Double Bass Mixing weedwackers with steel strings -

[Jensequitur]

I'm an advanced student with a beater no-name upright bass that has served me well, and I'm just about to get another new beater - a Crapatino VB-004. Yes, all the caveats apply. They're both okay basses for knocking around on the road, but nothing like a Shen. Let's assume I can't afford a Shen or an Upton (or even an Engelhardt) and move on.

My plan is to use the Crapatino for arco, and use the existing beater for pizzicato/bluegrass/jazz. I just got a pack of cheapo weedwacker bass strings. From what I've read so far, the E and the A on a weedwacker set are too floppy. What do you guys think about just using the D and the G from the weedwacker set, and keeping the steel on the E and A?

 

[Alib8]

I tried that to get the tension and note definition consistent across all strings but metal E and A had way more sustain (and a little more volume) than weedwacker D and G, and it was very noticable and distracting. I'm using nylon covered metal strings right now in a bumped set as a low tension mellower sounding alternative to regular steels.

You can also try weedwackers with metal core, some hardware stores sell it as steel rope, like braided steel rope covered in nylon.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I would recommend you not go to the hardware store for bass strings.

 

[Alib8]

Well I tried Slap Happy brand weedwackers, both with kevlar core and metal core, and later discovered that commercial weedwacker lines and nylon covered steel ropes are the same thing, that's why I suggested it. Not just similar, but exactly the same thing as long as you can find the gauges you need. Just cut to length and tie a knot, try a few gauges for the right tension.

 

[moles]

For a time, I had a wacker D/G paired with D'Addario solo gauge on the E/A. For that bass, through the amplification chain I was using at the time, and for the music I was playing - it was a good mix. You'll notice a difference in tone between the two (duh...) but you work on your technique a little, get the optimal string height where you get the best balance you can, and move on. At the end of the day, you might just wind up keeping a nice, broken in, warm sounding set of steels on there instead. Or you might not.