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Double Bass Strings for an NS Upright

E

ecs

Mar 10, 2006
2
0
Plymouth, UK
#1
Hi, this is my first post, I've been hovering around this forum for a while. I've learnt a fair old whack of stuff from you lot!

I'm after some advice on strings for my NS Upright. I'm very new to playing upright so please excuse my ignorance.

What are my options for strings? From your experience what sounds good on an NS CR4M upright? I play 95% pizz but I have a cheap bow that I like to experiment with too. I'm after a nice warm thud-like attack in my sound but I think I need quite versatile strings because I've only been playing for a couple of months. Any recommendations?

Thanks
Ed
 
#2
Hey Ed, check this out...
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239862

No need to apologize for being a newbie. We all started somewhere.

But...any real DB string will sound and play better than those awful things that are "specially designed" for the NS. When you get into the bow, there are strings which will handle pizz and arco just fine. The journey to find "your" string is a long and winding road...:)

Have fun,
gomez
 
#3
ecs said:
What are my options for strings? From your experience what sounds good on an NS CR4M upright? I play 95% pizz but I have a cheap bow that I like to experiment with too. I'm after a nice warm thud-like attack in my sound...

Thanks
Ed
Click to expand...

Any good double-bass string for pizzicato will sound much better than the stock NS strings, for example Thomastik Superflexibles or Spirocores (which is what I'm using now), or Pirastro Flat Chromesteels. However, I don't believe any string will really have a "thud-like" attack on the NS. It has too much of that electronic sustain to have much of a thud.

Perhaps others have achieved thuddiness with the NS; if so, I'd be interested in hearing what type of strings they used.
I have thought about trying Helicore Orchestra strings on my NS CRM4, because they had absolutely no natural sustain whatsoever on my acoustic double bass. But I haven't done so yet. Perhaps someone out there has tried them on the NS?
 
#5
Hi - I was going to post the same question about strings for the NS EUB. I just bought a set of the Thomastik Spirocores for my NS EUB and they are way too long. I must of bought the wrong ones. I bought the "Mediums" because I wanted to try a heavier string than what came on the NS.

Any advice as to what I did wrong and what I should have bought in the Thomastik Spirocore line?

Thanks!
 
#6
understated said:
Hi - I was going to post the same question about strings for the NS EUB. I just bought a set of the Thomastik Spirocores for my NS EUB and they are way too long. I must of bought the wrong ones. I bought the "Mediums" because I wanted to try a heavier string than what came on the NS.

Any advice as to what I did wrong and what I should have bought in the Thomastik Spirocore line?

Thanks!
Click to expand...


You do know that for Real DB strings on the NS basses, you have to take them round the bottom and use the anchors halfway up the back of the bass, yes? :eyebrow:
 
#8
I just got a crt4 NS a few weeks ago and I love it. It does sound like a real double bass, (the T stands for traditional. It has a higher set up and does not offer the magnetic pickups). On my standard upright I use Obligatos. I have a set I bought for the NS but I just can't bring myself to take the NS strings off as they are not that bad. Anybody use Obligatos on one of these?
:crying: $140 here, $140 there, pretty soon you are talking real money.
 
#10
Boo. I tried to put the Obligatos on. I was talking to NS on the phone about a buzz I was getting as they didn't fit the nut, (this after I cut them so there would not be excess winding, even though I wrapped them around the back). To make a long story short, SPROING! G string broke. Anybody wanna buy three short obligatos? $140.00 up in smoke. Put the NSs back on. NS was very nice on the phone. They said it shouldn't have happened. D*mned right it shouldn't have.
 
#11
bear said:
Boo. I tried to put the Obligatos on. I was talking to NS on the phone about a buzz I was getting as they didn't fit the nut, (this after I cut them so there would not be excess winding, even though I wrapped them around the back). To make a long story short, SPROING! G string broke. Anybody wanna buy three short obligatos? $140.00 up in smoke. Put the NSs back on. NS was very nice on the phone. They said it shouldn't have happened. D*mned right it shouldn't have.
Click to expand...
Damn...I'm really surprised at that. Obli strings are not that thick, especially the G. I can't imagine why it didn't fit. Use a little pencil graphite on the bridge & nut slots. I use it on my UB as well. It really reduces the friction.

gomez
 
#13
bear said:
That was the problem. . . they were smaller, so they sat too low and buzzed near the nut even after I played with the truss rod at NSs direction. :crying:
Click to expand...
The "Custom" Helicore strings that are supplied with the NS basses are even thinner than Obligatos. :hmm:

But, that doesn't explain the breakage, if they were only tuned to pitch. I would contact your dealer or e-mail Pirastro for a possible replacement. I once had a buzz on a Corelli A string that had a defect in the winding. It had nothing to do with the nut, and Corellis are really thin strings.

gomez
 

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