thanks Paul, UT, Mark. i'll do that. i'll put the Mittel E back on and if the A works normally with a Mittel E, then i know what it was.
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Double Bass Thomastic Spirocore, from birth to death.
- Thread starter Uncletoad
- Start date
Spiro Mittels have been on for about six weeks now and are sounding better and better. this is the birth phase moving along as it should.
if i had my druthers i wouldn't chosen break in Spiros at the same time as having my bow re-haired. that gave me two friggin issues to deal with and hard to keep them separate. the luthier did not use the powered rosin on the re-hair job, and it has been a real ordeal to get the bow to grab well. that, coupled with the new Spiro sound, and well, you know, the balls touching under the tailpiece and all, it was just one helluva trying time trying to get my student model to sing. it is finally coming 'round now. alls well that ends well...
if i had my druthers i wouldn't chosen break in Spiros at the same time as having my bow re-haired. that gave me two friggin issues to deal with and hard to keep them separate. the luthier did not use the powered rosin on the re-hair job, and it has been a real ordeal to get the bow to grab well. that, coupled with the new Spiro sound, and well, you know, the balls touching under the tailpiece and all, it was just one helluva trying time trying to get my student model to sing. it is finally coming 'round now. alls well that ends well...
hi Mark. i haven't taken the Stark E off. started out all Mittels, now its Mittels GDA, Stark E. man that E really goes deep and has a punch i've never had before. so i'm going to leave it on. UT, Fingers, Dr. Rod, ChrisF (in his pre-Dom period) and other such Starkies are not steering us wrong there. for a while i thought the tension was affecting the sound of the A somehow, but with time that isn't so anymore, or it isn't significant. Cheers, Bill
After one year of use on my Azola EUB a stark Spiro 'E' string broke!
The winding came undone at the bridge. I didn't know this was possible with that thick of a string. I've broken some Dominants back in the day, but a heavy gauge Spiro?
The winding came undone at the bridge. I didn't know this was possible with that thick of a string. I've broken some Dominants back in the day, but a heavy gauge Spiro?
Sudden death of a Stark E. now that is just not with the program. you expect to grow old with a Stark E. breaking is just not "stark" (= strong, as in German). Thomastik ought to give a 5-year warranty...
- May 6, 2003
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- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
In this thread, the chronicle of a set of spirocores until it dies, I already lost a Stark E when Nick tried to reinstall it on the bass after repairs.
I've broken 3 of these over the last 5 or so years. Never broke a mittel anything fwiw.
Part of the cost of doing business.
I've broken 3 of these over the last 5 or so years. Never broke a mittel anything fwiw.
Part of the cost of doing business.
- Jan 25, 2006
- 1,292
- 6
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist; Arnold Schnitzer/ Wil DeSola New Standard RN DB
I had an old mitt E break on me a couple of months back. As I recall I think I was tuning it to pitch after playing on it in a drop D tuning. It had been on and off a bunch of times and prolly boiled once as well, but that had never happened before in 30 yrs. of playing.
Phil, Do you want that Stark E you lent me back?
I'm not using it.
BG
or buy it from Phil, whatever.
- May 6, 2003
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- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
drub reminded me I haven't done this in awhile.
Progris Riport:
Using a full Mittle set for the last 4 weeks or so. I miss that Stark E once in awhile but overall I think I'm still better with the straight set. Way easier on the hands. Balance across strings is good. I'm not ruling out going back.
Last couple nights the bass seems like it's lost some edge. Round tones but not as much cut. E and A are getting a bit dark. I could see replacing them and not the D/G. Not ready today though.
I've been experimenting with string height. Seems like as it gets higher the bass looses some bottom, gets tighter balance across strings but is harder to bow or pizz. To low and it buzzes like mad and doesn't punch. There is a compromise spot where it's dark, easier to play but still is punchy.
When they are broken in like this they tend to work ok with a bow. Not like Belcanto or Flexocor or other more arco friendly strings but good enough for me.
They stay good arco long after the pizz tone takes a powder.
Struggling with standing/sitting again. Pushed by another thread. One advantage of sitting is I can control feedback on louder gigs with my knee. I tried standing in the middle of a louder one and the bass went bannanas. Sat down with the knee in it and all was well again. The most usable change from these experiments is that I dropped the bass much closer to the floor and have it set more vertical. I did that to minimize changes from standing to sitting. Still messing with that.
I think we are rounding the 6 month mark on these strings, if you take away the several dormant months on the operating table. Just starting to think about something else.
I think they are over the hump and heading downhill. For me.
I played a bass a friend of mine has. Old German shop bass with 10 year old spiros. It sees sporadic work with long stretches of nothing then spurts of lots of gigs. The D/G sounded really good. The A was ok but dead. The E string sounded like a bucket and clothesliine bass. He sounds great on it but I don't know how he uses that E string. I would have changed that several times during the time he's had it.
No chance I'm lasting that long with this set.
End Progris Riport:
Progris Riport:
Using a full Mittle set for the last 4 weeks or so. I miss that Stark E once in awhile but overall I think I'm still better with the straight set. Way easier on the hands. Balance across strings is good. I'm not ruling out going back.
