Double Bass Strings for tango.

[William Hoffman]

Betcha nickel he's right.

 

[NickyBass]

Yeah, but it's still an interesting discussion.

 

[TroyK]

...It's funny because if you research hard enough, you will find something 'wrong' with every string set...

True dat. Get close enough, stop thinking about it and learn to work with what you've got.

Also, find a good luthier to work with you on your setup, it can make a bigger difference than a string change.

 

[Tommy el Gato]

What kind of rosin and bow hair are you guys using for Spiros? I have a Marco Raposo bow with black hair and am currently using Pops. I can get a decent arco tone, but it isn't as mellow as I'd like. I can get the bass to speak, but staccato takes a bit of work with my current setup. My bass is a carved Juzek.

I'm using white hair with Kolstein soft. I like it, but it's not for everyone. I think the thing with spiros is technique. I'm sure you're already aware that muscular pressure with the right arm really chokes up spiros and relaxed arm weight will make those suckers roar. So, with that in mind, I'm sure you'll find a lot of mellower sounds just by bending your elbow a smidge and thus backing away from the bridge. But the really nice thing with spiros (imo) is that the more aggressive sounds - which I think you'd want for tango - are more readily available than with passiones or bel cantos.

 

[NickyBass]

I found this video:

Tango Bassist Pablo Aslan Demonstrates "La Cumparsita" - YouTube

 

[TroyK]

I found this video:

Tango Bassist Pablo Aslan Demonstrates "La Cumparsita" - YouTube

Nice! No way to id the strings from that video, but wow, what a great lesson!

It's obvious on the CD back of AvantTango that he was using Jazzers back then. Email him and ask him, if you're interested. I was passing through NY a few years ago and emailed to ask him if he had a gig that I could attend. He emailed me back right away and was super friendly. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the question.

 

[zeytoun]

Zombie thread resurrection.

Yes, he uses the jazzers, per 28:48 of this video

 

[Bisounourse]

I would recommend Innovation 140B (Braided). Less tension than Evah Weich, similar construchtion, a bit brighter than Evahs. They bow very well and they are cheap. E and A need some time to open up with sustain when pizzed, but you can use Spiro Weich as a replacement if you don't want to wait. They also don't stretch as much as Evahs initially.

The Compas 180 are very "front up" bowed a bit towards aggressive if not bowed very well, not good for tango, I think.
The 140B is softer in sound. I would play them in a tango group if I had one.

Have to agree with DoubleMIDI; I play Compass 180 and I like them very much; very nice pizz and easy to bow, but their bowing sound is very distinct and upfront.