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Double Bass New Kolstein strings

#61
bassically_eli said:
It's been 12 days so far. I love the G and E, but I still don't know about the D and A--very tin can-ish. I contacted Gollihur, and all they said was to contact Kolstein.
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Actually, further investigating: I wouldn't describe it as "tin can-ish", but the D and A in my set are predominantly where metallic sound is coming from. E and G sound more broken in and smoother in comparison. But the set as a whole is very even & consistent across the fingerboard, projects well, loud, open yet punchy, lots of growl, good sustain.

Wait and see .. to be continued. This is sort of the same thing you need to go thru with Spirocores ..
 
#62
Selim said:
Actually, further investigating: I wouldn't describe it as "tin can-ish", but the D and A in my set are predominantly where metallic sound is coming from. E and G sound more broken in and smoother in comparison. But the set as a whole is very even & consistent across the fingerboard, projects well, loud, open yet punchy, lots of growl, good sustain.

Wait and see .. to be continued. This is sort of the same thing you need to go thru with Spirocores ..
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Thanks, that does help to know. I will say that my G has none that new string sound, no twanginess, etc. Just nice, thick, rich bass sound. I'm tempted to try them on my ply bass, which isn't picky about strings, but I hate to remove and reinstall them unnecessarily for fear of wearing them out prematurely. Not to mention what a PITA installing strings is on DB haha. So I'll keep them on my carved bass for now.

I am familiar with the new Spirocore qualities since Spiro weichs are usually my preferred string, but that's not so disconcerting because they are consistent(ly awful ;) ) across the strings. They sure are great when broken in though.
 
#63
I've had these new Heritage strings on for 2 weeks and even though I believe they'll continue to get even better, I feel compelled to report in to say unequivocally that these are REALLY nice strings.

Kolstein advertises these as "the first Perlon, synthetic core Bass String that offers the player the wonderful feel and tension of gut strings, but also emulates the best arco and pizzicato tonal qualities of the finest steel orchestral or jazz string." I'd say that's a pretty dead-on description. As advertised: a true hybrid string.

I've pretty much had the same experience as BassiklyAC so I'd only be repeating what he said concerning the break-in experience.

Finally, a string that doesn't make me want to put my Spiros back on ...
 
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#64
I’ve been slipping a little down the rabbit hole, basically going from EP weichs to mixing in a few helicore lights, a used set of Heritage (obviously pretty old) and a new set of zyex lights. Here are my observations, take them with a grain of salt.

My EP are about 2 1/2 years old, and they’re a little on the dead side which is nice for the G, bad for E. I replaced the E with a used helicore light, and it was a little clearer but weaker. I replaced the whole set with the used heritage and I loved the feel, really loved it, but these strings were very dead, very weak acoustic sound, not bad through the amp, easy to bow. I’m strongly considering buying a new set.

I replaced the used heritage with new zyex, ditched the helicore A and E for a complete set of zyex light, and they are very loud and pretty bright compared to the EP weich, which are a couple years old. Lots of ‘boing’ which is annoying but I’ll keep them on for a couple of weeks and see if they calm down.

Overall the EP weichs that I’ve had on are what I like the best. I’d still prefer a little less sustain on the G, a slightly less ‘electric’ sound through the amp but so far these are the closest. I haven’t tried the innovation braided G or the EP slap G but I would love to if anyone has a used one for sale.

Hopefully I’ll pass through this phase soon and just be happy with what I’m using. It’s expensive and time consuming! My bass, a flat back juzek, is on the bright side without a big dark bottom end. I also has a 42” scale and I’m a wimp so I need low tension strings.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, I hope my meager experience is contributing.
 
#66
mooseonbass said:
How are the feel of the Heritage compared to the zyex lights? I like the zyex but the first couple of weeks they sound like a tennis ball whacking a metal bucket. They calm down into great strings. I don't know why I'm thinking of trying the Heritage, maybe I read too much talk bass.
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The heritage that I tried are softer and feel like less tension than the zyex lights.
 
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#68
After a long wait, I received my Tempera (hybrid) set a few weeks ago. I have been so looking forward to trying these, to see if they would in fact be the dream string, especially after hearing the many glowing reports.

Well the Temperas are still in my string drawer - that is probably the best endorsement I can give of these Heritage strings. It may come to pass that when I do get around to trying the Temperas, I’ll be kicking myself, asking myself why did I wait to put these on? But it is a testament to the Heritage strings that I like them well enough to stay with them, even with those Temperas sitting in waiting..

IMO they are a worthy experiment - especially if you’re looking for a true hybrid string.
 
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#69
Since I started this thread I'll chime in. Put them on 10 days ago. I'm still hoping they break in some. They are closer to Spiros than any synthetic core string I've tried, and I've tried a lot. Every bit as punchy and growly as Spiros, except for the G which is fuller and less whiny. Lots of dynamic range pizz. A big surprise is how well they bow. Great. Much easier than Spiros and quite responsive to various attacks and bow speeds. I'm hoping they settle down to a slightly less steely sound. I'm hoping for something that sounds like a more full spectrum Evah Weich. I guess I've gotta wait.
 
