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Double Bass Suggestions about new strings for my double bass

Fabrizio111

Fabrizio111

Apr 25, 2019
8
1
#1
Hi everybody,

This my first time posting here even though I have been following you guys and your super interesting threads for a while. I'm writing this post because I am in the usual existential dilemma where each of us have been at some point: choosing new strings for my bass.

I'm not feeling very satisfied with my sound and before thinking it's the bass, which is a nice Juzek from late 40's, I would like to try to change strings.

As right now I'm using an unusual combination, which is the result of experimentations with the strings I have that are kind of newer (6 months old or so): E helicore hybrid light, A and D zyex light, G oliv.

I like the golden spiral, velvet garbo kinda vibe since it kinda blends the more sustainy sound of steel and the thumpyness of guts, plus the nice low tension that these strings have.
I'm very confused because researching on the web I don't think i have found the strings that could accomodate this need since it seems that as soon as someone makes good strings of that type then after a while they go out of market.

At the same time though, I wouldn't want to get rid of the G oliv since it is such a nice string. For a while a thought to go for E-A Pirazzi weich and G-D oliv, but I feel the lifespan of this set is short (E and A become dull and G-D tend to unwind) and it's not worth the price.

I thought to check out those aquila strings but they don't convince me. Same thing goes for the Ares Tavolazzi signature strings by Markbass.

Gut-a-like swingmaster seems to have just the thump, so I don't feel very attracted by them.

Genssler are like 500 bucks, maybe I would go for something cheaper.

I don't know guys, I'm looking for suggestions so I can eventually try something new before getting sucked in the Spirocore weich vortex again... Hope you can help me out. Thanks!
 
#3
Fidgetstone thank for your answer.

Sure, I mostly play pizz. And I mainly play straight ahead. Let's say that my sound of reference is Ron Carter's in the 60's. Round, deep but still focused and present. Of course I don't have the fingers of Ron Carter but you get the idea lol
 
#5
Fabrizio111 said:
At the same time though, I wouldn't want to get rid of the G oliv since it is such a nice string. For a while a thought to go for E-A Pirazzi weich and G-D oliv, but I feel the lifespan of this set is short (E and A become dull and G-D tend to unwind) and it's not worth the price.
Click to expand...

I believe Evah Pirazzis last as long as any string that's not Spirocore or plain gut. I would leave your Oliv G on and use EP weich for E/A/D.
 
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#6
I still recommend Innovation Braided over Evah Weich (the E string is weak and they have a dynamic limitation) and should work with the Oliv G. But a complete set of Innovation Polychromes might be an option too.

I only have prototypes, play not much, but the Polychrome prototypes are on my bass for at least five years and I still like them (they have changed a lot during development, but the core is still the same I think). The Braided have been getting a bit darker over that time but are still playable.

(Regular Evahs are very high tension. Stay away from them unless you know that you want this.)

Of course, neither of these possibilities above are very close to Golden Spirals, but you can get very good Golden Spiral replicas for G and D from Aquila now.
 
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#7
I have some concerns with aquila strings:

  1. They seem quite bright
  2. D doesn't sound as focused as the G
  3. They are strings with a certain kind of sound so i feel you are forced to change the whole set in order to blend them with the E and A. I don't with they would work well with Spirocore for example.
Rather than the Golden spring, i was interested eventually in trying the Red spring.
 
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#10
Fabrizio111 said:
I have some concerns with aquila strings:

  1. They seem quite bright
  2. D doesn't sound as focused as the G
  3. They are strings with a certain kind of sound so i feel you are forced to change the whole set in order to blend them with the E and A. I don't with they would work well with Spirocore for example.
Rather than the Golden spring, i was interested eventually in trying the Red spring.
Click to expand...
Strings change after break-in. Mimmo‘s strings were probably not broken in on his videos, so they are a bit bright like any new string.
I don‘t understand that on the one hand you like Golden Spirals and on the other hand don‘t want the best replicas of them that could be found on earth.
So how can we give you advise when your own wishes get denied by yourself?
 
#12
DoubleMIDI said:
Strings change after break-in. Mimmo‘s strings were probably not broken in on his videos, so they are a bit bright like any new string.
I don‘t understand that on the one hand you like Golden Spirals and on the other hand don‘t want the best replicas of them that could be found on earth.
So how can we give you advise when your own wishes get denied by yourself?
Click to expand...
I see your point. However, the question is... Do they really meet the expectations of players who want to get a string very similar to golden spiral? That i don't know and I appreciate so much Mimmo's effort in wanting to bring back to life these legendary strings. I would be curious to hear from someone who has been playing them for a couple of months, to see if they really settle in properly etc.
 
