In the end, the whole "mostly pizz, but some arco", depending on what that means, I think we're scaring a lot of people away. I'm a jazz player, when I took lessons regularly my teacher and I talked a lot about the benefits of working on arco skills; scales, etudes, maybe a head here and there. PRACTICE, AT HOME. On the gig, the odd whole note somewhere maybe the coda on Manha de Carnival, maybe even an intro to something, but that's it.
That's really not any appreciable percentage of arco. Spirocore weichs are not a bowing liability in my experience. Mittels are a bit more work. If I was a classical bassist, I suspect that there would be a string I preferred. Pirastro Jazzers are in between Spirocore gauges in most ways, including arco-ability. There are strings that you can't bow because they're nylon or something, but let's leave them out of this for now. Plain gut, totally bowable in the context described above. I took about 6 months of classical lessons with Spircore Weichs on my bass and that teacher and I saw no reason to consider a change.
So, if 75/25 means to you that 25% of the time, you're auditioning for orchestras behind a screen and the other 75% is playing jazz gigs, you've got a string delima, perhaps. If it's more like I described above; practicing, splashing a bowed note or passage into a ballad for effect, stuff like that, choose a pizz string and don't worry beyond that. You just end up sacrificing the pizz tone that you want for arco tone that you don't need.
Think about luxury car/sports car. You can build either. Lux cars are plush and comfortable. Sports cars are fast and nimble. You can start adding power and stiffer suspension to lux cars and it works to a point, but you are sacrifacing comfort. You can start plushing up sports cars, but in the process, they get heavier and softer and less effective doing autocross or something.
Unicorns and Lycons* aside, there is always a trade off.
* I ask no questions that I realize answers can not be given for, but if anyone is involved in a Lycon resurrection project and is looking for product testers. I volunteer.
That's really not any appreciable percentage of arco. Spirocore weichs are not a bowing liability in my experience. Mittels are a bit more work. If I was a classical bassist, I suspect that there would be a string I preferred. Pirastro Jazzers are in between Spirocore gauges in most ways, including arco-ability. There are strings that you can't bow because they're nylon or something, but let's leave them out of this for now. Plain gut, totally bowable in the context described above. I took about 6 months of classical lessons with Spircore Weichs on my bass and that teacher and I saw no reason to consider a change.
So, if 75/25 means to you that 25% of the time, you're auditioning for orchestras behind a screen and the other 75% is playing jazz gigs, you've got a string delima, perhaps. If it's more like I described above; practicing, splashing a bowed note or passage into a ballad for effect, stuff like that, choose a pizz string and don't worry beyond that. You just end up sacrificing the pizz tone that you want for arco tone that you don't need.
Think about luxury car/sports car. You can build either. Lux cars are plush and comfortable. Sports cars are fast and nimble. You can start adding power and stiffer suspension to lux cars and it works to a point, but you are sacrifacing comfort. You can start plushing up sports cars, but in the process, they get heavier and softer and less effective doing autocross or something.
Unicorns and Lycons* aside, there is always a trade off.
* I ask no questions that I realize answers can not be given for, but if anyone is involved in a Lycon resurrection project and is looking for product testers. I volunteer.
