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Double Bass Spirocore Stark- initial thoughts and encouragements
- Thread starter MrSidecar
- Start date
I found the stark E was way too loud on my bass compared to the mediums. I would like to try the full set sometime but the mediums sound so good.
There is an eBay sell using the name "uprightyou" who occasionally sells batches of lightly used strings on the cheap. Last week they got rid of used Spiro Starks for $25 BIN. I'd suggest following that account and jumping on strings as they become available.
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I just bought a used set of Spiro Mittels with a Stark E from them for $25. Will report back when they come. I wanted try them before I buy a new set. Thanks!
I'm thinking you won't need a new set, unless you harbor fantasies of playing the banjo. Spiro Mittels with a Stark E is a great set.
I bought all 4 sets of Spiros they had for $90. total.They were Mittels. 2 of sets had Stark E. No E on the other 2 sets. I knew that. Guess what, the set I just put on were newish. I had Supremes on earlier. It sounds like a....?....Frank Sinatra went and became Earl Scruggs in here. LMAO
Ps. Great lead Mr. Kunfu. Ordered them Thursday, had them today. All strings in good shape. Even the bridge and nut marks were the same as my bass. The stark spiro E is an improvement. Thanks!!!
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My pleasure. That eBay seller is pure gold, so now that I have what I need I'm happy to spread the knowledge around.
Yesterday I put on my first full set of Spirocore Starks, replacing my mix of Mittels/Oliv G. Don't know why I didn't do this before. The sound of the Starks is bigger than any string I've ever played. So why didn't I try them before now? I have to admit I was afraid to.
Going back a few years I've played Spiro Weichs, Belcantos, Evahs. Then came the Spiro Mittel E into the mix, leading finally to the EAD Mittels as a whole set at first and then adding in the Oliv G. And there it was for the last seven years or so. The Mittels sounded better and better, loud, growly, good deep clear tone, pizz and arco. Actually the Mittels initially took some getting used to, but the sound was bigger than the strings I had tried before. At some point two or three years ago, I strung up a Stark E with the Mittels and Oliv G. I loved that Stark E, but took it off and put on the Mittel E when changing last. I was a bit concerned the Oliv G wouldn't keep the balance with the Stark E. So now it seems like the inevitable has just happened: Full set of Starks is on.
I agree with the description of the Starks in the OP of this thread. Huge, clearly defined fundamental. It feels absolutely earthshakingly beautiful. These strings do not crap out when you dig in, they give back as much volume as you want them to. The upper register sings beautifully and louder than even the Mittels. Just now starting out with the Starks, they feel under the fingers like the difference I felt when playing the Mittels for the first time after Weichs, only moreso.
So why didn't I try a full set of Starks before? I was worried that the greater tension of the Starks would damage my bass. I read the threads where TBers talk about that (usually someone who hasn't tried Starks). I've been rethinking that concern and am pretty sure my bass can withstand the Starks' higher tension. The bass is a 1993 Horst Gruenert (Bavaria), a sturdy carved 3/4 with a top that is certainly not thin or fragile. It has been set up with a perfectly fitted sound post, strong bass bar, and was made with an extended saddle to reduce the bridge angle and string tension. I suppose the extended saddle is a clue that the bass was made to withstand high tension strings.
My mensur is 105 cm, and the strings I bought are Orchestra "S36ST-S39ST heavy". I don't think these are 4/4 size, the light green wrap has contact with all four tuning pegs, but there is no size indication on the package.
But the real shocker is how the Starks bring out the best sound I have ever heard coming out of my bass. On this bass the Weichs or Evahs never produced a huge sound, no matter how hard I played. Mittels gave this bass a bigger sound, and I guess after finding that out I realized the bass needs more tension. Now the sound is just huge.
Bottom line is with the Starks the sound is just bigger, deeper, clearer than I imagined it could be. It is like this bass was made for Starks, it just took me quite a few years to realize that. It would be interesting to know how many bassists avoid Starks because of fear of damaging their bass, and also how many basses have actually been damaged by Starks.