#14
A handful of comments for the OP.

The lifespan of the strings versus the cost is just part of doing business playing the DB. Can you imagine a guitar player never changing their strings? It's expensive to play DB, and everything ends up being $100 bill or more. Gut is the only thing I've played to date that lasts forever. When I was extremely busy before the scourge of ought '19, I would blow through an E/A every year using synthetics paired with gut D/G. Strings wear out, period.

Evah Weichs pair nicely with gut, and even better as they mellow (or die) if you're after that. If you like gut on D/G, it's worth a try. You can usually find them used here if you are patient enough, which would reduce the cost of trying them for you. They are a quality string regardless of anyone's impression on longevity (which is also a matter of preference in tone for many).

Also, a handful of youtube videos may not be the best indicator of how a string is going to sound or behave on your bass. This is especially true of gut and synthetics as they take some time to "settle in" when compared to hybrids or steels.
 
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#15
Jay Corwin said:
A handful of comments for the OP.

The lifespan of the strings versus the cost is just part of doing business playing the DB. Can you imagine a guitar player never changing their strings? It's expensive to play DB, and everything ends up being $100 bill or more. Gut is the only thing I've played to date that lasts forever. When I was extremely busy before the scourge of ought '19, I would blow through an E/A every year using synthetics paired with gut D/G. Strings wear out, period.

Evah Weichs pair nicely with gut, and even better as they mellow (or die) if you're after that. If you like gut on D/G, it's worth a try. You can usually find them used here if you are patient enough, which would reduce the cost of trying them for you. They are a quality string regardless of anyone's impression on longevity (which is also a matter of preference in tone for many).

Also, a handful of youtube videos may not be the best indicator of how a string is going to sound or behave on your bass. This is especially true of gut and synthetics as they take some time to "settle in" when compared to hybrids or steels.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with what you are saying.

Maybe pairing EP E and A with synthetic or gut core D and G could be a good solution, as suggested by others here.
 
#17
@Fabrizio111, ike most of us living in or near the string rabbit hole, you've worked yourself into a conundrum...

You can't know what you don't know.

To know how strings sound, a person has to install them and try them out on their own DB for a while. And often strings are expensive enough that it's hard to try a variety of them out for a while.

One useful option here in TB/DB is to visit the "Double Bass Amps, Strings & Accessories" classified area.

Mimmo in his Golden Spirals thread mentioned above actually discusses a number of strings sets and partial sets. There are a lot of set and mixing choices just there. I'm finding myself gravitating toward the "Sugar Slaps" set discussed lately in that thread, but I'm waiting to see how the E string settles out. Personally I'd prefer no metal windings, and I think Mimmo is working on something about that with the Sugar Slaps E string now. Whatever Mimmo does, he has already pumped a lot of genuine expert interest into bringing the Golden Spirals and a number of other classic strings back to life.

Maybe I'm too easy to please, but the first mixed set of strings I've tried on my DB has been meeting my needs for going on 4 years now and it's hard for me to pull the trigger on changing them out. I'm using (pre-GHS) Innovation SilverSlaps E and A under Superior BassWorks Deluxe Dirty Guts D (.105") and G (.095"). It's a very well balanced mixed set for tone, volume, tension, gauge and touch, and they've been lasting extremely nicely.

But I'm not saying this is necessarily the best for my DB, or for that matter, for anyone else's DB. Sometimes a person just has to settle for a while to see what works well.

Good luck with your search!
 
#19
Why not just go full gut? I love the Gamut Academie set. I may be in the minority but I love how they sound both Arco and pizz and are easy to play.
They are definitely pricey but I get many many years out of these strings. (Gollihur music has them much cheaper than Gamut directly for some reason.)
 
#20
The problem with full get is that the wound strings never want to stay in tune. I wasn’t there, but my understanding is that’s why Lycons and Spiros were a revelation at the time.

OP, if you bow I would steer away from the Aquilas. They seem cool and I haven’t played them, but I’ve heard video of them being bowed and they’re not the string for that.

Guts over dead Spiro Weichs is a classic set for a reason.
 
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