Double Bass Olive G lovefest

[Sam Dingle]

Resurrecting this thread due to recent developments...

Makes me curious about the Oliv A, though I believe that's where things get muddy. And I really wonder about the seismic activity that may come from playing Oliv E arco... Maybe some 100% classical players who play full-set Oliv can report on how THAT experience is

It depends on the bass. I know Dave Santoro who had my bass on loan for a year before I bought it said my Juzek loved olive ADG and spiro E. I believe There’s a bassist named Thomson Kneeland who has some videos on YouTube where he’s playing Evah E olive ADG and it sounds great pizz. But as others have said some basses it’s too muddy for.

I know one person who had an arco gig coming up and had a set of olives lying around, they said it was the best arco sound in the world especially the E but pizz was useless on the low strings. So really you gotta try for yourself...

But i do know a lot of people who use the Eudoxa EA olive DG setup and love it

 

[AGCurry]

-The G string is (as I sort of knew from other basses, and as this thread suggests) the absolute gold standard of G-strings across the whole spectrum of core and outer materials. There is just nothing quite like it. Arco and pizz are equally excellent, singing, powerful, and clear- and I like it even a little better than Eudoxa G. For both pizz and arco.
- I had never tried the D, and that one is a keeper as well. Even though it's about as thick as the Eudoxa A, it matches quite well, bows like a dream, has tons of power without nasty overtones, and all this translates to wonderful pizzicato sound on my bass as well. Without a doubt better than the D before, and at the moment I just slightly prefer it over Eudoxa. Makes me curious about the Oliv A, though I believe that's where things get muddy. And I really wonder about the seismic activity that may come from playing Oliv E arco... Maybe some 100% classical players who play full-set Oliv can report on how THAT experience is.

I have Oliv G, Gamut Pistoy D, Oliv A, and Spiro weich E on my orchestral (7/8) bass. This combination is working pretty well for me, although I have an Oliv D which will probably go on just to see what happens. The A is fine.

I started out with an Oliv E on this bass. The Spiro E provides a lot more seismic activity than the Oliv.

 

[Fran Diaz]

I got home a few nights ago and found this. The Oliv G was broken somewhere in the pegbox. It has been on my bass for almost 4 years (Dic. 2016-Oct 2020); I took it off twice for less than a month total. Daily practice, lots of gigs (many outdoor gigs in the summers). Sounded great till the day it died. My bass has a new Oliv G again: worth the cost.

 

[stefaniw80401]

I got home a few nights ago and found this. The Oliv G was broken somewhere in the pegbox. It has been on my bass for almost 4 years (Dic. 2016-Oct 2020); I took it off twice for less than a month total. Daily practice, lots of gigs (many outdoor gigs in the summers). Sounded great till the day it died. My bass has a new Oliv G again: worth the cost.

Fran thanks for the update, make sure that your strings don't wind and bind against the cheek of the peg box. I've had a student break E string that way . You got great life out of your olive g. Also what are the bottom three strings on your bass?

 

[Fran Diaz]

Fran thanks for the update, make sure that your strings don't wind and bind against the cheek of the peg box. I've had a student break E string that way . You got great life out of your olive g. Also what are the bottom three strings on your bass?

Thanks for the advice, I learnt that the hard way many years ago by breaking a Spiro med E that way! The bottom three strings are Pirastro Perpetuals; they match beautifully with the Oliv G, both tension and soundwise.
I just hope to get another four years out of the new Oliv. This time around it's not going to leave my bass until it dies. That might add a little bit to its life.

 

[RoscoeKay'54]

Hi all!
I hope you guys are hanging in there. Just finally put my olive g on today. Just curious whether the string tension happens to tighten as the string starts to settle.
Thanks!

 

[Sam Dingle]

Hi all!
I hope you guys are hanging in there. Just finally put my olive g on today. Just curious whether the string tension happens to tighten as the string starts to settle.
Thanks!

nope i found it was the same tension from day 1

 

[Fran Diaz]

nope i found it was the same tension from day 1

+1, the only thing is that its tuning is much more stable.

 

[Selim]

How well do you Oliv users think the G would match with Spiro weichs (4/4)?

 

[lurk]

How well do you Oliv users think the G would match with Spiro weichs (4/4)?

Great. Of course this whole string thing is subjective and depends on the bass. Once you start mixing sets you're opening a door to a big and expensive world

 

[AGCurry]

How well do you Oliv users think the G would match with Spiro weichs (4/4)?

It's a great match, as noted by many here. I like Oliv G and D over Spiro weich.

 

[Sam Dingle]

How well do you Oliv users think the G would match with Spiro weichs (4/4)?

they feel good, personally I would do 3/4 weich or 4/4 mittles, but the 4/4 weich are just as good. i think those weich are similar in feel to the perpetuals and the perps love the olive on top

 

[Fat bob]

How well do you Oliv users think the G would match with Spiro weichs (4/4)?

I have been in love with this combination for the past year or more! I had settled on the weichs a bit before this and then added the Oliv. It is a perfect match for tension and tone -once the spiros are broken in a bit.

 

[Selim]

Wow I think we have a consensus here. Thanks everybody!

 

[Selim]

Great. Of course this whole string thing is subjective and depends on the bass. Once you start mixing sets you're opening a door to a big and expensive world

I had been doing the mixing experiment thing for some years now but just this year decided I’ve had enough and pledged allegiance to the weichs — they work for me both pizz and arco. But while I enjoy the many benefits of a complete set, the Spiro G (of any gauge) has always been “just okay.”

Anyway, with all the glowing recommendations above— now I HAVE to try the Oliv.

Confession: I’ve been playing the DB for almost fifty years and have never tried any kind of gut string.

 

[stefaniw80401]

Confession: I’ve been playing the DB for almost fifty years and have never tried any kind of gut string.

Welcome to the Olive-G lovefest Selim!

 

[lurk]

I had been doing the mixing experiment thing for some years now but just this year decided I’ve had enough and pledged allegiance to the weichs — they work for me both pizz and arco. But while I enjoy the many benefits of a complete set, the Spiro G (of any gauge) has always been “just okay.”

Anyway, with all the glowing recommendations above— now I HAVE to try the Oliv.

Confession: I’ve been playing the DB for almost fifty years and have never tried any kind of gut string.

It's not going to feel like a gut string to you when you play it. You'll adapt right away and it doesn't have that nasal whine. You will have to tune it more. Not just in the break in period, but forever. When broken in it'll stay in tune for a set or two, but the next day it'll be out. Weirdly, it often will be sharp, not flat. Don't rub it down super vigorously after playing like you would your Spiros. Be gentle. Rubbing hard can cause the winding to separate.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

Reading all the responses on this thread makes me love my Oliv D and G even more.

Nobody on this thread has mentioned how awesome they sound for slap. I’ve been beating the hell out of my Olivs for more than a year now and they sound great and are holding up well; plus they bow and pizz better than any other gut strings I’ve ever played.

 

[AGCurry]

... plus they bow and pizz better than any other gut strings I’ve ever played.

I think they bow and pizz better than ANY other strings - not just guts. I have not tried any other strings that do both things so well.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I think they bow and pizz better than ANY other strings - not just guts. I have not tried any other strings that do both things so well.

I’m kind of a steel string virgin having only played synthetics and guts for all of my playing career; although I’m about to try out a dead Spiro E and A to mix with my Oliv D and G and I’m pumped about how that might sound.