If you want something with feel and tension in between S42 Weich and Mittel with a less twang than the S42 Weichs you'll probably like them.
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Double Bass New! Pirastro Perpetual Double Bass strings
- Thread starter luisraulmunoz
- Start date
If you want something with feel and tension in between S42 Weich and Mittel with a less twang than the S42 Weichs you'll probably like them.
See that out of the pack growl of the Perps. I friggin love just like that. I would change once a month to keep that happening( if I could afford to). They dull down and are still great but that first month is spectacular particularly the low end (on my bass) which both growls nicer then any other cat and has the thwack and also can be finessed. Big fan of Early Perpetual low end.
"Early Perpetual" - Nice oxymoron!
When does eternity begin? When does it end?
Thomastik Spirocore S42 set in both Mittel and Weich is the usual set when we talk about spirocores.
It's meant for longer string lenght and in a bass with a "normal" string lenght, gives the classic spiro sound and feel.
Ugh, so many options...
The longer strings sounds/feels different than the normal length ones?
I did want to tell you guys a few things about Spiros vs. Perpetuals.
First, Spiros have a darker sounding E string compared to the super growly tone of the Perpetuals. However the upper strings especially the D and G are brighter than Perps.
The Perpetuals are generally a little warmer sounding, and not quite as powerful, but not by much and it depends on the instrument.
I performed a “wet noodle test” with both string types. I did this by draping the string across my fingers when it was off the bass. The Spirocore (Weich set) drapes over your finger without completely bending. The Perpetuals were far more flexible, practically folding all the way in half without any extra help from me. This tells me the cores of these strings have different flexibility, even if the tension is relatively the same. That would account for the different feels and tone you get.
In my experience the Perpetuals were awful on my laminated King Mortone bass. They were way too bright and didn’t have a full sound. But, when I put them on my carved bass, they really did the trick and I love the sound, even with the bow.
By contrast, the Spirocores are terrific on my King. They have more power, and are still easy to play. They are warmer sounding and fuller, especially the low strings. The Spirocores are also awesome on my carved bass, but they do not bow nearly as well. They are too bright for orchestra section playing, whereas the Perpetuals can crossover no problem.
So that’s been my experience. Obligatos are also similar to both of these sets, but they are a hybrid and respond differently. They bow better than the Spiros or Perps, but have similar sustain for pizz. They are overall warmer sounding. The D and G blend very nicely Spirocore E and A, which gives more power on the lower strings yet a similar timbre.
First, Spiros have a darker sounding E string compared to the super growly tone of the Perpetuals. However the upper strings especially the D and G are brighter than Perps.
The Perpetuals are generally a little warmer sounding, and not quite as powerful, but not by much and it depends on the instrument.
I performed a “wet noodle test” with both string types. I did this by draping the string across my fingers when it was off the bass. The Spirocore (Weich set) drapes over your finger without completely bending. The Perpetuals were far more flexible, practically folding all the way in half without any extra help from me. This tells me the cores of these strings have different flexibility, even if the tension is relatively the same. That would account for the different feels and tone you get.
In my experience the Perpetuals were awful on my laminated King Mortone bass. They were way too bright and didn’t have a full sound. But, when I put them on my carved bass, they really did the trick and I love the sound, even with the bow.
By contrast, the Spirocores are terrific on my King. They have more power, and are still easy to play. They are warmer sounding and fuller, especially the low strings. The Spirocores are also awesome on my carved bass, but they do not bow nearly as well. They are too bright for orchestra section playing, whereas the Perpetuals can crossover no problem.
So that’s been my experience. Obligatos are also similar to both of these sets, but they are a hybrid and respond differently. They bow better than the Spiros or Perps, but have similar sustain for pizz. They are overall warmer sounding. The D and G blend very nicely Spirocore E and A, which gives more power on the lower strings yet a similar timbre.
It‘s not only the core that determines the flexibility of a string but more than that how close the windings are wound to their neighbors. And how thick the string is.
Greg Clinkingbeard
Commercial User
Dave, nice thoughts on these strings and my experience is similar. However, I don’t like Spirocores on my Kay due to the aggressive nature of the D and G but the Perps are just right.
Troy, can you elaborate on this? I'm curious if you feel the same way about these strings as I do.
- Steve
Well, it's been a while since I had the weichs on, but they were fantastic. We had a TB hang at my house during that era and passed basses around and we all pretty much agreed that they were the superior arco string on that day. There were some better arco players than me involved in that assessment. I took classical lessons during that period too and was really into my setup, so I didn't have a pickup permanently mounted and my classical teacher, who was using Evah Pirazzis, commented on how great the bass sounded and played and even though her bass was much nicer than mine, all I could hear was the EPs which I find to lack complexity.
Pizz of course, they are excellent. They sometimes felt thin, though, and I was trying to learn to be less right hand assertive with them, because if I wasn't I tended to get tangled up in them. At home this wasn't a problem, but on a gig with a drummer and horns and room, I had to hold back more than I like to.
I had them on for a couple of years and then one day decided to put some old Jazzers back on, I don't remember why exactly, but that night or that week I ended up on a bar gig with a bop quintet and no amp, there was supposed to be one there, but there wasn't. It was a tough night and I remember feeling afterwards that my right hand would have gotten all tangled up in the weichs that night if I had not changed. I am able to dig into Jazzers (and I think Perpetuals) hard without them giving in on me. I never felt like I could do that with Spircore weichs.
That said, the month that Ray Brown died, I was fortunate enough to sit right next to the stage and watch and hear him play. He was using weichs and was laying into them with no issues at all, so it can be done, it's just not my personal experience.
I've played basses that felt great with Smittles and I've played others where they felt like industrial cable. It depends on the bass, the mensure, the setup. I love my bass, but I've said before that if I was shopping for one, I would look for a shorter mensure, stable top instrument that felt right with Mittles...and then I'd probably use them, but at least they would be reference string. My current bass just doesn't handle them well, so Weichs are that string for me soncially, but Perpetuals are much better from a tactile standpoint and very good sonically. Eric is right, the lower Jazzer strings are great, I never wanted anything else out of them, but I don't think that set is as balanced as the Perpetuals.
For what it's worth.
Used at the same string length, the longer strings have slightly lighter tension than the shorter version.Ugh, so many options...
The longer strings sounds/feels different than the normal length ones?
Yes, if you use the S42 (4/4) set on a 3/4 mensur (105-106cm) you will get about 2-3 kilos less tension per string than with the 3/4 (3885) set of Spiros.Ugh, so many options...
The longer strings sounds/feels different than the normal length ones?
See DoubleMidis great Dropbox file where you can see and calculate tension for different mensur lengths.
This thread’s got me thinking about trying G&D perps over my A&E Sweichs.
To clarify, is there both Perp light & medium gauges? If so, which might be the better match?
To clarify, is there both Perp light & medium gauges? If so, which might be the better match?
Perps only come in one gauge. I would think Jazzer E/A Perp D/G would be a better experiment. I have everything I need to do it except motivation.
I have always wanted to try solo guage strings. Just for the Vitous factor of effortless playing (admittedly I have only stiff leather baseball mitts to work with but...)
I am afraid that I pull too hard for them and it would be a nightmare of board slaps and buzzes, but I flirt with the idea of getting a set during this mostly down time. Anybody tried both spiro solos and perps solos and have any perspective?
I am afraid that I pull too hard for them and it would be a nightmare of board slaps and buzzes, but I flirt with the idea of getting a set during this mostly down time. Anybody tried both spiro solos and perps solos and have any perspective?
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