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Double Bass Olive G lovefest

#241
Sooooooo....I've got an Olive G that has been my main string for approx. 6 years of constant use and gigging; probably removed 20+ times when the neck has been off. In no way do I treat it delicate or gentle, but I do check it almost daily and make subtle adjustments. I've changed the Spiro mitts twice, yet the Olive is still good. What am I doing that the rest of you are not?
 
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#242
james condino said:
Sooooooo....I've got an Olive G that has been my main string for approx. 6 years of constant use and gigging; probably removed 20+ times when the neck has been off. In no way do I treat it delicate or gentle, but I do check it almost daily and make subtle adjustments. I've changed the Spiro mitts twice, yet the Olive is still good. What am I doing that the rest of you are not?
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How dry are your winters in Asheville? I live about half a mile from the beach and have found my Oliv G thrived in the temperate SoCal climate until that drunkard broke mine. The tuning was very stable for a gut once it settled in, even when the humidity dips down here.

I wonder if the people who only get 3 months out of them is due to them living in areas that actually experience weather, causing the gut core to expand and contract way too often?
 
#244
james condino said:
Sooooooo....I've got an Olive G that has been my main string for approx. 6 years of constant use and gigging; probably removed 20+ times when the neck has been off. In no way do I treat it delicate or gentle, but I do check it almost daily and make subtle adjustments. I've changed the Spiro mitts twice, yet the Olive is still good. What am I doing that the rest of you are not?
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I'm curious about why you would remove the neck from your bass more than 20 times in 6 years. Is it a travel bass?
 
#246
At the beginning of a jazz gig Friday it was at least a fifth low, as was I.
Saturday it was sharp.
Sunday, I don’t remember.
Yesterday it was flat.
Today it was at least two tones sharp.
IIRC it won’t settle in for several weeks and will be slightly out of tune until it dies.
It was 60 yesterday morning and 35 when I left for home around 5:00. The weather has a lot to do with it.
 
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#248
Fat bob said:
Curious if anyone has compared the oliv g (and d) to the perpetual stark g (and d)? Diameters look similar, what about feel? Sound?
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I ran the Oliv D and G for a few years, then both Perp stark and standard - settled on standard. Stark diameter was similar, but the tension was a bit too high for my bass, and tone match with the bottom (Helicore). Feel of Chromesteel winding is similar - nice, and a key benefit IMO. Oliv was of course warmer and fatter in tone, but the perps cut a little better and play a little faster. In the end all things considered the Perps slightly won out for my bass and goals.
 
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#251
Sean Riddle said:
I think I'm going to go back to at least an Oliv G over Spiro Mediums, maybe even get the Oliv D too. A full set of Spiro works great on my bass, but I also love how the Oliv G opened up the low end a bit more on my bass. Is the Oliv D worth it? My bass is still pretty new but has a pretty deep low end to it.
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I've used Oliv G by itself, and Oliv G and D together. I like the D just as much as the G.
 
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#254
I've been playing the Evah W E&A Oliv D&G combo on my "travel bass" steadily for almost a year, on and off since Feb/March 2020. Loving it. Kinda nervous, I've got an Ireland tour in May, not sure how it's gonna deal with being taken apart 2-4 times over a two week period. Almost wondering if I should start the painful experimenting now...
 
#255
JLubinsky-Mast said:
I've been playing the Evah W E&A Oliv D&G combo on my "travel bass" steadily for almost a year, on and off since Feb/March 2020. Loving it. Kinda nervous, I've got an Ireland tour in May, not sure how it's gonna deal with being taken apart 2-4 times over a two week period. Almost wondering if I should start the painful experimenting now...
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Just carry spares ... they don't have to be Olivs; the EP weich D and G make nice spares.
 
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#256
Got my Oliv G and D on last night! It feels great to have an Oliv G back on my bass. The verdict is out on the D though. It sounds great arco and the pizz overall isn’t as dark or muddy as I thought, but it does feel a little quieter compared to the Oliv G and Spiro A it’s between (then again since I have a 5 stringer my A is super powerful). I like the sound of the D, but I’m gonna give it a month and some gigs to decide if it’s staying on.
 
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#257
I’m starting to really dig the Oliv D now. Since it’s been stretching out, the string has a little more sustain and punch to it and has a much better sonic transition between the Oliv G and Spiro Mittel A. I’ve been using it on some pit Orchestra and string orchestra jobs I have and the arco response is great. I have some heavy and long jazz gigs this week and I’m excited to see how this combo will do on it. But I think it’s sage to say that the Oliv D is staying for now.
 
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#258
The Oliv D is a keeper. I put this setup (Oliv G and D and Spiro A E and B) through the wringer the last few days on an energetic standards gig, an old time jazz gig, and a chamber music performance. I did a slight sound post adjustment to make it a little tighter and it helped a lot with the overall response with this setup. The pizz sound is really really nice now. Very bouncy and punchy. I saw some videos from said energetic standards gig and the Olivs projected beautifully without getting lost in the mix. And they feel great to walk on uptempo tunes with tempos averaging 300bpm.

The old time jazz gig was a blast and made we want to try out my very basic slap chops on it.

And I played the 1st movement of the Samuel Coleridge Taylor Nonet yesterday for a chamber music workshop. First off the arco response with Oliv D G and Spiro A E B is so much better than just an Oliv G with Spiros underneath. There’s a lot more colors and dynamic range available. But I got a lot of compliments on my pizz tone from the ensemble and audience members. There’s a lot of pizz sections in that piece that stay on the D and G and lots of people said that the notes were clear and powerful.

So I’m good on strings for now! Hopefully the Oliv G and D will be okay when I move to the east coast in August.
 
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#259
Just got a Romanian bass setup and it currently has a full perpetual set (stark g and d). Sounds pretty nice, feel is a little loose and bouncy, the whole set is really even.
I just did a light retouch on the nut slots and went ahead and opened them up enough to put Oliv g and d on it safely. Been going back and forth for a few days, don’t even put the Oliv on, leave the Perpetual on it and just play it…then the other side is it’s just a quick two string change see how clear the Oliv d is on the bass and how big and glorious the g will be.
 
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#260
Fifteen years later and I just can’t quit the Oliv G. My favorite set is either Spirocore S42 Mitt or 3885 Weich and as well as a complete set works there is always something missing. The tone across the bass is clear and punchy with good sustain, but adding the Oliv on top makes the entire bass sound fuller and more resonant. Damned if I know why… I played a couple of gigs recently with the Spirocore G on and it sounded a bit thin, and felt thin when I really dug in. Oliv back on and it feels like home.
 
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