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Double Bass String height for Jazz pizzicato

#41
By pressing the string down you make it longer. So the power needed to stretch the string depends a lot on that. Another thing is the area of the string pressing on your finger. The larger the area (the larger the string diameter) the less it hurts.

Synthetic core strings have both, depending on the synthetic core material and core diameter the stretchability can vary. Too stretchy and the dynamic response of the string may be too limited.
That is if you dig in hard, there might be almost no change in volume to a bit lighter plucking than this.

The Innovation Braided are good as the stretchability is similar to a plain gut G.
The Evah Weich is more stretchy, but acceptable. Only the Evah Weich E is a bit too soft. But as people say “everything goes with a Spiro E”.

I think you will be happier with an Evah Weich G than any steel core G.

I have the same problem but with a high C on a 110 cm scale. Any steel core string I tried cut deep into the finger, so that it is very hard to get the string fixed on the fingerboard.
The only high C string I like are prototype strings from Innovation UK. But they are getting old now and start to break.
The receipts of the prototypes seem to have gotten lost after the transfer to GHS.
I think my high C is 6 mm and the G is 7 mm high, but I have an adjustable bridge. Now using a full set of Braided with a Polychrome Prototype high C.

A large string diameter may damp your plucked notes in thump position too much. That is at least my experience with Obligato, so I didn’t recommend them. They also have a short lifespan.
Evahs can get stiff over time. The core fibers may stick together to get that effect. So better buy a new Evah string.
Stay away from the regular Evahs, their tension is very high.
 
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#42
I just got the Pirastro G and after a quick check it is a bit easier on the thumb. Now it is only a matter of exercise and then if later I feel like I need it I can switch the D also. Let`s see.
Huge thanks to all that contributed specially @DoubleMIDI
 
#44
Many people use gut D and G over other strings for the E and A (frequently SpiroCore). There are also some sets that come that way (ie: Pirastro sells a number of sets that way). Most of the time people select that kind of mix for tone, but it also makes the D and G easier to play especially if you prefer the feel of thicker strings.

You can also get full gut sets, either plain guts, or wound guts, from various manufacturers. There is a lot of variety available, and gut strings can cost a lot of money. Gut strings do have some special maintenance requirements in different climate situations. Maintained well, some gut strings can last as long as any other strings on a double bass.

There are also synthetic gut-like strings available that are more maintenance free, but while some may be very close, no synthetic string sounds exactly like gut.

Both gut and synthetic strings tend to be thicker and have significantly lower tension than metal strings like SpiroCore. Your nut and bridge slots may require widening for gut or synthetic strings, and also your fingerboard may require dressing in order to provide proper relief (scoop) for these strings, otherwise you may get buzzing.

As has been discussed here, lot of us prefer lower tension strings because they are easier on our hands. Some of us also prefer thicker strings for the same reason. Even SpiroCore are available in a relatively low tension version (Solo), which are thin metal strings that are really intended to be tuned a whole tone higher, but many people tune them to normal concert pitch for the lower tension.
 
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#46
redtomfunk said:
I meant Pirastro Oliv...
Click to expand...

They aren’t super low tension, you could get away with lowish heights but they will be more powerful higher off the board. Some of this is also setup dependent.
A low height for these on my bass might be around 6mm at the end of the board.

Be warned, these strings are quite expensive, they have to be tuned frequently but worse…the windings are fragile and start to separate on the g strings. The d strings are usually fine.
Try the Pirastro Perpetual Stark version instead. Very close to the Oliv sound.
 
#47
Job done. Good enough for now. Can surely be improved but that is it for now 😊

IMG_2273.jpeg
 
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#48
redtomfunk said:
Job done. Good enough for now. Can surely be improved but that is it for now 😊

View attachment 7255089
Click to expand...
What strings did you end up going with? Evah light D-G works really well with Spirocore Weich E-A.

One thing about your string grooves, you should take great care to make sure that they curve a little to keep the string from having a sharp bend at the bridge; this is especially important with synthetic core strings or gut core. And you need to be sure that the string contacts the groove across the entire thickness of the edge of the bridge. You don’t want any ‘play’ or gap between the string and the bridge on either edge of the bridge, especially on the edge closer to the fingerboard (as opposed to the edge on the tailpiece side). There is some art to cutting these string grooves perfectly, and while maybe you can’t expect to get it as perfect as a really good luthier would, you can do pretty well. I’d use a magnifying glass to really inspect how each string is lying in the groove.

You mentioned an issue with thumb position. Of course thumb position is tough no matter what you do, but having the right amount of fingerboard relief or ‘scoop’ has a big impact on playability in the upper positions. You’ll have to look up other threads that discuss that. My bass was MUCH easier to play up the neck after I had a good luthier take out some excessive scoop in the fingerboard.
 
#50
jmpiwonka said:
They aren’t super low tension, you could get away with lowish heights but they will be more powerful higher off the board. Some of this is also setup dependent.
A low height for these on my bass might be around 6mm at the end of the board.

Be warned, these strings are quite expensive, they have to be tuned frequently but worse…the windings are fragile and start to separate on the g strings. The d strings are usually fine.
Try the Pirastro Perpetual Stark version instead. Very close to the Oliv sound.
Click to expand...
I gotta disagree. Of course strings are very instrument and player dependant, but for me on my bass the Perp Starks were nothing like Olivs. To me they were worse than the "regular" perps. Less of what I liked about perps and more of what I disliked about Spiros. I loved my Oliv G's, but they are indeed fragile and after 2 came unwound after a few months that's it for me.
 
#51
lurk said:
I gotta disagree. Of course strings are very instrument and player dependant, but for me on my bass the Perp Starks were nothing like Olivs. To me they were worse than the "regular" perps. Less of what I liked about perps and more of what I disliked about Spiros. I loved my Oliv G's, but they are indeed fragile and after 2 came unwound after a few months that's it for me.
Click to expand...

Ahh interesting.
I did get another set of stark g and d that i put on my bass when my child cut my helix g string.
They only were on for a week roughly, and I recall those being pretty bright and zingy.

When I did the Oliv swap the starks had been on my bass for 3-4 months. Wonder if they need to get settled in to calm down.
 
#52
Perpetuals are definitely very different from Oliv. Olivs are wound gut core strings, and perpetuals are steel core, from my understanding they're sort of Pirastro's version of Spirocores.

I've only tried an Oliv G, and that was for a couple of weeks, I found it to be somewhat similar to an Evah Weich G. Not at all the same, but much closer in feel and sound than to a steel core string.
 
#55
Your string grooves in the bridge are much too deep. File the crown down until a bit less than half the string diameter (at least a third of it) goes into the groove.

Then round the groove a bit towards fingerboard and tailpiece.
Also round the pegbox side of the nut in the same way to avoid unneeded stress to the string (also better for tuning).
 
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