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Double Bass New! Pirastro Perpetual Double Bass strings

#861
bassfiddlesteve said:
I'm still happy with the Perpetuals except that the nine month old set on my Wundelrich bass now sounds too lifeless for jazz pizzicato. This may have been hastened but the fact that I rented this bass out a couple of times. The four month old set on my E.H.Roth bass sounds more lively, but longevity is a concern. I don't want to spend $500 on bass strings every year and I know that the three year old set of Spircores currently in my string drawer still sounded good before I made the switch.

- Steve
Click to expand...

That’s a shame. I’ll post a video today of my 10 month old set.

Do you clean your strings after you play? Wipe them down? I try to wipe them down after playing and once a month I lie the bass on its back (typically on my bed) tune down a minor 3rd and wipe the strings down with alcohol to get the dirt out of the windings. Helps I think. Try that and see....
 
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#862
Sam Dingle said:
That’s a shame. I’ll post a video today of my 10 month old set.

Do you clean your strings after you play? Wipe them down? I try to wipe them down after playing and once a month I lie the bass on its back (typically on my bed) tune down a minor 3rd and wipe the strings down with alcohol to get the dirt out of the windings. Helps I think. Try that and see....
Click to expand...
+1.
 
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#863
Sam Dingle said:
That’s a shame. I’ll post a video today of my 10 month old set.

Do you clean your strings after you play? Wipe them down? I try to wipe them down after playing and once a month I lie the bass on its back (typically on my bed) tune down a minor 3rd and wipe the strings down with alcohol to get the dirt out of the windings. Helps I think. Try that and see....
Click to expand...

I carry a microfiber cloth and I wipe down my strings after every gig or practice session. I loosened the strings on the Wunderlich and cleaned them with alcohol but it did not have much effect.

- Steve
 
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#864
BassiklyAC said:
So my takeaway from my brief at-home experience with the Pirastro Perpetuals is that I found them somewhat underwhelming. Granted, I would prefer to have taken them for a spin on a few gigs, but my general feeling is that they will not be staying on my instrument.

Strangely enough, and after reading the description on the Pirastro website, I found them to be rather lifeless. Comfortable to play but - and I know this is kind of vague - missing a vibe/character. Perhaps this transparency is a desirable trait whereby the player shines through without any coloration from the string. I get it.

Will likely be posting in the classifieds if anyone’s interested in an extremely lightly used set of strings to experiment with at a modest price.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

First off, great playing. Second, my thoughts mostly match your own on the Perp set and they are night and day when compared to my current Spiro mediums when it comes to overall presence and the ability to fill out the sound spectrum.

I have a bit of a theory on why the Perps are what they are...their reason to be in a sense, hah. I see them as a decidedly modern string and they are extremely easy to play. I also think that they amplify really well. If i were playing in a situation where i was using an amp and potentially alot of signal processing(effects, etc) these might be the perfect string as i think they would be accepted well in the signal chain. But for acoustic, old school jazz, they did not fit the bill for me.
 
#866
Here's a video of my Ehrfried Wunderlich bass (hybrid) with a set Perpetuals I installed last July. To me these strings are sounding dead:



For comparison this is my Ernst Heinrich Roth bass (carved) with Perpetuals that I installed in December. These still sound good to me:



- Steve
 
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#867
bassfiddlesteve said:
Here's a video of my Ehrfried Wunderlich bass (hybrid) with a set Perpetuals I installed last July. To me these strings are sounding dead:



For comparison this is my Ernst Heinrich Roth bass (carved) with Perpetuals that I installed in December. These still sound good to me:



- Steve
Click to expand...

Steve, these videos really reflect what you're saying (dead vs. good). Thanks for the great example. The first video sounded good enough for me until I heard the second.
 
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#868
bassfiddlesteve said:
Here's a video of my Ehrfried Wunderlich bass (hybrid) with a set Perpetuals I installed last July. To me these strings are sounding dead:



For comparison this is my Ernst Heinrich Roth bass (carved) with Perpetuals that I installed in December. These still sound good to me:



- Steve
Click to expand...


I felt the same as Fran the 1st video was fine to me until hearing the 2nd one. But the 1st just sounded like they were broken in. Going back to my video it seems our sets are about equally dead, thoughts?
 
