I got them to sound good. -If you like the spiro-weich sound pizzwise, want something that is GREAT for arco even though nobody believes it, and if you are on the thrifty side (who isn´t), try helicore pizz light. They bow really great (practice required), the only thing is they are pretty unreliable, the G-String has the built-in OLD-DEAD sound, the A-String buzzes the firrst 4 days maiking it unbearable to bow or even play anything outside your safe home, but for 99 Dollars, it´s an ok string.
 
#54
Okay, gang, that tears it. My 20-year old set of Weichs is going back on this weekend. I always thought that they bowed nicely. Sweet and piercing in the upper register.

The only drawback I remember (back in school) is that they lack acoustic volume, so aren't ideal for orchestra. I am not playing in any bass sections and play amplified anyway, so I don't care much about that, these days...

Never experienced that lack of "tonal center," but who knows?

I am looking forward to the brightness, clarity, and the endless sustain. not to mention the lack of LH resitance...
 
#55
Wow Eric. I thought that I might have had the oldest active set of Weichs, with my 14 year old set, but it looks like you have me beat. I have never noticed any loss of definition / tone center with mine. I just ordered a new set of Weichs to replace the Obligatos on my carved bass. I'll report on them after they settle in. The Obligatos definitely suffered a loss of definition after a very short time.
 
#56
Er...I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I just did the arithmetic, for clarity, after reading your post.

I bought this set in '79 (I believe) swapped them out in '80, reinstalled them in '81, rode them hard until '86, swapped them out until '90, played them again until '96, and have had them in "the string drawer" since. So how old are they, really? 29 years or 12 years?

Either way, they're going on again...:)
 
#57
OK, mine have been on the bass continuously since '94, so I guess I got 2 more years active use than you do. Age wise, y'all beat the hell out of me. Maybe after we get our moneys worth out of them, we can take them to the antiques road show, and make a small fortune off of them.
 
#58
Eric Swanson said:
Er...I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I just did the arithmetic, for clarity, after reading your post.

I bought this set in '79 (I believe) swapped them out in '80, reinstalled them in '81, rode them hard until '86, swapped them out until '90, played them again until '96, and have had them in "the string drawer" since. So how old are they, really? 29 years or 12 years?

Either way, they're going on again...:)
Click to expand...
Do you have your shots?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back