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Double Bass NS EUB megathread

#81
bassisten said:
Hi guys...



I'm on the search for some good strings that would make my NS-Deisgn EUB sound a bit more acoustic.

What do you use on your NS?

I've heard that D'addario should be good...



Thanks a lot... :help:
Click to expand...


I got a really great suggestion here for :

Pirastro Flexocor Orch.s

-and they made a huge difference to my ears, much more like real DB sound than the stock strings - especially the G string which went from fretless BG to Thumb Position DB solo sound!! :)

I was really impressed with overall quality of these strings - a real step up !
 
#82
I bunged a second-hand set of Thomastik Spirocores (from my double bass) on mine, just to see if it made any difference. They sound fab and I haven't taken them off yet! :cool:

Oddly enough, I wasn't that keen on the Spirocores on the DB but they seem to suit the NS.

The only problem with using DB strings is that because you have to use the second "tail piece" further up the back of the bass - to accommodate the extra string length - you can't change the batteries without loosening the A and D strings first. Then again the batteries hardly ever seem to need changing...
 
#84
bassisten said:
I searched for the Pirastro Strings, is it the "original flexocor" or the just the "flexocor"?
Click to expand...

It just says Flexocor on the pack - I bought them online from a cheaper European internet retailer! :)
Has anyone tried out the new "The Jazzer"-strings from Pirastro? They sound interesting...
Click to expand...

You'd think so - wouldn't you - but I had a long discussion with Francois who helped me a lot on this. So the thing to bear in mind is tha these strings are aimed at real DBs not EUBs. So Francois pointed out how "darker" sounding strings sound better(more like amplified DB) on EUBs as they counter the tendency to sound like a big fretless BG.

The darkest strings are orchestral strings - whereas Jazz strings are lighter and hence sound more BG-like on EUBs, although not on real DBs of course!! ;)


Why is the B-string in Pirastro "The Jazzer" double prize compared to the other strings in the set :eyebrow: ?

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

B strings are much bigger and also non-standard - one-offs, rather than production line items. Unlike with BG, 5-string DBs are pretty rare...:hmm:
 
#85
bassisten said:
I searched for the Pirastro Strings, is it the "original flexocor" or the just the "flexocor"?
Click to expand...
Bruce was speaking about Flexocors, not Originals. The new ones are often called Flexocor '92s.
Has anyone tried out the new "The Jazzer"-strings from Pirastro? They sound interesting...
Click to expand...
They're on the market since about 8 years, maybe more, so I wouldn't call them new! :)
They're similar to Spicorore Weichs.
Why is the B-string in Pirastro "The Jazzer" double prize compared to the other strings in the set :eyebrow: ?
Click to expand...
That price list is the suggested retail price from the manufacturer.
The real price you'll pay from a retailer is less than that, so the B string price won't be twice the E string's, but will be higher, of course. There's more material into the string, and their market is smaller than the regular set.
 
#87
Hi,

I've been checking around and got a few string suggestions for my NS Design EUB. I was wondering what style of music you all are playing when making a string suggestion? I use my NS only for Cuban music. I put a set of Helicore Pizzicatos on it (since I was going to be playing pizz, right? Yes, I'm a newbie!), and just hated having so much sustain, and the electric bass sound.

I also have an Azola Lightning Bug which has Helicore Hybrids on it. They do better for Latin, but in some ways, they might still have too much sustain. Any suggestions? What are the pros using on their EUBs these days? A few years back, it seems that many preferred Thomastik Spirocores.

Rich
 
#88
I don't think there's a particular favorite among EUB players.
Since you seem to like D'Addarios, why not get the Orchestrals?
You'd get less sustain, more warmth, more thump.

Pirastro Flexocors (another orchestral type string) has also short sustain, warmth and thumpiness.

There's a thread about afro-cuban strings going on in the (DB) Strings forum.
You may want to read it too.
 
#91
toonman said:
I dont have an NS DESIGN, would like to but thats another thread. I use the D'addario helicore hybrids on my EUB and I get the sustain too, but dont mind it. I think they are actually recomended for the NS DESIGN. Couldn't you put some sort of a mute near the bottom of the strings to loose the sustain. just a thought.
Click to expand...

It's not just sustain - although that's a big part of it - as Francois says , it's about a "darker" sound that gets close to amplified DB rather than sounding like fretless bass guitar.

So when I first got my NS CR5 I was playing things like Jaco's Continuum and getting that sort of mwah all the time on the G string.

But switching to Pirastros made a huge difference - I can still get some mwah with careful left hand vibrato , but the G string sounds much more like a DB and the overall quality of sound is much more what I wanted - certainly there is just an overall higher quality to the sound which is difficult to describe - but really I think it just comes down to - you get what you pay for! ;)
 
#96
bassisten said:
Hi...


Thanks for the link.

Uhhh, what a nasty price when you need the B-string. :crying:

It will be 250€ !
Click to expand...


I didn't bother - I just bought a 4-string set of Pirastros and left the original B string!

I think the point for me is that the higher you go, the more the sound difference - so the G string was the biggest difference - especially when playing solos in the area of thumb position.

But conversely the lower you went, the least difference was perceived.

So - the B is so bassy and fundamental anyway, that I don't believe you can hear that much difference. I throw in the odd low C or D - but they are more "felt through the floor", than actually heard!!

The other thing for me is that, while I was playing BG - I used the B string much more frequently - especially higher up the neck to get a more bassy DB-like sound - but on EUB with decent strings, I find I don't need to do that.

So - D and G strings at 1st position sound bassy enough - meaning I don't need to play the notes I would have done on BG, higher up the neck on the B and E strings!


Lastly - we're talking About Euros - so just make sure you buy when the £ is stronger...;)
 

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