#869
Sam Dingle said:
I felt the same as Fran the 1st video was fine to me until hearing the 2nd one. But the 1st just sounded like they were broken in. Going back to my video it seems our sets are about equally dead, thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think your bass is closer to how my Roth sounds with the newer strings, maybe somewhere in between the two. I still think that renting out the Wunderlich hastened the demise of the strings. Every time I've gotten my bass back from this particular bassist, the strings are noticeably darker. He changes his Spirocores every six months if that's any indication.

- Steve
 
#870
bassfiddlesteve said:
I think your bass is closer to how my Roth sounds with the newer strings, maybe somewhere in between the two. I still think that renting out the Wunderlich hastened the demise of the strings. Every time I've gotten my bass back from this particular bassist, the strings are noticeably darker. He changes his Spirocores every six months if that's any indication.

- Steve
Click to expand...

Makes sense. and yeah I agree with your sound assessment.

I assume the Roth is the hybrid ie backup bass. Maybe make that one the loaner bass and keep the Wunderlich for yourself.

Crazy talk here but...why not switch the sets? Move the darker set to the roth and see whats up.
 
#871
Sam Dingle said:
Makes sense. and yeah I agree with your sound assessment.

I assume the Roth is the hybrid ie backup bass. Maybe make that one the loaner bass and keep the Wunderlich for yourself.

Crazy talk here but...why not switch the sets? Move the darker set to the roth and see whats up.
Click to expand...

The Roth is carved and my main bass, the Wunderlich is hybrid bass used for outdoor gigs or travel.

- Steve
 
#873
sean_on_bass said:
First off, great playing. Second, my thoughts mostly match your own on the Perp set and they are night and day when compared to my current Spiro mediums when it comes to overall presence and the ability to fill out the sound spectrum.

I have a bit of a theory on why the Perps are what they are...their reason to be in a sense, hah. I see them as a decidedly modern string and they are extremely easy to play. I also think that they amplify really well. If i were playing in a situation where i was using an amp and potentially alot of signal processing(effects, etc) these might be the perfect string as i think they would be accepted well in the signal chain. But for acoustic, old school jazz, they did not fit the bill for me.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the nice compliment. You made some good observations there about the Perpetual strings which I found interesting. Yes, I suspect they might amplify well too.

It’s been fun having TB as a vehicle to interact with other bass players about this.
 
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#874
PBandJazzBass said:
I don't mix and match myself. I've thought about giving the Zyex's another try. I had a set on my main bass about 5 years ago and a recording from around that time does sound good. The Perpetuals sound good on my bass but I don't know if I'm going to put another set of them on when it comes time to change. Maybe Helicores, or Spiros or Evah's. I guess we'll just see what kind of mood I'm in at the time.
Click to expand...
Tried a little experiment last night. I had two sets of Zyex; one set of mediums and one set of lights. I put on the mediums. Then, in a moment of unbridled rebellion, dispensing with all that I hold sacred...
I swapped out the Zyex E for a Helicore Hybrid Light E. I must say I’m quite pleased with the results.
 
#875
BassiklyAC said:
Tried a little experiment last night. I had two sets of Zyex; one set of mediums and one set of lights. I put on the mediums. Then, in a moment of unbridled rebellion, dispensing with all that I hold sacred...
I swapped out the Zyex E for a Helicore Hybrid Light E. I must say I’m quite pleased with the results.
Click to expand...

I've heard of people using that combo and liking it. Been thinking of trying it myself. I've used Helicore Hybrid lights off and on for a few years, but if I get another set I might try the mediums. I also read within the last few days that D'Addario now makes a 4/4 E for the Zyex set. That might be worth a try as well.
 
#878
I’ve changed out a lot of strings in the past 25 years and I’ve always loved that “oohhh, new sounds” feeling when you start in on the new set. Had that with Perps for sure......

..... but I have never had the crazy blazing muscle car high octane blast I just had in changing from perps back to spiro reds. I liked the perps ( especially when brand new) but man Reds are the bomb.
 
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#880
i'm still loving them. i keep thinking fondly about spiro reds but they are stiff sounding on my large bass. keep trying to go back. the E is nice on this bass but doesn't offer anything i like more than the perp. I have new set that will go on in a few months.
 

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