I will point out that Spiros will get a little easier to control with the bow as they wear in(after a year? hah). My Mitts are finally wearing in nicely, taming alot of the crazy overtones that were there when new. Great string set.
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Double Bass Seeking steel core strings that bow easily
- Thread starter Pjotor
- Start date
Thanks for the suggestion. I read a few threads here on TB about Jargar. They seem to be dark with some initial muddiness on the E string (that goes away after a while), but also being smooth to play. Shortish sustain, cheap compared to many other strings, good thump. Could be a good candidate!
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thomastik belcanto with a Spirocore Weich E for the growl.
their hybrid string is good too (just got a set on my bass last week) but i haven't used the bow much with them; certainly easier to bow than spiros
I guess another string that may be worth investigating are the Corelli 370's. Brighter string but they do have a nice arco sound, once they've settled in. I feel like they're a good string that is often overlooked. Not a bad price point either.
I like Spirocore Mittels for bowing. It depends on the bass. Folks love Pops, but in can make things worse...
This is me on Spirocores.It doesn't mean they can't be played in tune!
This is me on Spirocores.It doesn't mean they can't be played in tune!
I got them locally from my Luthier. He knew them only as "Eurosonics orchestral" so they were likely sitting around for a while. the balance hybrids i just got came from Thomann which was the path of least resistance to me in my impulse buying state.
I am far from being an orchestral bassist but I like Bel Canto (on all 4 strings) for what arco playing I do.
I’ll throw another vote for Flex Deluxe in the ring here: good arco, nice old school-ish pizz but with a percussive definition and some clarity instead of dead thud
Are you having success with the Spirocore Mittels then? I used those on a Chadwick bass and they worked pretty well, but I wasn't doing that much bowing (but I definitely did some). Next time you have a chance, I would strongly recommend the Thomastik Superflexibles, based on your desire for higher tension plus something that bows easier than the spirocores yet has a good pizz sound, with a lesser degree of growl and sustain then the Spiros. The standard gauge are higher tension than Spiro mittels and they are also a bit cheaper. Somehow these strings get overlooked a lot, but I think they are one of the better strings on the market.
If you like all this, D'Addario Kaplan mediums would definitely fit the bill. I think they're the most expensive of D'Addario's offerings, but still less than almost all Pirastro or Thomastik.
Perpetuals are pretty great, but if you're looking for something stiffer:
Thomastik Superflexibles are similar in many ways to Spirocores Mittels, but were meant to be easier to bow. I have a partial set in the classifieds now if you're interested, make me an offer greater than $0 and I'll send them to you.
There are at least 3 formulations of Flexocores, which is where I would look personally.
I haven't tried the Deluxe's, but a lot of people like them.
I quite liked the ones that people call "Flexocore '92s" and they come in different gauges. I think that Pirastro might call them "Original Flexocores", but I have to figure that out every time.
The ones that I think are generally just called "Flexocores" are very good and have been for a long time. They have royal or purpleish silks and I would be keen to try them, based on some limited hands on.
You may also look at Jargar. Stiff, steel core, certain arco-ists love them and won't use anything else.
Thomastik Superflexibles are similar in many ways to Spirocores Mittels, but were meant to be easier to bow. I have a partial set in the classifieds now if you're interested, make me an offer greater than $0 and I'll send them to you.
There are at least 3 formulations of Flexocores, which is where I would look personally.
I haven't tried the Deluxe's, but a lot of people like them.
I quite liked the ones that people call "Flexocore '92s" and they come in different gauges. I think that Pirastro might call them "Original Flexocores", but I have to figure that out every time.
The ones that I think are generally just called "Flexocores" are very good and have been for a long time. They have royal or purpleish silks and I would be keen to try them, based on some limited hands on.
You may also look at Jargar. Stiff, steel core, certain arco-ists love them and won't use anything else.
Flexocore 92 are the new ones that are called Flexocore since 1992.
Original Flexocore are the old ones up to about 1990 and up to that time we’re called Flexocore.
A lot of people didn‘t think it was an improved (old) Flexocore but something completely different and wanted their old string back, so the Original versions were created (Flexocore and Flat Chromesteel) which are simply the old design, but (unfortunately) with new silk colors.
So you need to know when an old string was made to decide if it is the old (Original) Version or the new one that is a different design.
I was puzzling about my high C Flexocore that is no longer available (officially). At the end it was only one or two years before the change had been made, so it is an (Original) Flexocore, but with the (old) red Flexocore silk.
Original Flexocore are the old ones up to about 1990 and up to that time we’re called Flexocore.
A lot of people didn‘t think it was an improved (old) Flexocore but something completely different and wanted their old string back, so the Original versions were created (Flexocore and Flat Chromesteel) which are simply the old design, but (unfortunately) with new silk colors.
So you need to know when an old string was made to decide if it is the old (Original) Version or the new one that is a different design.
I was puzzling about my high C Flexocore that is no longer available (officially). At the end it was only one or two years before the change had been made, so it is an (Original) Flexocore, but with the (old) red Flexocore silk.
Ah, it was a "New Coke" / "Coca Cola Classic" kind of situation. Well, I guess that at least explains it.
It doesn't explain why they introduced a new string and decided to call it "Flexocore Deluxe", though. They need a new product marketing department.
Good strings, though, which is what really matters.
I like Pirastro, but yes, I agree with @TroyK. They need a better naming system for their products.
Chiming in here since my thread got resurrected.
Tried the Jargars – wonderful for bowing but not so much for pizz. Sold them after less than a week on the bass.
I took the plunge to the Stark side, i.e. put on a full set of Spirocore Starks. And I'm happy as a clam! Why you ask? Because they can produce almost any kind of tone. Long or short sustain, thumpy or smooth pizz, whatever I need to do I can, by altering my playing technique. And my built-like-a-tank Chadwick folding hybrid clearly gets better with heavy strings.
Yes they are a bit harder to bow, but it's workable for me. Yes they are harder on the left hand, but since the action can be lowered the difference from Mittels is not great.
My biggest challenge for the music I play now is two finger pizz (index and middle finger altering). Digging in too much stops the fingers and too little produce a weak tone. It's a fine balance, and I have yet to work out the sweet spot for faster passages. But I expect this will be solved with more practise.
Tried the Jargars – wonderful for bowing but not so much for pizz. Sold them after less than a week on the bass.
I took the plunge to the Stark side, i.e. put on a full set of Spirocore Starks. And I'm happy as a clam! Why you ask? Because they can produce almost any kind of tone. Long or short sustain, thumpy or smooth pizz, whatever I need to do I can, by altering my playing technique. And my built-like-a-tank Chadwick folding hybrid clearly gets better with heavy strings.
Yes they are a bit harder to bow, but it's workable for me. Yes they are harder on the left hand, but since the action can be lowered the difference from Mittels is not great.
My biggest challenge for the music I play now is two finger pizz (index and middle finger altering). Digging in too much stops the fingers and too little produce a weak tone. It's a fine balance, and I have yet to work out the sweet spot for faster passages. But I expect this will be solved with more practise.
