Double Bass SPIROCORES ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!

[PaperbackRyder]

I'm back. Full set of Polychromes replaced with 9 year old Mittels on the E and A.
Tried gut G&D but went back to Polychromes. Nice tonal blend and balanced volume. Arco is good (for me). Toneful and punchy...this mix will get me through the winter without any drama.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I'm back. Full set of Polychromes replaced with 9 year old Mittels on the E and A.
Tried gut G&D but went back to Polychromes. Nice tonal blend and balanced volume. Arco is good (for me). Toneful and punchy...this mix will get me through the winter without any drama.

This is pizz only?
I tried my Innovation prototypes (Polychromes were developed after them) with Spiros, but bowing was very different. Pizz was no problem.

 

[Selim]

I'm back. Full set of Polychromes replaced with 9 year old Mittels on the E and A.
Tried gut G&D but went back to Polychromes. Nice tonal blend and balanced volume. Arco is good (for me). Toneful and punchy...this mix will get me through the winter without any drama.

Enjoying the same mix - or sometimes putting the poly A on for more arco intensive stuff - even so, the Spiro A works fine with the bow in this combination.

But like paperbackrider above, I’m using old Spiros.

Although I don’t know why, I swear the spiros on the bottom change the character of the polychromes on top for the better.

 

[PaperbackRyder]

This is pizz only?
I tried my Innovation prototypes (Polychromes were developed after them) with Spiros, but bowing was very different. Pizz was no problem.

I meant both pizz and Arco, but for me acro is just excersizes. I'm not an orchestra guy and any nuanced description would be worthless to a pro player. They start easy enough and they sound good to me.

 

[Thomas88]

Just put on a new spiro mit g and some of the string feels rough compared to smooth finish of the rest of the string. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Remyd]

I have a new set of weichs and they’re very smooth.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Sounds like it might be a wonky string. Spiros are some of the smoothest strings I know of, second only to dominants.

 

[Gregmak]

After playing guts for all my life, I tried Spiro Medium's for about a year now. At first it was hard to get used to them but eventually ended up loving them! I still can't fully get used to the Spiro G but I can deal with it. I'm back to guts now on D&G and going to play this for a while and see how I feel. I prefer the guts on top acoustically, but when it comes to amplification, the full spiro set just sounds better, more clear and more balanced. The guts just sound too muddy through an amp it seems.

 

[Thomas88]

Also, just put a full set of mitts on. Great to play my usual gig without an amp, but damn I need to get back in the shed, those strings played me! I have grown soft after a year of ze weichs!

 

[Phil Rowan]

Also, just put a full set of mitts on. Great to play my usual gig without an amp, but damn I need to get back in the shed, those strings played me! I have grown soft after a year of ze weichs!

When’s the last time you had a sound post adjustment? Only asking because when I first threw on an old used set of Spiro Mittels on my hybrid bass, they sounded great but were crazy tight, so I took my bass in for a sound post adjustment (it’d been quite a while), and the Spiros feel nice and loose now.

 

[ericsmith]

After playing guts for all my life, I tried Spiro Medium's for about a year now. At first it was hard to get used to them but eventually ended up loving them! I still can't fully get used to the Spiro G but I can deal with it. I'm back to guts now on D&G and going to play this for a while and see how I feel. I prefer the guts on top acoustically, but when it comes to amplification, the full spiro set just sounds better, more clear and more balanced. The guts just sound too muddy through an amp it seems.

Done exactly the same. Still thinking about guts every now and then, though... Full set or guts on top of spiros. But the idea of sticking with one set and getting everything out of them keeps me hanging on the spiros.

Also, just put a full set of mitts on. Great to play my usual gig without an amp, but damn I need to get back in the shed, those strings played me! I have grown soft after a year of ze weichs!

And this aswell, those spiros really remind you when your fingertips have gone soft!!

 

[Gregmak]

I will most probably go back to the spiro's too for the same reason. But I want to give the guts one more try! Life of a bass player lol

Done exactly the same. Still thinking about guts every now and then, though... Full set or guts on top of spiros. But the idea of sticking with one set and getting everything out of them keeps me hanging on the spiros.



And this aswell, those spiros really remind you when your fingertips have gone soft!!

 

[Sam Dingle]

I will most probably go back to the spiro's too for the same reason. But I want to give the guts one more try! Life of a bass player lol

Maybe try an oliv G to get over the g string transition. Friend of mine did that going from a Spiro E, oliv A and plain gut dg setup. Used spiros with an oliv G for a year then full spiros said it helped.

 

[ericsmith]

Maybe try an oliv G to get over the g string transition. Friend of mine did that going from a Spiro E, oliv A and plain gut dg setup. Used spiros with an oliv G for a year then full spiros said it helped.

Sounds like a gut rehab program!

Been thinking about the Oliv aswell but I kind of like the honesty, should I say, of the mittel G.

 

[Acoop]

Spiro Welsh work for me. ... Every time I try something new I always go back.

 

[Thomas88]

When’s the last time you had a sound post adjustment? Only asking because when I first threw on an old used set of Spiro Mittels on my hybrid bass, they sounded great but were crazy tight, so I took my bass in for a sound post adjustment (it’d been quite a while), and the Spiros feel nice and loose now.

That is a good idea. Last time I saw him he moved the sound post to bring out the bass frequencies. Perhaps this tightened it up.

Probably just need to practise more though...

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Also, just put a full set of mitts on. Great to play my usual gig without an amp, but damn I need to get back in the shed, those strings played me! I have grown soft after a year of ze weichs!

Playing high tension strings is an art form. On Spiro mitts or starks or Dominants, you really have to stay calibrated and in shape to make them work. They reward you in their own way, but you have to be ready for what they have to offer!

I am calibrated for Dominants and not long ago played a duo gig with my travel bass, which is strung with Spirocore 3885 strings. I started to get pain in my right hand because I was not used to them and because I am used to hearing a certain level of acoustic sound and vibration from the bass that combines with the amp signal. When it wasn't there (because the travel bass body doesn't put out as much acoustic sound as a regular sized bass), I think I instinctively pulled harder than I would normally have, and my hand wasn't used to that level of strain and exertion. Before I travel or play with that bass next, I plan on practicing on it for a few weeks to get the feel for it.

 

[Gregmak]

I did that too. The Oliv G is a beautiful string but again the problem arises when going into an amplifier. the Oliv G sounds weak through an amp compared to the spiros. Maybe it's because it feels a bit more loose on my bass.

Maybe try an oliv G to get over the g string transition. Friend of mine did that going from a Spiro E, oliv A and plain gut dg setup. Used spiros with an oliv G for a year then full spiros said it helped.

 

[Thomas88]

@Phil Rowan how high is your action with your mitts?

 

[Phil Rowan]

@Phil Rowan how high is your action with your mitts?

@Thomas88 E string height comes in at 10mm while the G is at 7mm.

Do you remember how long ago it was since you had your sound post adjusted? It may not have been the way the sound post was adjusted that made your bass feel tight, rather the way the bass has changed over time based on changes in climate. Of course, this is just my guess/.2 cents.