Going back a few years I've played Spiro Weichs, Belcantos, Evahs. Then came the Spiro Mittel E into the mix, leading finally to the EAD Mittels as a whole set at first and then adding in the Oliv G. And there it was for the last seven years or so. The Mittels sounded better and better, loud, growly, good deep clear tone, pizz and arco. Actually the Mittels initially took some getting used to, but the sound was bigger than the strings I had tried before. At some point two or three years ago, I strung up a Stark E with the Mittels and Oliv G. I loved that Stark E, but took it off and put on the Mittel E when changing last. I was a bit concerned the Oliv G wouldn't keep the balance with the Stark E. So now it seems like the inevitable has just happened: Full set of Starks is on.
I agree with the description of the Starks in the OP of this thread. Huge, clearly defined fundamental. It feels absolutely earthshakingly beautiful. These strings do not crap out when you dig in, they give back as much volume as you want them to. The upper register sings beautifully and louder than even the Mittels. Just now starting out with the Starks, they feel under the fingers like the difference I felt when playing the Mittels for the first time after Weichs, only moreso.
So why didn't I try a full set of Starks before? I was worried that the greater tension of the Starks would damage my bass. I read the threads where TBers talk about that (usually someone who hasn't tried Starks). I've been rethinking that concern and am pretty sure my bass can withstand the Starks' higher tension. The bass is a 1993 Horst Gruenert (Bavaria), a sturdy carved 3/4 with a top that is certainly not thin or fragile. It has been set up with a perfectly fitted sound post, strong bass bar, and was made with an extended saddle to reduce the bridge angle and string tension. I suppose the extended saddle is a clue that the bass was made to withstand high tension strings.
My mensur is 105 cm, and the strings I bought are Orchestra "S36ST-S39ST heavy". I don't think these are 4/4 size, the light green wrap has contact with all four tuning pegs, but there is no size indication on the package.
But the real shocker is how the Starks bring out the best sound I have ever heard coming out of my bass. On this bass the Weichs or Evahs never produced a huge sound, no matter how hard I played. Mittels gave this bass a bigger sound, and I guess after finding that out I realized the bass needs more tension. Now the sound is just huge.
Bottom line is with the Starks the sound is just bigger, deeper, clearer than I imagined it could be. It is like this bass was made for Starks, it just took me quite a few years to realize that. It would be interesting to know how many bassists avoid Starks because of fear of damaging their bass, and also how many basses have actually been damaged by Starks.
@William Hoffman - great description above. Having been through the whole cycle of "tension junkie" string swapping on DB and now going through in on BG as well, what you say resonates with my experience. It starts with one string. Then that string sounds so good that you try another....
Ah Chris! You, the original hamburger-handed Starkie! Did you ever have an Stark damage? Sinking top? "Damage" does not include personal injury!
No, never any damage. The Stark experience for me was great, especially with my old thick-topped Czech carved bass (nicknamed "Orange Julius" by one bandmate). It was thicker than it needed to be, and the Starks were the only string that really got the top moving properly. When I got my current bass, it didn't need the same force to get the top moving, so I had more options. I loved the Starks! The only thing I didn't like was a bit of spirocore zing on the G and D right where the neck met the body. I later learned from Nick Lloyd that this area of the bass is the most susceptible to that effect. The Dominants were less zingy but still just as visceral in their own way, so I went there and never looked back.... except for that stark E. It's addictive!
My first bass was an overbuilt Hofner ply. I had a full set of Starks on that old thing for YEARS. It sounded huge for what it was, but man, playing slap was a workout.
Don't think so. I read somewhere that you can custom order them but you have to buy 10 at a time and that could get costly.
I contacted T.I. a while back, and my POC said that they would NOT make an extended E/C Stark Spirocore.
Available in:
Flexocor stark
Passione stark
Kaplan stark
Stopped the search there, so maybe other choices too.
BTW, Spiro Stark are 4/4 only, but they still have more tension than Spiro 3/4 Mittel on the same scale length.
Any Snn string from Thomastik is a 4/4 string and any 28nn.n or 38nn.n from Thomastik is a 3/4 string.
Any Snn string from Thomastik is a 4/4 string and any 28nn.n or 38nn.n from Thomastik is a 3/4 string.
