Double Bass Innovation Super silvers how are they for rockabilly ?

[Stephandeleuran]

Hi. I live in Denmark and i cant get a hold on the silver slaps. They arent in any shops. However i Can get super silvers. How are they to slap, how good much volume and sustain do they have ? I need a good E and A cause they allways Sound low and dead. How do they compare to silver slaps ?

 

[Don Hergert]

I've played SuperSilvers once on a friend's DB. I was playing acoustically, not plugged in, and this was when my DB was pretty new to me. The SuperSilvers seemed to be very slightly louder or boomier than the SilverSlaps E and A that I use on my DB, but pretty much the same tone and touch qualities. To be fair, it's hard to say whether the volume difference was simply a difference in basses and/or venue and/or setup and/or technique rather than a difference in strings.

I remember I wondered if they were SilverSlaps while playing them before I knew what they were. I personally prefer lower tension so I'm sticking with the SilverSlaps EA / SBW Deluxe DG mix that I use, but the SuperSilvers felt like only slightly different gauges and probably only slightly higher tension, and they seemed like a very nice set.

SilverSlaps are described in Gollihur's GHS/Innovation String section as "SuperSilver Light" strings, which corresponds to what I felt with the E and A from a texture, stiffness and tone standpoint -- the SuperSilver E and A felt to me like only a very slightly higher tension SilverSlaps E and A strings. They also look very much like SilverSlaps, only the E and A look very slightly thicker.

For reference, Gollihur measures SilverSlaps gauges at G=.088, D=.095, A=.105, E=.125 and SuperSilvers gauges at G=.086, D=.093, A=106, E=.126, so the general gauge difference is that SilverSlaps are very slightly thicker in the D and G and SuperSilver are very slightly thicker in the E and A.

That's really not much to differentiate while playing. It strikes me that unless a person is really used to one set or the other, they could probably be playing either set and not know which set they are playing.

Edit: Specifically about the SuperSilver E and A "How are they to slap?"... They felt and sounded good to me, pretty much what I was used to with my SilverSlaps E and A. As mentioned earlier, I wondered if they were SilverSlaps.

 

[brianrost]

I've used Super Silvers for years playing honky tonk country and blues, not rockabilly. I do a little slapping but not a lot.

dhergert's reply is spot on, but I would add that they really don't sound like gut at all. Too bright, too much sustain. Those are good qualities for what I do but sometimes I wish there was a synthetic string that really sounded like gut.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I played Super Silvers twice during some jam sessions (some years ago).
They were roundwound (Silver Slaps are flatwound) and for me a lot higher tension and more tiring to play. And I usually play Braided with about Spiro Weich 4/4 tension usually (and on a 110 cm scale). For me totally different to play than Silver Slaps that have the tension of gut strings.

If you cannot get Silver Slaps, try to get Golden Slaps, which are the same, just a different color.

 

[Don Hergert]

Golden Slaps, which are the same, just a different color.

I checked the GHS/Innovation Acoustic Tapewound site about this and was surprised...

SuperSilver and SiliverSlaps both use a "clear nylon tape over a silvered copper winding", while GoldenSlaps use a "clear nylon tape wrapped around phosphor bronze windings". GHS also describes the GoldenSlaps tone as "Unlike the Silver Slaps, the Golden Slaps have a more pronounced front end pizzicato attack" and "round tone and quick decay".

From years of using non-bass instruments that have phosphor-bronze strings, I'm aware that there are some tonal differences between copper and phosphor-bronze windings.

I'm not sure how long this has been the case though, the assumption always used to be that SilverSlaps and GoldenSlaps were different only in color. It seems that has changed at some point in time.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I checked the GHS/Innovation Acoustic Tapewound site about this and was surprised...

SuperSilver and SiliverSlaps both use a "clear nylon tape over a silvered copper winding", while GoldenSlaps use a "clear nylon tape wrapped around phosphor bronze windings". GHS also describes the GoldenSlaps tone as "Unlike the Silver Slaps, the Golden Slaps have a more pronounced front end pizzicato attack" and "round tone and quick decay".

From years of using non-bass instruments that have phosphor-bronze strings, I'm aware that there are some tonal differences between copper and phosphor-bronze windings.

I'm not sure how long this has been the case though, the assumption always used to be that SilverSlaps and GoldenSlaps were different only in color. It seems that has changed at some point in time.

Maybe. But I still think the sound and playability of the Golden Slaps is closer to the Silver Slaps than the Super Silvers.

And there is still the classifieds to get (used) strings (cheap) that are not available at shops locally or by mail order inside the country.

