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Double Bass My ideal strings

Jaromir

Jaromir

Nov 5, 2005
309
16
Prague, Czech Republic
www.jaromirhonzak.com
#1
Well, my ideal strings would be close to Spiro Weichs as far as sound and tension is concerned. They would be THICKER however. They could have even little bit more tension (somewhere between Spiro regulars and Weichs), but thicker.
Does anything come to somebody's mind? EP weichs? I never tried them. The EP regulars are way too stiff which both myself and my bass don't like.
Feelwise I like the Zyex, soundwise I'm not so enthusiastic. The plastic wibe is not what I'm after...
Thanks for possible ideas!
 
#3
I recently went from Spiro Weich to EP weich on my carved bass. As far as feel, they would probably be what you're looking for, and they are much less stiff than EP regulars. Played pizz, the EPs sometimes sound muffled or plasticky, though I love them under the bow.
 
#5
Yes, Jazzers. Close to medium Spirocores in gauge and weichs in tension. Similar type of string, but has it's own character. I've gone back and forth between all of the things mentioned here and keep coming back to Jazzers. Worth a try.

In my experience, EP Weichs are going to feel a lot more like Spirocore Mittels and sound very different. Good strings if that's what you're going for, but not in most ways similar to Spirocores, which is what it sounds like you want.
 
#8
tension chart said:
Thomastic weich -
G - 60.6
D - 61.7
A - 63.9
E - 66.1

Thomastik Dominant
G - 63.9
D - 63.9
A - 66.1
E - 66.1

Thomastik Mittel
G - 67.2
D - 68.3
A - 70.5
E - 72.8
Click to expand...

Tension between weich and mittel - check.


TB Wiki said:
Thomastik Spirocore
Solo
.044 .061 .076 .103
Weich
.046 .063 .079 .107
Medium
.052 .070 .085 .111
Stark
.054 .065 .090 .117

Thomastik Dominant
.055 .065 .085 .113
Click to expand...

Thicker - Check.

Of course, I'm biased. :)
 
#9
Jaromir said:
They could have even little bit more tension (somewhere between Spiro regulars and Weichs), but thicker.
Click to expand...

I found out that 3/4 Weichs (labeled 3885.0W) are inbetween 4/4 Mittles (S42) and 4/4 Weichs (S42W) both tension and diameter-wise. I settled to use them on my 107cm bass. 4/4 Mittles are too stiff on this bass, 4/4 Weichs are too loose, 3/4 Weichs are just right.

Of course, the differences are minor.

What string length is your bass? Do you use 4/4 or 3/4 Spiros?
 
#11
You are welcome, Jaromir. I found measurements I made some time ago. The measurements show the differences in diameter are very subtle ... so probably not what you are after.


Thomastic Spirocore S42 ...... 1.3 1.8 2.2 2.8
Thomastic Spirocore 3885.0W .. 1.2 1.7 2.1 2.8
Thomastic Spirocore S42W ..... 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.7


My primary objective when doing this expensive experiment with Spiros was not the diameter, but the sound and playability. 4/4 Mittles sounded best to me, but the E string was too stiff for me. Not a problem for the left hand, but for the right one - I was not able to articulate shorter notes on this string. With 4/4 Weichs the fast passages became easy, but the bass lost its volume, the body was not resonating enough. 3/4 Weichs look like a good compromise.

I found other sets acoustically better than Spiros (Obligatos, Helicore Hybrids), but when playing through a pickup, Spiros are the winner, anything else sounding more muffled to me.
 
#12
This is an interesting experiment, I only experimented with Mittels, Weichs and Solos, all 4/4 lenght.
What I found soundwise is that it all depends on particular instrument - some bass is louder with softer strings, other needs more tension to resonate properly.
I still think that Spiros are fantastic strings, they have some disadvantages, but they have a character, specific power and energy and are suitable for various styles. So many players of different sounds and styles play Spiros.
 
#13
JayB said:
While I know these don't get much love on here, maybe Helicore Pizz in medium gauge? I had the Hybrid mediums on my bass for a while, and they were similar in tension to Spiro Weichs but thicker...
Click to expand...

What's the deal with Helicore? I never hear anyone talking about them. Why are they disliked? I've got a Hybrid set in my drawer from my first bass. Occasionally I think about throwing them on to see what they're like. I wasn't good enough to judge them at the time when I played them.
 
#14
Throw them on and see what they're like. There are people who use them, they tend to be less expensive in the US because we're not changing currencies.

I've played with some D'Addario strings over the years and the only one that I really connected with was their orchestral string, which is a little too dead for jazz, but a nice string. Quality on all of them seems to not be quite up to par with the other strings we've been talking about. Historically, they've had more breakages. General scouting report on the Hybrid strings is that they are pizz strings, not many people who really are invested in arco using them.

But, they do come in gauges, which gives you some ability to dial into what your bass likes. Since you've got a set and you're looking for strings, you should try them and see what you think.
 
#16
TroyK said:
Throw them on and see what they're like. There are people who use them, they tend to be less expensive in the US because we're not changing currencies.

I've played with some D'Addario strings over the years and the only one that I really connected with was their orchestral string, which is a little too dead for jazz, but a nice string. Quality on all of them seems to not be quite up to par with the other strings we've been talking about. Historically, they've had more breakages. General scouting report on the Hybrid strings is that they are pizz strings, not many people who really are invested in arco using them.

But, they do come in gauges, which gives you some ability to dial into what your bass likes. Since you've got a set and you're looking for strings, you should try them and see what you think.
Click to expand...

I might put them on my 2nd bass and give them a spin.

Right now I'm pretty content with the Weichen on my main bass. I actually like the sound of Mittels for pizz better, but the tension and arco on my broken-in Weichen trump the Mittels (for now).

How long can Weichen last? I know some people use the Mittels forever, but I'm wondering if the lighter strings can also last a long time...
 

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