What gut strings do you use with the Kaplan E and A solos?
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Double Bass New! Pirastro Perpetual Double Bass strings
- Thread starter luisraulmunoz
- Start date
If open strings are too bright but fingered notes are not, put some rubber between string and fingerboard directly at the nut. Bike inner tube or even something thinner, about one to two millimeters wide. The rubber acts like the flesh of your finger and damps the higher frequencies, but the pressure is not high enough to really stop and shorten the string.
I use pieces that are a bit shorter than the distance between the lower and upper neighbor string, put it under the string some cm lower than the nut, fold the rubber, so that I can hold the piece with two fingers at the ends of the rubber piece and push it in position.
You can even experiment with position a bit to get the best damping.
I use pieces that are a bit shorter than the distance between the lower and upper neighbor string, put it under the string some cm lower than the nut, fold the rubber, so that I can hold the piece with two fingers at the ends of the rubber piece and push it in position.
You can even experiment with position a bit to get the best damping.
Say, would folks mind mentioning the string length of their basses? Might provide some extra context and information to the descriptions that have already been written. I've got a set of Perps on the way and the hybrid bass I plan on putting them on has a 41" string length, so we shall see how they pan out. Bass is currently wearing Spiro Weich A, D, G with a Mittel E (all very old and worn and purchased used off TB).
I have them on basses with the following string lengths:
42”
41 1/4”
41 1/2”
They work great for me on all these basses.
mine is a 43.5 and they work great, allows it to breathe more than spiro mediums and has more punch than spiro weich which I HATED on this bass.
So you liked the Weichs, then?
They are a really fickle string. Some people love them and sound great on them, and others find them lacking. I'm in the latter group. I always feel like I'm playing a Stratocaster when they are on a bass. Don’t get me wrong: I like Strats, but when I want to play a strat, I'd rather just do that than play a doghouse strat.
42-3/8" perps are great on longer basses it seems. I also have a perp long-E string on my 42-1/8" bass and it sounds/feels great. Now my favorite long-E string.
It seems some orchestral players like a brighter E string like belcantos with a spiro long E. One of the members in the new orleans orchestra was sa fan of evah medium or lights on the top 3 and a different E and I think has decided on the perp E. i bet it works great.
The D & E are brighter and "whinier" than the A & G with this set. It's fine in the mix but a little annoying in the practice room.
I just put a set of perpetual orchestra on my new Shen SB88 (41.25 string length.) I gotta say these strings feel great. They don’t seem all that much tighter than the spiro solo E / superflexible solo A-G they replaced, and if anything they feel a bit more springy and elastic under both hands. They don’t feel stiff but there is some tension to dig into when needed. The solos could be just the opposite on this bass; weirdly stiff feeling but easy to overplay. Compared to the solos there is a lot more punch to the sound. I don’t feel like I need to set them super high to get projection or super low for playability’s sake. Can’t wait to break them in!
Thanks for the string length info, everyone! Just threw a full set of Perpentuals (Orch gauge) that arrived today on my smaller 3/4 Lang hybrid bass (41” string length, as previously mentioned) and so far they’ve made some pretty solid first impressions. Nice and springy/bouncy feeling but (while loose) not nearly as low tension as I’d expected. Also quite pleased with the more pronounced mids and lows and less pronounced highs, not to mention how easily and cleanly they start with the bow. Wish I had more time to play them in, but you know, fambly duties, etc.
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Perpetuals update -
I’ve done a couple of gigs, a day in the studio, and a lot of practicing on my few-months old Shen SB88 with a fresh set of Perps and still REALLY like them. Honestly thus far these strings have everything I like about Spiro Weich and nothing I don’t.
Their gauges are very similar compared to the low tension steel sets I’ve used previously. For comparison-
Perpetuals
I really like how they sound. Often with steel strings they sound great but very modern. Some thing about the perpetuals sounds much more organic. They’re dark without being dead and have that classic steel string sustain and pitch definition. While I have been unhappy on the past using steels on more trad or roots oriented gigs (too much mwah and mids, particularly in the mid to upper registers) I would not hesitate to turn up to a bluegrass or django gig with these strings on my bass.
I’m a very weak arco player, 99% in the practice room. That said, I like the tone of these more than the spiros or superflexibles. I have noticed the the perpetual E has been somewhat hard to start, but that may change as they break in further.
i’ve always been a gut/velvet/synthetic guy who never could really jive with steel sound or feel, but these strings have pulled me into the contemporary world. Hats off to Pirastro for making what feels like the perfect balance for a pizz string.
I’ve done a couple of gigs, a day in the studio, and a lot of practicing on my few-months old Shen SB88 with a fresh set of Perps and still REALLY like them. Honestly thus far these strings have everything I like about Spiro Weich and nothing I don’t.
Their gauges are very similar compared to the low tension steel sets I’ve used previously. For comparison-
Perpetuals
- G= .047
- D= .062
- A= .074
- E= .106
- G= .046
- D= .063
- A= .079
- E= .107
- G= .046
- D= .064
- A= .072
- E= .103
I really like how they sound. Often with steel strings they sound great but very modern. Some thing about the perpetuals sounds much more organic. They’re dark without being dead and have that classic steel string sustain and pitch definition. While I have been unhappy on the past using steels on more trad or roots oriented gigs (too much mwah and mids, particularly in the mid to upper registers) I would not hesitate to turn up to a bluegrass or django gig with these strings on my bass.
I’m a very weak arco player, 99% in the practice room. That said, I like the tone of these more than the spiros or superflexibles. I have noticed the the perpetual E has been somewhat hard to start, but that may change as they break in further.
i’ve always been a gut/velvet/synthetic guy who never could really jive with steel sound or feel, but these strings have pulled me into the contemporary world. Hats off to Pirastro for making what feels like the perfect balance for a pizz string.
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