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#70
lurk said:
Since I started this thread I'll chime in. Put them on 10 days ago. I'm still hoping they break in some. They are closer to Spiros than any synthetic core string I've tried, and I've tried a lot. Every bit as punchy and growly as Spiros, except for the G which is fuller and less whiny. Lots of dynamic range pizz. A big surprise is how well they bow. Great. Much easier than Spiros and quite responsive to various attacks and bow speeds. I'm hoping they settle down to a slightly less steely sound. I'm hoping for something that sounds like a more full spectrum Evah Weich. I guess I've gotta wait.
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Agreed on all of that.

Yes, they do take awhile to break in and lose that metallic quality (which for me was mostly the just open A and D). Mine have been on for almost 2 months now, but I've only been doing about an hour of daily playing (these days, the great majority of my work is done with bass guitar).

I'm thinking they will continue to "mature."
 
#72
stefaniw80401 said:
So is this the direction (new formula Heritage) that the fans of Innovation Polychromes have come to?

Do the Heritage string have a dynamic ceiling with arco like the EP's do?
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I think they're about as loud as Spirocores (mittels or Weich) on my bass, so no, I don't think the dynamic ceiling is lower than other string I've used. Much better than the (well used) EP weichs I tried on my main bass.

Not sure about the comparison to Innovation strings, but I sure would like hear about that too.

I really like mine in spite of the open A and D gnarliness. I would love to try them on my other basses but don't want to wear them by uninstalling and reinstalling.
 
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#73
I used the old Honeys, and they were more gut-like. I liked the new Polychrome at first, but they seemed to get dull in a not great way pretty quick. I put the bottom 2 Polys on my plywood, and they go well with the ancient guts of uncertain make on the top 2. It's been a month now with the Heritage on my good bass, and I think they are still breaking in. I haven't played in an orchestra for years and just use the bow for intonation practice daily, so I don't really go for big volume or much agility TBH, but I think they're better arco than either of those flavors of Innovation. They're on the steely side with more growl than I like, but I think they are still mellowing.
 
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#74
Well, I'm still liking the Heritage strings on my 1920s German/Bohemian flatback, and now I'm am thinking about buying another set for another bass. The new bass is a 2013 Eastman VB95 Busetto hybrid that I bought on a whim last week. It was local and just too good to pass up. The bass is in excellent condition, but the bridge and possibly the soundpost needs some tweaking. I put Spiro mitts on for now and got the bridge aligned as best as I could, but the mitts are a little too tense for it/me, so I'm torn between Spiro Weichs and Heritage strings.

I haven't totally written off trying something new, maybe Helicores or Corellis, but will probably stick with one of the above.
 
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#75
bassically_eli said:
Well, I'm still liking the Heritage strings on my 1920s German/Bohemian flatback, and now I'm am thinking about buying another set for another bass. The new bass is a 2013 Eastman VB95 Busetto hybrid that I bought on a whim last week. It was local and just too good to pass up. The bass is in excellent condition, but the bridge and possibly the soundpost needs some tweaking. I put Spiro mitts on for now and got the bridge aligned as best as I could, but the mitts are a little too tense for it/me, so I'm torn between Spiro Weichs and Heritage strings.

I haven't totally written off trying something new, maybe Helicores or Corellis, but will probably stick with one of the above.
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If you try the heritage and don't like them on the Eastman bass, I'll buy them from you. Or I could trade you a new set of helicores for lightly used heritage. Not sure if that's a great deal for you, but I'd really like to try the heritage but I'm too cheap to buy a new set, having just spent $260 or so on new evahs. I also have an old but only slightly used set of original evahs (same as the current mediums) I could trade.
 
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#77
bassically_eli said:
Well, I'm still liking the Heritage strings on my 1920s German/Bohemian flatback, and now I'm am thinking about buying another set for another bass. The new bass is a 2013 Eastman VB95 Busetto hybrid that I bought on a whim last week. It was local and just too good to pass up. The bass is in excellent condition, but the bridge and possibly the soundpost needs some tweaking. I put Spiro mitts on for now and got the bridge aligned as best as I could, but the mitts are a little too tense for it/me, so I'm torn between Spiro Weichs and Heritage strings.

I haven't totally written off trying something new, maybe Helicores or Corellis, but will probably stick with one of the above.
Click to expand...
Did the [open] A and D strings finally settle down for you?
 
#79
I did remove the dampening material, and the open A and D have indeed finally mellowed out. I've been playing that way for the last week or so without issues.

I ordered a second set as well. I'm not 100% sure which bass they will end up on, but I'll update this thread when they go on. I'm very curious how they will compare to Spiro Weichs on other basses.
 
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