Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass Spiros for Kays??
- Thread starter Naplesllew
- Start date
A 1940's Kay was an inexpensive ply bass designed for students. Back then gut strings were the norm. Today those basses are almost 80 years old.
I would think twice before using Spiro Mittels on any Kay made in the 40's and 50's even though they can sound good. Those strings have a lot of tension.
Seems to me a wiser choice in the long run would be a lower tension set such as Pirazzi slaps or Spiro Weichs, Corelli 370's, Velvets and of course.... guts. A dead Mittel E with other lighter gauge strings is definately worth trying.
If you want to keep a 40's Kay for a long time and hand it down to the next generation you need to be gentle with it. Some experimentation will be needed. Blanket dismissal of any one string brand or gauge is unwise. Everyone plays differently and set-up matters.
My 1948 C-1 sounded good with Spiro Weichs...and better with a Spiro Weich/gut mix. Pirazzi slaps were not around 12 years ago....if they had been, I would have tried them for sure.
I would think twice before using Spiro Mittels on any Kay made in the 40's and 50's even though they can sound good. Those strings have a lot of tension.
Seems to me a wiser choice in the long run would be a lower tension set such as Pirazzi slaps or Spiro Weichs, Corelli 370's, Velvets and of course.... guts. A dead Mittel E with other lighter gauge strings is definately worth trying.
If you want to keep a 40's Kay for a long time and hand it down to the next generation you need to be gentle with it. Some experimentation will be needed. Blanket dismissal of any one string brand or gauge is unwise. Everyone plays differently and set-up matters.
My 1948 C-1 sounded good with Spiro Weichs...and better with a Spiro Weich/gut mix. Pirazzi slaps were not around 12 years ago....if they had been, I would have tried them for sure.
I have a 1945 Kay C-1 which sounds good with Spiro Weichs, but they exacerbate some deformation of the G-side f-hole. I now have Weich E and A with Lenzner D and G. I like the sound, but would prefer to have a full set of Weichs. Even with the two gut strings, there is still a bit of sagging of the upper eye of f-hole.
