This is my experience as well. The Spirocore 3/4 light G always felt thin and wiry under my left hand, but not so with the Perpetuals. The feel is not that different than the Obligatos they replaced.
- Steve
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Double Bass New! Pirastro Perpetual Double Bass strings
- Thread starter luisraulmunoz
- Start date
This is my experience as well. The Spirocore 3/4 light G always felt thin and wiry under my left hand, but not so with the Perpetuals. The feel is not that different than the Obligatos they replaced.
- Steve
Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your feedback(!).
Just remember its all bass specific. Evah light G sounded great on my first bass, but thin and whiney on my current juzek...
I'd describe the Perp G as Spiro Weich like but with a little more mids in the overall tone and a little less high end. As for hand feel it is a much thinner string compared to say, a Zyex G, but once you adapt to the change you will not really care. As others said these strings have a very soft feel to them overall and the G is no exception. I think it fits nicely into the overall set and doesn't seem like it stands out as an outlier, so i haven't had any temptation to switch it out with another string.
Also to note, string height has a huge affect on the overall sound of these strings as with any string. If you want a bigger, darker sound you can bring the strings higher off the board. If you want a brighter, modern sound bring the strings closer to the board. These strings can sound pretty huge if you are willing to work for it. Obviously different strings will have a different baseline though to work from. While this part of my post is stating the obvious i think folks impression of the string can be wildly different depending on their overall setup and bass, which varies a ton. The lack of standardization in double bass playing makes it really difficult to read into string reviews.
Also to note, string height has a huge affect on the overall sound of these strings as with any string. If you want a bigger, darker sound you can bring the strings higher off the board. If you want a brighter, modern sound bring the strings closer to the board. These strings can sound pretty huge if you are willing to work for it. Obviously different strings will have a different baseline though to work from. While this part of my post is stating the obvious i think folks impression of the string can be wildly different depending on their overall setup and bass, which varies a ton. The lack of standardization in double bass playing makes it really difficult to read into string reviews.
Now if I can just develop your chops Rick, I'll be getting somewhere.
Alllrighty, then.
I just placed my Perp order. (At String Emporium - Thx @Sam Dingle for the heads up via PM.)
The suspense was killing me.
The suspense is killing me.
My negative cash flow is killing me.
Thank$?
I just placed my Perp order. (At String Emporium - Thx @Sam Dingle for the heads up via PM.)
The suspense was killing me.
The suspense is killing me.
My negative cash flow is killing me.
Thank$?
Keep them on till the end of January at least. If you don't like them after that I'll buy them from you. I plan to get a 2nd set anyway at some point.
Update:
Holy Crap!
String Emporium just Shipped the Perps!
I didn't even know their website was open on Saturdays!
(I've never dealt with SE before. This is impressive Customer Service. IMFO, of course.)
Holy Crap!
String Emporium just Shipped the Perps!
I didn't even know their website was open on Saturdays!
(I've never dealt with SE before. This is impressive Customer Service. IMFO, of course.)
Welcome to the club, Don. Now you can join us for the 'Perp Walk'.
^^^agreed with previous GStr comments. I found with slight soundpost adjustments, I got the G to speak/feel the range; from a Spiro Weich G to a nice Obli G. But overall the feel and tone is nice especially if youre a pizz player. Don, I bet you'll enjoy em. (If not, there's probably at least a dirty dozen here that'll easily take them off your hands—myself included) 
BTW> on settling-in period. I found that after an immediate adjustment (post or adjuster height) I got a sense of the new (sound/feel), but it wasn't till the next day or two that any adjustment was fully realized. Which can be true on any bass, but on my bass Spiros/OBLI/Evah/Zyex always sound like they sound once you put them on, maybe stretching is the only byproduct. YBMV (Your Bass May Vary)
BTW> on settling-in period. I found that after an immediate adjustment (post or adjuster height) I got a sense of the new (sound/feel), but it wasn't till the next day or two that any adjustment was fully realized. Which can be true on any bass, but on my bass Spiros/OBLI/Evah/Zyex always sound like they sound once you put them on, maybe stretching is the only byproduct. YBMV (Your Bass May Vary)
Thanks for your interest and information.^^^agreed with previous GStr comments. I found with slight soundpost adjustments, I got the G to speak/feel the range; from a Spiro Weich G to a nice Obli G. But overall the feel and tone is nice especially if youre a pizz player. Don, I bet you'll enjoy em. (If not, there's probably at least a dirty dozen here that'll easily take them off your hands—myself included)
BTW> on settling-in period. I found that after an immediate adjustment (post or adjuster height) I got a sense of the new (sound/feel), but it wasn't till the next day or two that any adjustment was fully realized. Which can be true on any bass, but on my bass Spiros/OBLI/Evah/Zyex always sound like they sound once you put them on, maybe stretching is the only byproduct. YBMV (Your Bass May Vary)
I agree - my bass (a carved Juzek) usually likes 2 - 3 days for new strings to settle in.
