Double Bass So Gerold’s cooking up something new...

[LaFaro01]

I finally got my strings, it took 6 weeks due to the holidays and the pandemic. They replaced a Spiro Mittel E and Flex Deluxe A D G on my bass. The G and D strings are a bit thicker so I widened the slots on my bridge, not too thick though, feels right. My first impression was how much louder my bass got. The tension is noticeably lower and it feels great in the left hand, I can also feel the bass resonate a lot more, and again.......much louder. If I had to put a number on it I would say about 20% louder both pizz and arco. Someone mentioned the knobby feel because of the weave of the strings. I concur, it takes about 5 minutes to get used to, it actually feels solid and non slippery but certainly not sticky either. After four days of playing for hours and hours now when I first pick it up in the morning it's still in tune so it's stretched out. Strong, thick fundamentals so you can really hear the center of your pitch, again both arco and pizz, however this will expose your intonation. There was never any banjo new string sound and it's settling down nicely. The sustain is perfect, just enough and I hope I won't lose too much of it as the sounds darkens. Jazz pizz for the right hand is about as easy as it gets. The bow response is immediate and very dynamic. You can really dig in or play pp, it's all there. Still a bit screechy on the open strings but that's getting better as well. I will wait out the full two weeks before I adjust the sound post. It might be fine but coming from a Spiro Mittel E, the lower two strings seem not as lively as the top two. Not a big difference but I may need a small adjustment. One major caveat! These strings will not mix well with anything else. They sound and feel very different from all other strings I ever played. I hope they'll stay solid for a long time but if you break one you're screwed, so I just ordered a second set. If that's not an endorsement at these prices I don't know what is!

similar experiences here... only exception.... my strings needed a bit longer to stretch out..
And beside the impressing arco skills I'm still deeply impressed by the pizz sound and volume... Only problem: I recognized the need to get a new dressing of the fingerboard because of the lower tension and bigger amplitudes of the strings..

 

[adarvas]

similar experiences here... only exception.... my strings needed a bit longer to stretch out..
And beside the impressing arco skills I'm still deeply impressed by the pizz sound and volume... Only problem: I recognized the need to get a new dressing of the fingerboard because of the lower tension and bigger amplitudes of the strings..

I had a bit of buzz as well on the A string pizzed and yes the strings "travel" a lot more but I used to overplay my dead Flex Deluxes anyway so I lightened up on the dig-in. Nonetheless you're right about the fingerboard I might get it dressed. Also, I'm contemplating getting a new bridge without adjusters. Gerold recommends having a solid bridge to get the most out of the strings. I'm in Toronto and the changes in humidity between summer and winter are extreme but I don't think I ever needed to adjust the bridge. I'm really nerding out and it's going to cost a LOT. A top quality bridge is about Can$700, but....... now that I have all these gigs lined up I can really justify spending it. Heh.....

 

[adarvas]

Just curious, they suggested leatherwood bespoke rosin, I passed on ordering it along with the strings. What are you using?

Leatherwood is like these strings. A bit of a learning curve and high prices well justified by amazing results. I haven't changed anything for years but now with the Temperas and Leatherwood I feel like nothing else is good enough. I thought I had a bad batch of Leatherwood rosins when I first got them. The surface had a lacquered feel and I couldn't get any on my bow, it just slipped off, in fact it made my bow slippery. I had a Zoom meeting with the owner of the company and he showed me what to do. Get a lighter and burn the surface for a second. After it cools off put it on the bow in short strokes. I threw out all my other rosins now.

 

[Sean Riddle]

When are we getting sound samples?!

 

[vinnycolletti]

Leatherwood is like these strings. A bit of a learning curve and high prices well justified by amazing results. I haven't changed anything for years but now with the Temperas and Leatherwood I feel like nothing else is good enough. I thought I had a bad batch of Leatherwood rosins when I first got them. The surface had a lacquered feel and I couldn't get any on my bow, it just slipped off, in fact it made my bow slippery. I had a Zoom meeting with the owner of the company and he showed me what to do. Get a lighter and burn the surface for a second. After it cools off put it on the bow in short strokes. I threw out all my other rosins now.

