Just for a better understanding of this mix, for the Spiros, are the E & A 4/4 (S42) or 3/4 (3885) Weich?
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Double Bass New! Pirastro Perpetual Double Bass strings
- Thread starter luisraulmunoz
- Start date
S42. I feel like they’re a better match tonally and tension wise for the Perpetuals. I do get worried about them not blending well out in front of the bass but I haven’t noticed or heard anything so far.
I agree with Lurk (though I don't get the Spirocore connection).
The beautiful thing about Perpetuals to me is how well balanced they are. They're easy to play and sound great. I didn't think the Stark bump made them better, personally. Others feel differently, though.
@Thomas88 The Stark D was too dark on my bass, even more so than EP weich. It sounded great with the bow, but as I'm primarily a jazz player, it came off pretty promptly. That Stark G, however, is incredible. It's the best G string I've tried. I'm using it with Spiro weich on E-A-D right now, and it blends really well.
I also agree with @c_mf as well, ironically. I think it's a very good string and probably would make some set better. I just didn't think it made perpetuals better.
I just assume that since Spiros are the default jazz strings - I used them for 30+ years - that if someone is using or thinking about using anything else, there must be something about Spiros that bugs them.
Interesting! The jury seems out on the old starks. I might try guts with e a and d perp. I have 2 year old evah weich. They are cool but getting thuddy
I don’t know if this will be helpful, but I’ll tell you about my recent experimentation. I’ve been using Evah weichs for a couple of years, too. I wanted something that was clearer and brighter on the low end, so I got Spiro weich E and A. That worked. I also got perpetual D and G based on a recommendation. For pizz they worked fine, the G was a little bright in my practice studio, but probably on a gig they’d be really good. But…..I’m kind of addicted to the Evah D and G with the bow, and I wasn’t willing to give that up.
I can say that the perps (normal, not stark) blend very well with the Spiro Weichs (s42) on my bass. If I was only playing pizz, I think that would be my go to set. The Evah weichs are a little stiffer, which I put up with because A) my set up is very easy to play overall, and B) they really are better to my ears with the bow.
A big challenge for me as a long time pro musician but new-ish bass player, is that I have a pretty strong opinion and high standards in terms of sound and clarity, but not that much experience playing DB amplified, maybe 100 gigs. I’m figuring out that the sound requirements for playing amplified in a bad room with a drummer are vastly different than playing quietly with just a pianist or guitarist in a small, decent sounding room. There are trade-offs. I also tried a used Bel canto D, which I liked ok, a little better with the bow than the new perps, not as good pizz.
@Endlesssolo
“I’m figuring out that the sound requirements for playing amplified in a bad room with a drummer are vastly different than playing quietly with just a pianist or guitarist in a small, decent sounding room. There are trade-offs.”
Great observation. This is exactly why I’ve stuck with Spiros even though I’d love to try some softer feeling/sounding strings.
FYI, 100% pizz, jazz, blues, etc.
“I’m figuring out that the sound requirements for playing amplified in a bad room with a drummer are vastly different than playing quietly with just a pianist or guitarist in a small, decent sounding room. There are trade-offs.”
Great observation. This is exactly why I’ve stuck with Spiros even though I’d love to try some softer feeling/sounding strings.
FYI, 100% pizz, jazz, blues, etc.
I’ve been using Spiro Weich (S42) E & A with regular Perpetual D & G for about 2 and a half months now and they blend together perfectly on my bass. More power on the lower notes. Less sustain/“mwah” on the uppers.
I have had Perpetuals with a stark g on one of my basses for about 6-7 months. I like the sound of the stark g, it has a lot of punch and still sounds like a bass in the upper register. Overall the set has calmed down and is sounding less metallic. The strings sound clear focused annd even. The pitch stability is better than any string I’ve tried. My only complaint is that they feel really stiff on this bass. I have Evah Weichs on my other bass and I like them a lot but they don’t last long enough. 2 years in and they sound dead to me. Especially the E.
Sort of a newbie question but when I install Perpetual strings on my bass, I always have problems with the string end always slipping in the roller when I first start turning it. I'm guessing it is because they are so flexible? I don't have that problem installing other Pirastro strings. Any tips to keep that from happening? Thanks.
This is helpful. I will usually have about an 1.5" through the peg hole but looks like I don't have to do that.
