Double Bass Low Tension Strings for Laminate Bass (SB88)

[Richard Blair]

I have the same question. I have Shen SB88 with Helicore Hybrid strings. I play jazz, swing, roots, country, and anything else that comes along. Mostly pizz, some arco. I’m finding the strings a bit dark. I’m thinking about trying spirocore weichs. Any thoughts? Hope I’m not hijacking the thread.

 

[mooseonbass]

I'll second Zyex lights. I like them on my SB88; much better than spiro weichs. (I hope I don't get struck by lightning now)

 

[BrassedOn]

FWIW I’m just a year in on double bass, coming from electric. So no expert, at all, but kinda in the same boat. And I’ve got a Strunal laminate. And went a year on the helio hybrids as well. Because I’m mainly jazz and roots, I was looking for something with a little lighter tension and a good pizz, slappy, and just enough arco-ability for a bit of scale and arpeggio intonation practice.

So maybe not what you’re thinking, but worth a look.
Gut-a-Like Swingmaster synthetic gut.

Had to buy overseas, and ship, even with shipping, less $ than some alternatives.

Different feel cuz fatter under the fingers
Non reversible change at the nut, my luthier did a nice touch up to nut and bridge, but if you were to go back to a wound string, you’d “likely” need a new nut because of the diameter change.

A couple weeks for me and now breaking in nicely. Desired effect. Maybe someday I’ll graduate to gut.

Maybe a friend in your area has these in and you can check.
Alternatively I was looking at Spiro Weich and Evah Slaps, which quite a few recommended.

Links for a couple of demo and comparison vids. Swingmaster

 

[BrassedOn]

IME, minimum care and attention for my Evah guts. They do tend to go out of tune more than others. But not so much that it is unmanageable. IMO, you can either try a bunch of different strings and eventually end up w guts, or you can go right to guts and avoid all the hassle and expense!

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
spent all my gig cash on strings,
And that has made all the difference.”

ROBERT “Thumper” FROST

 

[Don Hergert]

If you're going from relatively thin metal strings to real guts or to a fat synthetic string, there are setup related details that you're going to encounter...

Rather than blatantly copy a recent post discussing this in another thread, here is a link to it.

Going the opposite direction, like from guts or fat synthetic strings to thin metal strings, some but not necessarily all of these same details may apply.

 

[Earl]

FWIW I’m just a year in on double bass, coming from electric. So no expert, at all, but kinda in the same boat. And I’ve got a Strunal laminate. And went a year on the helio hybrids as well. Because I’m mainly jazz and roots, I was looking for something with a little lighter tension and a good pizz, slappy, and just enough arco-ability for a bit of scale and arpeggio intonation practice.

So maybe not what you’re thinking, but worth a look.
Gut-a-Like Swingmaster synthetic gut.

Had to buy overseas, and ship, even with shipping, less $ than some alternatives.

Different feel cuz fatter under the fingers
Non reversible change at the nut, my luthier did a nice touch up to nut and bridge, but if you were to go back to a wound string, you’d “likely” need a new nut because of the diameter change.

A couple weeks for me and now breaking in nicely. Desired effect. Maybe someday I’ll graduate to gut.

Maybe a friend in your area has these in and you can check.
Alternatively I was looking at Spiro Weich and Evah Slaps, which quite a few recommended.

Links for a couple of demo and comparison vids. Swingmaster

I like the Gut A Like strings and you can order from Thomann USA. I have used the Swingmaster G/D and the thinner/looser Hepcat G/D.

 

[Selim]

Spiro weichs (or really any Spiro gauge) depend almost solely on whether the instrument likes them.

That said, a well worn-in set of weichs on a bass that likes them can do most anything and do it well.

 

[BarfanyShart]

I liked downtuned Dominant Solos with a Spiro weich E for my amplified Americana setup - I had that setup for a decade and thought it was perfect. I have become interested in Corellis or synthetic guts as a low tension option for a 1/4 bass in the house that me and my kids play on.

Edit: I should note that I bowed a lot and still did classical rep in this time period (tuning the high string up to solo when necessary), and I preferred the Dominants over Spiros (weichs and solos) mainly for the bow and because they were a bit less zingy on pizz. Nothing ever beat the Spiro E for anything.

 

[AGCurry]

Acoustically the SBW E and A strings are pretty weak, but the same applies to many real gut E and A strings.

Your second clause doesn't jibe with my experience, which is that - on a bass capable of lows - gut E and A speak as strongly as any other string.

 

[Don Hergert]

Your second clause doesn't jibe with my experience, which is that - on a bass capable of lows - gut E and A speak as strongly as any other string.