Yeah, I get it but Yikes $60+ for rosin to add to my Nymans, Kohlstein, Oak, Pops and 4 grades of Salzman Symphony. Well at least they give you 2 chances to pick the right grade! My Temperas are on the way so I guess I'll give it some thought.

 

[adarvas]

Yeah, I get it but Yikes $60+ for rosin to add to my Nymans, Kohlstein, Oak, Pops and 4 grades of Salzman Symphony. Well at least they give you 2 chances to pick the right grade! My Temperas are on the way so I guess I'll give it some thought.

40, 50 and 60% are all great. I like the 60% in the winter but my pace is extremely dry even with the humidifier going non-stop.

 

[adarvas]

When are we getting sound samples?!

Let them settle in and I'll post a short video in a week or so.

 

[Sean Riddle]

Let them settle in and I'll post a short video in a week or so.

Sweet! I know a lot of us are curious, and I'm particularly interested in hearing the pizz sound. These are about the only strings I'm really itching to try at the moment.

 

[iamthebassplayr]

How is thumb position for the Basso/Orchestra tuning strings? I have an order in on these and am excited--
Hoping to be able to work excerpts and solo pieces (at orchestra tuning) on these without losing something in either register... the dream!

 

[adarvas]

Here are a couple of samples of the pizz sound of the Temperas. I had them on for a week and they are still "calming down". I am getting a new bridge without adjusters, the fingerboards needs dressing as well and although it's only been a week, I think the sound post needs some TLC to balance things out.

 

[Ben Rolston]

sounds pretty dang good for an "arco" string

 

[garrett2]

This is a rather strong recommendation by a rather skilled arco player.

 

[Sean Riddle]

sounds pretty dang good for an "arco" string

Seriously. It reminds me a bit of what Animas tended to sound like, but with more sustain and meat to the sound. And since they're supposed to be arco strings, I can't even begin to imagine how much better they will sound!

 

[Ben Rolston]

Seriously. It reminds me a bit of what Animas tended to sound like, but with more sustain and meat to the sound. And since they're supposed to be arco strings, I can't even begin to imagine how much better they will sound!

I agree, my first thought was those who were especially committed to Animas will be happy (or sad because $$)

 

[Decomposer]

Here are a couple of samples of the pizz sound of the Temperas. I had them on for a week and they are still "calming down". I am getting a new bridge without adjusters, the fingerboards needs dressing as well and although it's only been a week, I think the sound post needs some TLC to balance things out.

Beautiful! How loud are these strings? Compared to Spiros, Evah, ZYEX etc?

 

[adarvas]

It looks like Bozo's strings were installed in the opposite direction in the tailpiece contrary to Gerold's recommendation. I don't want to experiment right now. Thoughts?

 

[Brad_Pearson]

Here are a couple of samples of the pizz sound of the Temperas. I had them on for a week and they are still "calming down". I am getting a new bridge without adjusters, the fingerboards needs dressing as well and although it's only been a week, I think the sound post needs some TLC to balance things out.

Sounds great and nice playing!

They really seem to have that gut punching low end you get with, well guts. But also highs and pitch clarity without the weird overtones of gut. My credit card is trembling...
I love my spiros,I love my spiros,I love my spiros,I love my spiros,I love my spiros...

 

[LaFaro01]

Seriously. It reminds me a bit of what Animas tended to sound like, but with more sustain and meat to the sound. And since they're supposed to be arco strings, I can't even begin to imagine how much better they will sound!

As I said before ....

 

[LaFaro01]

It looks like Bozo's strings were installed in the opposite direction in the tailpiece contrary to Gerold's recommendation. I don't want to experiment right now. Thoughts?

We ("my" luthier and me) did it in the same way like Derek High and Bozo and it works really fine.... if it becomes brighter, I can take picture, but it looks the same as Bozo's pic.. After mounting the strings this way I mentioned to Jan-Ole, but there was no objection..

 

[LaFaro01]

Beautiful! How loud are these strings? Compared to Spiros, Evah, ZYEX etc?

Compared to Evah Weich quite louder... I would say about 15-20%... in my impression the whole instrument vibrates more, stronger....
My first trials after mounting the strings was unsolicited commented by my wife (a non-musician, but a very musical human) with the words:"Wow, that sounds really beautiful... so full and round"...and for sure it wasn't my "playing"....