Ha, i think my string rabbit hole is precisely because of OCD.
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Double Bass Orchestra Bass String Setup Megathread
- Thread starter Jesse Dietschi
- Start date
Wolfs affect the note regardless of where that pitch is on the instrument. What might be happening is that this wolf most likely also affects the octave A harmonic on the A string, which in turn causes the open string to behave in a funky way since that note is contained in the open string's overtones.
Source: my bass also has a G#/A wolf and the open A string is definitely a bit temperamental.
Hey thanks for your reply- I would intend to use my Spiro weich E/C anyway. I found in most Pirastro string sets that the extended E isn't great other than Permanent, but I doubt it would match well with Passione. I'm glad to hear a comment of organic sound, as my one issue with the flatchromes is they're a bit metallic sounding on my bass and I'm noticing more and more that I don't blend great in rehearsals. Still definitely my current favorites, though.
Nice partner! As long as she's buying, why not go for a couple of Olivs?
I have only tried the Passione stark G, a brand-new one. Had it on for a week, replacing a Flexocor.
At first, I thought it was great. Robust and balanced sound, easy to bow, easy to finger.
After a few days of practice, it was as though I had swapped my bow for a lesser one. I can't explain it.
Bel Canto, Passione, Kaplan: Strings that are engineered and marketed to "let the bass and its player" be heard; in other words, to impart little of their own character. Nothing wrong with that, but ...
On went the lightly-used Original Flat Chrome G that waited in the wings, thanks to @Selim .
For me, the OFC G is a lot like the Passione, but better and with more character. I doubt that I'll find an orchestral metal rope-core string I like more.
Thanks for your insight! Yes, I really like the flatchromes but since my bass isn't really dark at all I'm noticing more and more that they sound a bit metallic. Not in a bad way, but it'd be nice to try out something a bit different since I have the chance. OFC are definitely a great string that often goes under the radar, though, IMO. Also, I tried to convince her to get me some Eudoxas... she didn't like that idea.
Ugh, and today I was practicing and got frustrated with the OFC G and put BC GDA over Spiro Weich E/C. I made some recordings and listened a couple of times. I think the OFC G D, Flex Orig A, Spiro Weich E/C sounds great in my recordings, but the BC G and D are almost as good but easier to bow and maybe a touch louder.
I think I still hate the BC A. I'm leaving it on for a day or two but I expect the Spiro Weich A to make an appearance before my next concert.
You may have just expressed a major cause of the string trials we put ourselves through. I often see expressed in these threads "so-and-so could make 'anything' sound good"... that's a worthy goal.
I've currently got a set of spiros on a bass i use for solo stuff but use a passione stark D just cos the spiro D is a honky mess up high. Out of the mountain of strings i have, i found the passione stark actually a weirdly good match to the spirocores with the bow, so i think you'll like the spiro/passione match. Pizz, not so much. If it were me I would go for spiro E/C and A (if your bass gets on with the spiro A) and pass stark g and d. What i found recently with the pass stark A was that it was considerably darker than the D above it and the spiro E/C below it, whereas the spiro A blended the two sets better. It was an old set of passiones though...
I think honestly with the passiones you can't go wrong. While i don't use them all the time, they are one of those sets that I always keep in the case as backups as I know they are going to be reliable and i'll be happy with the sound and performance.
I agree about the flatchromes. Sound great on some basses but something about the metallic sound I found unpleasant and a bit nasal. Pass starks are similar tension, with a slightly more 'open' and organic tone top end, and in my experience are easier to bow.
Do you mean passiones solos over spiro solos? I'm sure that'd work, it would just give you a softer sound up top. I haven't seen anyone with that setup which may say something. I haven't tried the passione solos, but i have used permanent solos over spiro solos and the perms are an absolute dream. The passiones would probs just give u less top end than that which personally i wouldn't want.
You said solo Perm over Spiro are a dream -- is that in orchestra tuning? Does the pitch sag any? What's your string length?
No, those are the solos. I'm probs going to try it in orchestral tuning soon on my 'anything' bass that i use for solo stuff and for outdoor/risky gigs and jazz. The spiro orchs are on right now but i havent tried the other orchestra perms yet.
The main culprit for pitch sagging is the spiros for me, and only really the middle 2 strings on both solo and orchestral sets. It weirdly only happens with the A on my main orchestra bass (41.5"), and not on my shorter 41" scale solo bass where the A absolutely rules. The setup is also lower on the solo bass which might be a factor.
No pitch sagging at all on the perms for me. Tried that setup on a 41.5", 41" and 39" (ish). Aside from obvious tension and tone changes, the perms perform well on all of them. Actually the pitch stability is probably the thing that really feels great about them. The spiros seem more temperamental, and i'm gutted that my main bass just doesn't like the A.
Just a small update: tried a helicore medium A and it's a fantastic match to belcantos on top. It's close but i think i prefer it to the original flexocore A. The tension is slightly lower but very similar in tone: nice and open with a pleasant top end, incredibly easy to bow, decent in volume and doesn't give out whatsoever.
Which leaves me with a setup i'm incredibly happy with:
Belcanto G & D
Helicore orch medium A
Spiro E/C
Half tempted to try the helicore E/C; i see kolstein music using it on their basses under things like OFCs and belcantos
Which leaves me with a setup i'm incredibly happy with:
Belcanto G & D
Helicore orch medium A
Spiro E/C
Half tempted to try the helicore E/C; i see kolstein music using it on their basses under things like OFCs and belcantos
The Helicore Orchestral or the Hybrid? Somewhere I read that the hybrid helicore was actually a pretty solid bowing string. As of early this week, I'm back to Bel Cantos straight across. I love the Spiro Weich E/C but it was not blending super well above 3rd position. The BC E is a bit muddy but it's actually moderately loud. I used to hate the BC A, but it seems to have gained a bit in volume and clarity as it settled. It's still not my favorite string of the set, so both my E and A are open for changes.
Honestly, give the helicore orchestra medium A a try. My attempts to find a well matched A for the belcantos has become a bit of an obsession at this point, but i'm very happy with the D'addario. Bearing in mind it is brand new next to the belcantos which have been on for about a year, although in my experience the belcanto tone doesnt change hugely over time.
Not from what I can tell. Most of what I see from their social media posts either have belcantos or FCS, and sometimes with what i'm confident is a helicore orchestra E/C. If it's anything like the A, i can understand why.What?
They don't put their own Varicore strings on their basses?
In my experience, D'Addarios in general are not super long-lived. My oldest BCs are probably about 6 months but Quantum says they die dramatically after a while. I haven't experienced it yet. I might try the A, but I'm in a bigger hurry to solve the E problem. I have some Permanents in a drawer, I could always pull those out.
Perm E is awesome if your bass isnt too dark. The extension string is awesome, the normal length E string was a bit too dark on the bass i tried it on, but definitely worth a shot.
Tiny update: the permanent D standard tuning arrived and unfortunately it just isnt a patch on the solo version. The solo version just sings: absolutely stable pitch, clear, transparent but not unpleasantly bright tone. The standard tuning string sounds a bit choked, is a bit quiet, and the pitch actually isnt that solid until you get to thumb position strangely. Not a bad string, but still nowhere near what the belcanto D offers imo. I can only see this being useful if you for whatever reason wanted to make your bass quieter.
What strings are comparable to Belcantos? I tried to use Spirocores on my bottoms strings and I stuck out too much. I guess my bass can’t handle bright strings. Besides Belcantos, which do work fine for me, what else is there? I have tried flexocore originals and they didn’t really work out that well. I recently heard good things about the heritage strings, but I haven’t tried them. How are they?
