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Double Bass Perpetuals- My Favorite strings

anokaybassist

anokaybassist

Nov 12, 2018
23
18
Fullerton
#1
Just like the title states, these new strings from Pirastro are amazing. While the Evah were great, they just died way too fast. Spirocores feel like playing on bridge cables. The Perps are a great midway between the two. I feel like I have finally found my sound. They sound great too when paired with an Olive gut G or Eudoxa G. Also they still sound pretty damn good 15 months in. Anyone else big fans of the Perps?!
 
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#6
They are nice strings, even, bouncy, bow well. I wanted just a bit more tension so I tried Oliv g and d that I already had. The Oliv have a bigger frontend percussive sound for pizz but the stark Perpetual actually sound very close to the Oliv…on my bass..with the g and d around 9mm off the board. The A and E were a little weak compared to the Oliv but tonally they matched well.
 
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#10
I've got a perp stark D that has been great on my Kay with Spiro weich EA. I had Oliv G (which projected great) on for a while but the winding came undone around B Bb so I put Evah Slap G which has been working nicely. I thought about putting on the Evah Slap D for DG match, but the stark perp D works SO Well that I'm keeping it on. It even sounded great with the Lycon G I was using before the Olive. Great string.

My main gigging bass wears all S42 Spiros but the Kay is a cannon with this setup and the tension is not too loose or too tight on both hands.
 
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#11
oren said:
What gauge Perpetuals are people playing. I’ve Helicore Hybrids on my current bass since I bought it two years ago, but I’m thinking I’ll try Perps next - just not sure which gauge I should try.
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People usually do the medium set, however I am not a fan of the D or G. The Stark version of those two strings are great from what I have heard. But for me I am in a Charlie Haden phase, steel on the E and A, and guts on the D and G.
 
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#13
DaveAceofBass said:
I really like them, but after really thinking about it, the E&A don’t punch as much as the Spirocore. While the Perpetual D&G is warmer than Spirocore, the opposite is true for the E&A. That said, I have been happy pairing the Perpetual Stark D&G with a Spirocore 3/4 Weich E&A. Tension is very similar and even.
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Also, the Perpetual Stark D&G is a little bit warmer/fuller sounding than the regular ones, but the tension is very similar although they’re a little thicker.
 
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#14
I had a gig with a pretty agressive drummer and my Innovation Polychromes, which I've been loving in softer contexts, didn't work great so I dove into my string trove - I never throw anything out - and after a lot of experimenting and tuner cranking have hit on a combination that seems very nice and worked great with that drummer on the next gig and in softer situations as well. Superflexible Solo A tuned down to G, Perpetual D and A, and Spiro Weich E. Nice with the bow too. I have a Stark Perp G and D and they have more of the qualities of Spiros that I don't like, and less of the qualities of Perps that I like. Sort of the worst of both worlds. Of course all this is very subjective and blah blah etc.
 
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#15
Perpetuals are my favorite too, and the only reason I visit the Strings forum these days is to say how much I like them! I think they are the perfect hybrid strings and offer all that I like about synthetic core strings with none of the disadvantages. I love how they feel under the left hand which is something I never cared for with Spirocores. I tried the Perpetual stark G a couple of times and while I can see why someone would like this string I felt it was more work without any real benefit, so I stick with the original set.

- Steve
 
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#17
anokaybassist said:
Just like the title states, these new strings from Pirastro are amazing. While the Evah were great, they just died way too fast. Spirocores feel like playing on bridge cables. The Perps are a great midway between the two. I feel like I have finally found my sound. They sound great too when paired with an Olive gut G or Eudoxa G. Also they still sound pretty damn good 15 months in. Anyone else big fans of the Perps?!
Click to expand...
I’m a new user of Perpetuals with stark D and G. Very happy. They sound great under the bow, easier on the left hand. They sound good pizz so far but have not really played much jazz with them. But will do in the next few weeks.
 
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#20
I tried a full set of the mediums a couple years ago and thought they sounded good, but felt the E string was a little weak and the overall tension was too low for my preferences.

I considered trying Spirocore S42 Weich E & A with Perpetual D & G a while back but ended up going back to a full set of Spirocore Mitts.

If Pirastro ever makes a full Stark set, I might try them again.
 

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