That's a good point... I've just seen some comments here and have heard some DBs in person that support that concept. I'm glad it is not your experience! It may be a point of the kind of guts, the setup, the method of playing or the DB itself.

 

[BKBroiler]

Writing to add an update. I appreciate everyone's suggestions and comments. I read through a lot of old threads on the various recommendations and for whatever reason the Evah Slaps kept resonating with me the most. I also watched Russell Hall's interview on Discover Double Bass where he spoke highly of his experience with the Evah Slaps so that certainly helped. I ended up going with the full synthetic set and had the bass set up by a luthier in Denver (Bob Ross.)

After a few short days I'm really happy with this choice. The lower tension is exactly what I was hoping for and the tone gives me the feeling of black and white TV's, old vinyl records, and a smokey late night bar. Similar to what I read a few times, the volume seems a little lower from the player's perspective but when positioned towards a corner it seems to project out much more than the D'addarios. At times I thought I was missing the distinct tone of the old steel strings but when playing along with tracks and other recordings these sit in the mix much better for my taste and ear.

So far I'm really happy with these and plan to stay with them through 2023. I might check back periodically if others find it helpful.

 

[longfinger]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions! The Evah Golden Slap Set looks really interesting and feels like a safe alternative to going all guts (or just having a gut G.) I've never used guts before so am a little shy about making the larger investment and extra care and attention.

I think you are mixing up the names of two different string sets.

Innovation Golden Slaps
Evah Pirazzi Slap

I've used both. For a ply bass and no Arco performance or practice, the Innovation Golden Slaps are great. Low price, Very low tension, easy on the fingers. Won't get blisters. totally non-bowable.

If you want to Arco, then the EP slaps are more expensive, but you can do all 3, pizzicato, slap, Arco.

 

[LouisF]

Some dealers call the Evah Slaps Evah Gold so that players other than slappers will buy them. Herve Jean explains this on one of his videos I think. It's very confusion and typical of Pirastro's chaotic marketing.

 

[Francois Blais]

Indeed.
The packaging of the Slaps is golden too.

 

[bassyes]

Presto Jazzicato (https://www.thomannmusic.com/presto_jazzicato.htm) work rather well and are budget strings.

 

[Sam Reese]

@keating78 are you settling in with the EP Slaps? Any gigs with them? Amplification?

 

[Ed S]

Im hesitant to mention them but I think the Superior Bass Works Dirty Guts may also be appropriate…maybe, given the focus on the old school vintage sound. Those are basically weed wacker line so pretty low tension.

Recently attended a BG show where the bassist was playing a Kay. My wife commented on how much she loved the warm sound, and asked him after what strings he was using. Dirty Guts. He let me play his bass - I've never played anything as low tension as that before - I really wouldn't have thought it possible for a string to be that low tension. And I'm a big gut fan!

I later saw him play the same bass/strings in a blues trio - so they are as flexible as the player - tho I'm sure they bow horribly.

But they sounded good enough to make my wife ask about them (and ask if I would consider using them). And the price is certainly cheap enough that just about anyone could try them.

 

[LouisF]

The Dirty Guts don't bow as badly as you might think. I had them on a bass for awhile and they were (and I still keep them as back up to my gut bass). Here's part of the review from the Quantum Bass website:

Here at Quantum Bass Center, we have tried out the Deluxe string set, and in our humble opinion, they play very much like gut strings. We've even tried bowing them, and amazingly, they bow very much like natural gut! It was hard to believe we were actually playing continuo parts with a set of synthetic strings, apart from the lack of terror and unease that they were either going to go severely flat without warning, or break. There was also a vague sense of guilt that the strings cost less than $400 a set, but that dissipated pretty quickly. Stock color "deluxe" strings are available in Jet Black and Dirty Gut. This listing is for "Dirty Gut" color Deluxe strings.

 

[Ed S]

Cool to hear.

I still like my EP slap guts, but I think I was dissuaded from the Dirty Guts out of ignorance, figuring no strings so cheap could be good. And my desire to get away from synthetics after Innovation Rockabillys. The low tension of the DGs was pretty incredible to my relatively inexperienced hands, but I'm sure I'd get used to them.

Just the there day I was thinking that I hadn't oiled, trimmed, sanded my gut D/G in quite some time, but they are pristine. Not sure why I don't experience the maintenance issues with them that some folk describe.

 

[LouisF]

Ed... I've been playing guts full time (plain GDA) for 3 years (orchestra, heavy bowing etc); I lightly oil them with walnut oil at the start of each season and then leave them alone. Pizz players might have more issues, but I don't see maintenance as an issue.