Double Bass Spirocore + ??

[fdeck]

My bass came with Obligato's, but after a couple years I decided to try Spiro Mitts. They certainly produce the generic Spiro Mitt Jazz Sound, but they were hurting my right hand when playing pizz, so I reverted to a cost effective compromise and put new Obligato's on G and D, leaving the Spiro's on A and E. That was a satisfactory combination, and much as I'd love to tough it out and make the Spiro's sound good under the bow, life is short, and there are plenty of other areas where I could improve my playing.

"Full set of the same strings" is how I'd describe my experience too.

Then a few weeks ago I put a great big dent in the A, in a place where it's really annoying. Fortunately I didn't damage my fingerboard. But on a whim, I decided to try a new set of Zyex. They've been on the bass for less than 24 hours, so I'm withholding judgment until they settle. If I'm not completely happy with the Zyex for both pizz and arco, I'll get some new Obli's and go back to the 2+2 mixed set. From what I can tell, my bass can tolerate practically anything on A and E, and the option of buying 2 strings instead of 4 has its attractions.

 

[Selim]

I have yet to find anything that beats Spirocoes + practice! If you are really used to them and know how to get the most out of them other strings just sound dead.

There's certainly a lot of truth to this statement. But I also think it's somewhat bass-dependent. Up until 2 weeks ago, I had been playing the same bass for 35 years, and even though for probably 25 of those years, it had Spiros or Super Flexibles (reds or blues), they never sounded good (no matter how much practice). I can state that I actually hated Spiros - but I now know it wasn't the strings, it was the combination of those strings + that bass.

But your statement holds 100% true for my new instrument - it came with a full set of mittels and they sound glorious: warm, clear, and loud. Since I'm still getting to know this bass, I'm experimenting with strings, but who knows: I may just end up back with a full set of Spiros.

 

[the_Ryan]

Earlier this year I used a Flex Deluxe G string over Spiro Weichs and I really liked the way they blended tonally, but the Flex Deluxe was noticeably stiffer.

For solo tuning I love the sound of Spiros on the bottom and Dominants on top. The Dominants have a really interesting arco sound (reedy, if that makes sense) that I like in the upper register.