What about mail order from the UK to Denmark? Not far, the strings are popular in the UK and shipping should not be too much expensive. I did mail order from the UK to Germany some years ago too.
Innovations will be more expensive in Europe now, since they are manufactured in the US these days. Also due to the pandemic they might be hard to find, but I would ask some mail order companies in the UK if they still have them in stock.

 

[Jon Moody]

If you cannot get Silver Slaps, try to get Golden Slaps, which are the same, just a different color.

Maybe. But I still think the sound and playability of the Golden Slaps is closer to the Silver Slaps than the Super Silvers.

Golden Slaps and Silver Slaps are made very similarly in terms of spec, but that color difference is because they're different materials under the same clear nylon. Golden Slaps are a phosphor bronze, and Silver Slaps are a silvered copper, which equates to a slightly different tonality between the two.

They're definitely similar, but not the same.

 

[Don Hergert]

Thank you for that clarification Jon!

Would you be able to share with us how is production going in these times? Also, how is availability in Europe?

 

[Jon Moody]

Would you be able to share with us how is production going in these times?

We've been back at it since early May, after a seven week shutdown. The guys in the back are doing their best to get the orders out as quickly/efficiently as they can.

Also, how is availability in Europe?

That's wholly dependent upon our European distributors, and what they order. I do not deal with that aspect of this, so cannot say who has what.

 

[Don Hergert]

Thank you for the info... We're rooting for you, your crews and all the support people through this time!

 

[Earl]

Golden Slaps and Silver Slaps are made very similarly in terms of spec, but that color difference is because they're different materials under the same clear nylon. Golden Slaps are a phosphor bronze, and Silver Slaps are a silvered copper, which equates to a slightly different tonality between the two.

They're definitely similar, but not the same.

Can you elaborate on the tonal differences? Thanks!

 

[Jon Moody]

Can you elaborate on the tonal differences? Thanks!

Of the two, I've only played the Golden Slaps (been focused on a couple other sets as of late) However, I'm pretty familiar with the two different materials, so I can comment a bit.

Phosphor Bronze material is a bright, lively material that has a good middle-of-the-road tonality with a slightly forward tone, especially on the initial attack. Extremely popular on acoustic guitars.

Silvered copper is a more subdued material that has a softer top end, a rounder low end with some clarity. It is the industry standard for wound basses on classical guitars.

So, everything else being equal between the Golden and Silver Slaps, you should find that the former has a slightly sharper pizz attack with a more mid-forward type of tone. The latter will have a smoother top end with a fuller low end.

However, it's worth noting that these aren't going to be drastic, night/day differences with these strings. It's more the difference between warm and cool grey on a color spectrum; they're both grey, just different hues of it.

 

[Earl]

Of the two, I've only played the Golden Slaps (been focused on a couple other sets as of late) However, I'm pretty familiar with the two different materials, so I can comment a bit.

Phosphor Bronze material is a bright, lively material that has a good middle-of-the-road tonality with a slightly forward tone, especially on the initial attack. Extremely popular on acoustic guitars.

Silvered copper is a more subdued material that has a softer top end, a rounder low end with some clarity. It is the industry standard for wound basses on classical guitars.

So, everything else being equal between the Golden and Silver Slaps, you should find that the former has a slightly sharper pizz attack with a more mid-forward type of tone. The latter will have a smoother top end with a fuller low end.

However, it's worth noting that these aren't going to be drastic, night/day differences with these strings. It's more the difference between warm and cool grey on a color spectrum; they're both grey, just different hues of it.

Thanks Jon!

 

[HateyMcAmp]

What’s crazy is Innovation’s old owners stated explicitly for years that the only difference between the two slap sets was the color.

 

[Jon Moody]

What’s crazy is Innovation’s old owners stated explicitly for years that the only difference between the two slap sets was the color.

Well, in one respect they're correct. The only real difference is the color of the phosphor bronze compared to the silvered copper. But by doing that, they're completely ignoring the tonal variations between the two materials.

Now, in regard to the Rockabilly Black and Rockabilly Red sets, those ARE only different because of the colored vinyl tape over the top. Same exact string underneath.

 

[Stephandeleuran]

We've been back at it since early May, after a seven week shutdown. The guys in the back are doing their best to get the orders out as quickly/efficiently as they can.




That's wholly dependent upon our European distributors, and what they order. I do not deal with that aspect of this, so cannot say who has what.

Thanks for being here with some awsome info.

anyway i was just hoping that a super silver e Would have same volume as my awsome gut-a-like slappers delight d and g. They are ok loud while e and a (mostly e) is super low volume and to floppy. Im not sure silver slaps Will give enough volume