Thx.
My E was brighter and had more growl than a spiro for the first few weeks, maybe a month then it toned down. I liked it though
^^^me too, E is definitely 'more growl' /very Spiro Orch-like, but not as bright as Sipros
I know it's only been a day but so far these strings have lived up to the hype. My bass is much more resonant with them, and they are fun to play. They might simply be a better fit with the particulars of my instrument. The A and D are the best I've heard on my bass. It's a woodier and more sonorous tone...when played pizz. Under the bow they start more easily than spiros, but the brightness from being new (I hope) is a tad harsh. My fingers are crossed that will settle eventually as they get played in (perhaps some of that comes from under developed Arco skills as well). Or perhaps I'll just get over it, since I'm primarily a pizz guy.
The Perpetuals replaced a set of Spiro weichs with about a year of playing time on them. I only tolerated the sound of Spiros. To me they're like an overly juicy mwah burger that spreads out over every thing. Just easier on the hands than my EP weichs, which I loved, but were causing me all sorts of physical issues from the tension.
I found the Perpetuals to be softer on the hands, definitely darker than the spiros, even though they are livelier as well. They have that same focused ping that comes at the front of the note on EPs, if that's a thing that you are in to.
The Perpetuals replaced a set of Spiro weichs with about a year of playing time on them. I only tolerated the sound of Spiros. To me they're like an overly juicy mwah burger that spreads out over every thing. Just easier on the hands than my EP weichs, which I loved, but were causing me all sorts of physical issues from the tension.
I found the Perpetuals to be softer on the hands, definitely darker than the spiros, even though they are livelier as well. They have that same focused ping that comes at the front of the note on EPs, if that's a thing that you are in to.
Last edited:
OK...
Perps arrived and are installed.
I'm going to give them a day or 2 to stabilize (past experience on my bass), before hitting them with the Bow.
Quick First Impressions - Pizzicato ONLY:
G - small gauge/diameter may take some getting used to. Nice in Thumb Position - speaks quickly and easily.
D - no huge + or - compared to Spiro Weich.
A - no huge + or - compared to Spiro Mittel
E/C - (compared to Spiro Mittel) almost a "hollow" and "metallic" sound - lots of Sustain, Edge, and Growl - almost too much in comparison to the other 3 strings.
Stay Calm.
Peer Pressure is a Bee-otch.
Perps arrived and are installed.
I'm going to give them a day or 2 to stabilize (past experience on my bass), before hitting them with the Bow.
Quick First Impressions - Pizzicato ONLY:
G - small gauge/diameter may take some getting used to. Nice in Thumb Position - speaks quickly and easily.
D - no huge + or - compared to Spiro Weich.
A - no huge + or - compared to Spiro Mittel
E/C - (compared to Spiro Mittel) almost a "hollow" and "metallic" sound - lots of Sustain, Edge, and Growl - almost too much in comparison to the other 3 strings.
Stay Calm.
Peer Pressure is a Bee-otch.
Give it time. Try putting in ear plugs and dragging a bow across all the strings to break them in quicker.
So that's what I've been missing when playing with a bow all these years. No wonder it always sounded funny.
Woah Woah Woah you’ve been LISTENING?! Good god have you gone mad?!
I would mostly agree with you on these impressions. However, I think they do bow a little easier than Spiros on a carved bass.
