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Double Bass Passione - Great for the mediocre

SLivinghouse

SLivinghouse

Aug 31, 2004
466
561
Meadow Vista, CA
#1
So I got a set of lightly used Passione strings - orchestra gauge- and really like them. I'm maybe typical community orchestra player with mediocre bowing skills; but these strings are so easy to bow well that I can play stuff that I couldn't before. For example, our orchestra is now doing Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony and I can get really decent staccato in the fast triplet section toward the end of the first movement which was out of control mush with my previous strings (Obligatos.) I also have a much easier time getting consistent tone in the legato section at the beginning of the piece at low volume. Great strings! It's kind of like having a mirror that makes you better looking than you actualy are.
 
#4
I must play "Devil's Advocate." I believe the easiest strings to bow and get a good orchestral tone are Bel Cantos. They almost bow themselves, especially for me, a left-handed guy playing conventional right-handed bass, so my right hand is definitely in need of all the help it can get, and who only came to arco (cough) ago. They are dark for pizz, but I'm playing some WWII unit "reunion" gigs with my jazz/dance bands, and some Celtic gigs this summer, which would be best on gut, but I just can't do gut for either the cost or getting acclimated to them, so the Bel Cantos will do just fine.
 
#5
Matt Ides said:
OK, I am intrigued. How are they for Pizz?
Click to expand...

Very nice imho. I've never had a set on any of my basses, but I got to play some on my last visit to the luthier. They don't growl, but they have pleny of sustain, and a nice, warm but clear pizz.

They are very nice arco- on the bass I played they had a very dark, "chocolatey" tone that was very well defined- not at all murky. They start very easily too. Very nice!

My only "complaint" was that they didn't seem very loud. They did have a good range of dynamics, but the ceiling was lower than I would have hoped for- could very well have been the bass, IDK.

I also heard (an unsubstantiated rumor) that they didn't sell as well as Pirastro would have hoped, and that one might be able to find some good deals on them from sellers that over stocked expecting them to be "the next big thing"...ymmv of course. :ninja:

Joe
 
#7
I agree with DC Bass on Pizz overall, but I really wouldn't consider them if you are primarily a pizz player because I think there are better choices. If you do both, in my experience, it's much better to have a string that is strong for arco because mediocre pizz performance on a good arco string isn't nearly as annoying as mediocre acro performance on a good pizz string.

I didn't experience a change in volume though. Seems like about the same volume as the Obligatos. Different basses may react differently though.

Advancing toward competent,
Steve
 

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