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Double Bass Spiros to....?

M

Meddle771

Aug 9, 2010
141
2
Minneapolis/St Paul MN
#1
I started out on Corelli tungstens for about a year, then switched to spiro mittels, then to the starks and I absolutely love them for arco and of course pizz. My practice is about 80% arco and I am looking to get into a top-notch classical program in the next 2-3 years.

I love my starks and really don't want to change, but I have never played any traditional "classical" string before due to the price, pizz sound of them, and how GREAT I think the spiro starks sound under the bow. BUT, I feel like I practice way too much arco for me to have never have tried them.

My question: What more traditional classical string has the most similar string gauge, and aggressive arco and pizz characteristics as my starks would? My biggest problem with "classical" strings that I have heard is their inability to project and cut through; lacking a certain amount of "bite". More than 80% of my gigs are all pizz, so it'll be tough to ever give the starks up, but I'll be buying a carved instrument in the next year or two (I play on plywood currently).

I'm a huge fan of Karr's close to the bridge sound, but have recently been getting into a lot of Edgar Meyer's music, and have kind of been wanting to have that really smooth clean sound when I want it. I use black hair on my bow too, if that helps at all.

Thanks.
 
#2
To answer your question, "What more traditional classical string has the most similar string gauge, and aggressive arco and pizz characteristics as my starks would?"
The answer is NONE!

Well, none "per se"- no "other string"- by this I mean that the Spiro line was initially designed, developed, marketed and sold as an orchestral string! :)

I understand the desire to check out what some of the other strings on the market have to offer...but it kinda sounds like you're "done" with the search for strings on your ply bass.



When you get a carved bass, do you intend to also keep the ply, and have them set up the same? Same strings, same string height, same everything so you can go back an forth between basses, and use either for any of the gigs you might have- OR (for example) might you make your carved bass the "classical arco" and use the ply for everything else?

The latter is what I have done. I tried to keep them both as "all service" basses, but gig requirements and general desire lead me in opposite directions. Now I have guts on my ply and Bel's on my arco bass- might be switching back to Flexocor 92's though- getting a C extension put on and will evaluate when I get the bass back...

No one can tell you what strings you might like, especially on a bass that you don't even have yet. You are likely to go through the "string fever" and end up with about six or seven sets of strings in your "string drawer" or box, or where ever you keep them! ;)

Of course, things change if you have to sell the ply in order to get the carved bass...

Sorry, I wish I could be more helpful...but I think Starks are great, and that you may not need to do any looking at all!

Good luck!

Joe
 
#3
You might want to buy a set of Pirastro Flexocore Stark(some call them the 92's, or regular flexocore). If you find the Spirocore Stark to bow well then I think you would be extremely pleased with Flexocore as the difference will be quite substantial.
 
#4
I love the Flexocor 92's- but only as a classical orchestra string. On my bass they were really "thuddy" and slow to respond pizz- they were fine for orchestral pizz, but very hard (for me) to use as a jazz/crossover string. Playing a walking line with 92's made me feel like I was wearing snowshoes! :D

YMMV of course.

Joe
 
#5
My experience of classical strings is that they are intentionally dampened to make bowing easier and less scratchy. If you can pull off a good sound on Spiros, with all that brightness to deal with, then I would keep them. Spiros demand good technique and don't tolerate sloppy bowing but what you get in return is a full frequency string that can do many things very well. It's really got it all. Plus you can pizz, even slap your way to the bank with them as well. They are the standard. There are other great strings, but Sprios consistently amaze me in how versatile and powerful they are.
 
#6
Jason Sypher said:
My experience of classical strings is that they are intentionally dampened to make bowing easier and less scratchy. If you can pull off a good sound on Spiros, with all that brightness to deal with, then I would keep them. Spiros demand good technique and don't tolerate sloppy bowing but what you get in return is a full frequency string that can do many things very well. It's really got it all. Plus you can pizz, even slap your way to the bank with them as well. They are the standard. There are other great strings, but Sprios consistently amaze me in how versatile and powerful they are.
Click to expand...

But- to play "devils advocate"- experimenting with orchestral strings needn't be too terribly expensive...and you can always sell the strings if you don't like them. Better- experiment with used strings to start. They're cheaper, and already broken in! :)

Some of the popular orch choices are Flexocor (Original or 92), Belcanto, Perms...maybe Evah's...what am I missing guys? Corelli?

You might find things to like in any of these or any other string...but the odds are pretty good that you'll be back to Spiros.

There is no shortage of people on this forum with hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of strings in a drawer or box- and Spiros on their bass! :)

But if that curiosity keeps bugging you- there is only one way to know for sure...and that's to try 'em!

Good luck!

Joe
 
#7
DC Bass said:
When you get a carved bass, do you intend to also keep the ply, and have them set up the same?
Click to expand...

Yeah I'll be keeping the ply. It was my first bass and I have grown too much as a musician with it to ever part with it. And I'll be keeping it for gigs where it isn't plausible to bring a nicer carved instrument to.

I'm not really sure about the set up quite yet. I think once I get the new bass I'll probably try a couple of the traditional classical sets as well as the starks. But I think a big reason why the starks sound so good on my ply, is because it is a ply. Depending on the construction of the new bass, I might try and stick with the starks but A/B it with mittels just to make sure the ridiculous tension of the starks isn't detrimental to the overall tone because of the carved top.
 
#12
I'm not the best person to comment on arco strings (for arco), but I find that I do have a few things to add as it goes on.

I used Perms for 2 or 3 years for jazz and I liked them quite a bit at the time. Tension and feel maybe be similar to the Spiro Starks you're using now. Might be worth a try. What I will warn is that coming from Spirocores, they have a very short life span in my experience. They don't break, but the goodness goes out of them in about 6-8 months. They don't mellow out in a good way like Spirocores do, they just die (to my ears).

Superflexibles would be worth trying, especially on a new bass. They seem to sound like one of two things depending on the bass or something about the setup to me. One of those things is pretty good, the other I really tend to dislike. Starks are the only gauge of Spirocore that I don't have personal experience with, so I can't compare them directly, but their tension is or seems a little higher than Mittel, but gauge is about the same. Worth a try, may or may not be all that much better arco.

With your existing bass, I'll join the voice that says, if you like Spirocore Starks both arco and pizz, as fun as it is to try things, I'm not sure I'd switch. I'll also warn that on that new, carved bass you're planning, they may nor may not be the best strings. That much tension would choke all the life out of my bass, for example. You might keep going and if you buy your new bass at a good shop, negotiate to have them put a few different strings on it before you take it; Flexicores, Helicores, Superflexibles, etc.

Just my $ .02
 

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