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Double Bass Obligatos: is the love gone?

#41
Thanks for the observation Midi. My experience with the Passione strings is limited, and all of it was from other peoples basses, which could have skewed my judgment. My impression was that they were super dark and rich, but not muddy. I liked their pizz, and they were one of the smoothest, easiest starting arco strings I'd ever played.

I had long held the opinion that the timbre and bow response of Flex Deluxe and Belcanto were very similar. I used Bels for a few years, but my experience with Flex Deluxe is not as extensive. Any thoughts on this?

Here is how I would grade some of the strings we've been discussing, from dark to bright:

Passione (?re-evaluation time?)
Flex 92
Flex Deluxe/Belcanto
Obligato
Spirocore
Permanent

Joe
 
#42
My experience with Passione is very limited, to the Pirastro booth only. But there I had the direct comparison with the Flexocore DeLuxe. Never tried Belcanto myself. I'm mainly a jazz player who sometimes plays a bit of orchestra in a community orchestra or smaller groups. I also play high C as the fifth string and almost any steel core string was too thin and with too much tension for me, so I concentrated on synthetic core strings that could be bowed too.

BTW, I would put the Passione either between Flex DeLuxe and Obligato or Obligato and Spiros in your list. I'm not sure about the position.

I found the Passione a bit brighter and much clearer than the Flex DeLuxe. And they play better in higher positions (as far as I can handle that...).
 
#45
My teacher had Obligatos on his full sized (7/8ths?) and they felt good. Low tension which was good for the big bass. I hated playing it because you could never hear yourself on the gig. He put on spirocores and that problem was solved. I tried the Obligato D/G and there wasn't any improvement to the spirocore mediums I had on before so off they went. I did experience the roll on my teachers E/A strings and don't think I could do a full set unless times got desperate.
 
#46
Steve Freides said:
My next thought, unless someone convinces me otherwise, is D'Adarrio Helicore Orchestral strings in medium. I've heard these strings on another bass, a 1/4 size hybrid I own, and I think they pizz just fine and I like the bowed sound better than the Hybrids.

Let's try a silly metric here - for me, on the arco/pizz continuum:

Obligato - 40/60

Original Flat Chrome - 90/10

I think I'd like 80/20 if I could find it.

-S-
Click to expand...
I think the Helicore Orchestrals are a good choice. I've never liked flexocore, or bel cantos, or most other orchestral strings for pizz. I get nothing but a dead thud out of the lower strings. On the other hand, I think the helicores actually do a pretty good job for jazz. They have a nice, full and open sound, even if they are darker and have less sustain than most pizz-centric strings. They don't have that muted sound quality that most orchestral strings have for pizz. I've used the Helicore Orchestral strings for jazz on several basses and been quite satisfied, and of course they bow very well.
 
#47
Michael Glynn, that does sound like what I'm looking for. I don't want or need great pizz, but the original flatchrome was downright ugly for jazz pizz, almost sounded out of tune to my ears because it was so clearly not the right tool for the job.

The other thing about Helicore Orchestrals is that the price is right because I'm saving my pennies to buy a new bass. I just need this one to work better in the meantime. If I do this soon, I'll have a one-month-old set of Obligatos for sale.

Thank you, everyone, very informative thread for me to read.

-S-
 
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#48
Not to derail the thread, but I'll definitely second that on the Helicore Orchs. I've played some other strings that didn't really seem to have any sound beyond a dead thunk pizzicato, but those have a nice tone to them. On the plywood I have them on they have a similar sound to what older jazz bassists (like Paul Chambers or Jimmy Blanton) got, but with more sustain.
 
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#51
I actually like the orchestrals more than the hybrids (never have tried the pizzicatos) for jazz playing, but I play jazz with the sound of the earlier records in mind, not the later ones, so that makes sense. I don't need all that crazy sustain. =P

One of these days I want to try Obligatos (and eventually guts), see if they're easier on the hands. The steel core strings I've used (thus far) tear my hands apart. But, I still have yet to try the very lightest tension steel strings yet, so it's possible I still have a chance.
 
#52
ElijahBrockway said:
I actually like the orchestrals more than the hybrids (never have tried the pizzicatos) for jazz playing, but I play jazz with the sound of the earlier records in mind, not the later ones, so that makes sense. I don't need all that crazy sustain. =P

One of these days I want to try Obligatos (and eventually guts), see if they're easier on the hands. The steel core strings I've used (thus far) tear my hands apart. But, I still have yet to try the very lightest tension steel strings yet, so it's possible I still have a chance.
Click to expand...

They are easier on the hands
 
#53
bassfiddlesteve said:
I remember when there was a fairly active Obligato love-fest here on TBDB, but now they don't get mentioned too often. I have an old set of them on my hybrid and they are still nice and growly, lasting way longer than I expected. Does anyone else still use and like these strings, or have EP's and Zyex wooed everyone away?

- Steve
Click to expand...
Tone comes from the hands. Period.
 
#54
Jason Hollar said:
I agree with Sidecar. I love the Obli's on my bass - at home. On the gig and amplified, they always seem to get lost - even with just a trio. I've settled on the 3/4 Weichs (which are supposed to be halfway between Weichs & Mittels). I'm actually trying to regain my good standing in the Dead Spiros Club.
Click to expand...

i might have to put myself on double-secret probation... I just sprung for a brand new set of Spiro E/A Obligato D/G last week - I needed to move up to Mittels from the Spiro Weichs anyway on this bass. I actually really like them. The Obli's were still stretching in when I started my gig on Saturday (oops) so they were a bit of a pain for the first set, but it was a real casual atmosphere so it was fine.

Little bit of compromise on all fronts, but probably the most pizz/arco/slap friendly setup I've found.
 
#56
Lee Moses said:
Huh. I'm sure world-class bassists the world over would love to know this tidbit, as it could have saved them from spending thousands upon thousands of dollars needlessly on quality instruments, when a cheap slap-together ply would have been just as good.
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Lol!!!!!!

I'll sound like me on your ten thousand dollar bass. You'll sound like you on my plywood. Period.
 
#57
Lee Moses said:
Huh. I'm sure world-class bassists the world over would love to know this tidbit, as it could have saved them from spending thousands upon thousands of dollars needlessly on quality instruments, when a cheap slap-together ply would have been just as good.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, I hear that Israel Crosby played on a Kay bass. And that Slam Stewart played a Kay and use a Kay bow. Not my choice for sure, but it worked for them and they were both definitely world class IMHO.
 
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#58
Instruments are tools.
Ever seen someone hammer a nail plain just better than the person next to them who also used the same hammer?

Hence; "nailed it"

There is a famous story of Chet Atkins greeting a fan upstage after a gig. The fan says "Mr Atkins, that guitar sure sounds good." Mr Atkins replies, while pointing at the the guitar in its stand, "that one? What's it sound like right now?"

Nailed it.
 

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