Double Bass Peter Washington strings?

[Oscar Gold]

Does anyone know what type of strings Peter Washington is using in this video?
He is such a great player

 

[HateyMcAmp]

Those look like black nylon strings, zooming in to the tailpiece I see orange so perhaps Eurosonic black tapewounds?

FWIW I saw him play at mezzorow in NYC this winter and he had spirocores. He sounded equally awesome.

 

[geoffbassist]

I would guess they are the labella which you see Ron Carter playing Ron Carter

BTW - It's great to see such good footage of Peter Washington, especially his right hand technique! He's one of a kind and I love his playing.

 

[geoffbassist]

...BTW, Ron's Labellas also have orange wraps at the tailpiece.

 

[Stuart.C]

It's great to see such good footage of Peter Washington, especially his right hand technique! He's one of a kind and I love his playing.

Yeah that's amazing!
That's the most relaxed and seemingly effortless playing I have ever seen at that tempo

 

[lurk]

I too am a fan, but that right hand! My fingers just don't work that way. He's pretty unique.

 

[Jason Hollar]

Nice.

Pittsburgh’s BB3 on trumpet!

 

[Fat bob]

I believe it this was recorded the next day? -back to evahs?

 

[Ed Fuqua]

More than likely different basses. Not sure if any of them are even his, most of the time at Mezzrow or Smalls, he uses the house bass....

 

[Fat bob]

Looks like his in the Tabackin vid, not sure but could be in Cohen’s? Lighting makes it look darker tho? I have really no idea but looks like a juzek master art w violin corner, same as


I’d read he used to play the Labellas, I believe Mike Karn mentioned it somewhere here that when he recorded with him a while back that’s what he used. I know this is kind of silly all this string talk, but I was honestly wondering myself about this when I saw the Live at Emmet’s

 

[lurk]

As far as his strings, over the years I've seen him with all sorts of strings on his bass - guts, those black LaBellas, Spiros, Evahs. Last time I saw him, maybe a month ago, he was using something new to me. Gennslers maybe, or Kolstein? Always sounds great. Very relaxed and easy stroking of the bass to let it vibrate, not muscling the sound. That tempo on Ornithology is really not that fast, though, and I think anyone would be able to find good footing with that drummer. What a team! I think right now PW is my favorite. Everything he plays is coherent music (which I wouldn't say about some of the other solos on that video).

 

[Jason Hollar]

That’s interesting how he appears to use his right hand middle finger as primary pizz.

 

[Francois Blais]

Yes, and he seems to put the first finger over it.
Amazing!

 

[shwashwa]

That’s interesting how he appears to use his right hand middle finger as primary pizz.

actually if you notice, when he's walking it's middle finger over first, plucking with the first, and when he's soloing it's first over middle, plucking with middle. this is something he does intentionally. i got the chance to ask him about it way back in the 90s

 

[massimo]

He told me the same when i asked him: first finger (and middle over) for walking, inverted for solo. He has always played like that, check this video with A. Blakey and Benny Green (i think from end '80)

 

[massimo]

And by the way in those last years he played a lot with La Bella black nylon strings (the Ron Carter set) but he changed a lot over the years ...

 

[lrhbass]

He also used the Velvet Blues, in recent years, while they were available.

 

[pcsanwald]

I just saw Peter Washington play with Bill Charlap this past saturday evening and I'm pretty sure he was using Spirocores. I was surprised, as I thought he'd likely be playing gut, but, def steel. He sounded fantastic, like he always does.

 

[Earl]

I just saw Peter Washington play with Bill Charlap this past saturday evening and I'm pretty sure he was using Spirocores. I was surprised, as I thought he'd likely be playing gut, but, def steel. He sounded fantastic, like he always does.

He may not have been playing his own bass.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I just saw him at Village Vanguard with The Bill Charlap Trio and he was using the La Bella black nylon set. He had a Realist pickup on his bass running through a Gallien-Krueger MB-110 or 112 combo (probably the house amp) and what looked like an Electro-Voice RE20 mic running to the house system. He’s a very sensitive accompanist with a great time feel. A very intuitive bass player.

- Steve