Last couple nights the bass seems like it's lost some edge. Round tones but not as much cut. E and A are getting a bit dark. I could see replacing them and not the D/G. Not ready today though.
I've been experimenting with string height. Seems like as it gets higher the bass looses some bottom, gets tighter balance across strings but is harder to bow or pizz. To low and it buzzes like mad and doesn't punch. There is a compromise spot where it's dark, easier to play but still is punchy.
When they are broken in like this they tend to work ok with a bow. Not like Belcanto or Flexocor or other more arco friendly strings but good enough for me.
They stay good arco long after the pizz tone takes a powder.
Struggling with standing/sitting again. Pushed by another thread. One advantage of sitting is I can control feedback on louder gigs with my knee. I tried standing in the middle of a louder one and the bass went bannanas. Sat down with the knee in it and all was well again. The most usable change from these experiments is that I dropped the bass much closer to the floor and have it set more vertical. I did that to minimize changes from standing to sitting. Still messing with that.
I think we are rounding the 6 month mark on these strings, if you take away the several dormant months on the operating table. Just starting to think about something else.
I think they are over the hump and heading downhill. For me.
I played a bass a friend of mine has. Old German shop bass with 10 year old spiros. It sees sporadic work with long stretches of nothing then spurts of lots of gigs. The D/G sounded really good. The A was ok but dead. The E string sounded like a bucket and clothesliine bass. He sounds great on it but I don't know how he uses that E string. I would have changed that several times during the time he's had it.
No chance I'm lasting that long with this set.
End Progris Riport:
I've been using a set of mittel's on my "arco" bass lately and have been having trouble with the A string. On every bass I've used mittel's the A string has always sounded choked. Anyone else have this experience?
- May 6, 2003
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- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
That's gotta be a bass thing. Both my basses need a leash on the A strings. Loudest things on them both.
- Jan 25, 2006
- 1,292
- 6
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist; Arnold Schnitzer/ Wil DeSola New Standard RN DB
I've always felt that for me after 6-7 months strings start to go down hill. I usually stretch it to 8-10 months outta being cheap and lazy and then when I put on a new set I always feel like "what was I waiting for?".
BG
For the first couple of weeks, my Spiro A sounded hollow. It's now settled in and just fine.
I think it also depends on the bass. Old dark basses might need new ones sooner. There is a jazz player here in town with a bass from sometime in the 1800's and he told he goes through on a set of weichs in less than a year.
I was taking Bri's old strings off his hands for a minute
I was taking Bri's old strings off his hands for a minute
- May 6, 2003
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- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
Depends on what you like. My strings are just starting to get to dark on my old darker bass. The Cleveland can take them for a little while longer and still sound pretty good.
Talking pizz though, arco they sound really nice about now.
Talking pizz though, arco they sound really nice about now.
- Jan 25, 2006
- 1,292
- 6
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist; Arnold Schnitzer/ Wil DeSola New Standard RN DB
Yes, I agree about arco. That feels good longer than the piz does.
I find on the Prescott and even on my brighter German carved, Spiros they start to feel a little less supple w/ less response & sustain by 7-8 months, but definitely sound good and still usable. But by somewhere in 10+ month range I find that the pitch starts to suffer. The intonation of the decay is not as accurate as the start of the note. When good intonation starts become more difficult even subtly, that's when I get bugged and put on a new set. This is usually around 10 months when I'm giging alot w/ Spiros or more recently the same w/Superflexibles.
My German carved bass has had on Evah Reg. for about 2 years now and they finally need a change. That's not my main bass, but does see good amount of use. Perhaps the Evah's felt good longer to me. FWIW I think I agree about Spiros years ago seeming to have longer break in period and perhaps longer life.
Bri
I find on the Prescott and even on my brighter German carved, Spiros they start to feel a little less supple w/ less response & sustain by 7-8 months, but definitely sound good and still usable. But by somewhere in 10+ month range I find that the pitch starts to suffer. The intonation of the decay is not as accurate as the start of the note. When good intonation starts become more difficult even subtly, that's when I get bugged and put on a new set. This is usually around 10 months when I'm giging alot w/ Spiros or more recently the same w/Superflexibles.
My German carved bass has had on Evah Reg. for about 2 years now and they finally need a change. That's not my main bass, but does see good amount of use. Perhaps the Evah's felt good longer to me. FWIW I think I agree about Spiros years ago seeming to have longer break in period and perhaps longer life.
Bri
That's exactly what I experienced with Spiros except I got a little less time out of them. I usually needed to replace them between 6 and 8 months. It was a subtle decline though. They'd break in over the first week or so and sound great for months and then very gradually lose it. The decline happened so slowly that I never really noticed it until I'd wake up one morning and realize it was time to change them. If the ones I put on immediately sounded and played better then I knew I'd waited too long.
I'm using gut now on both basses but I'm thinking about stringing my back up with Spiros again. I love gut for jazz but not as much for non-jazz gigs. It'd be nice to have one bass set up for those gigs.
mark
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
Progris Riport:
Bowing spirocores on a loud gig is a bitch. They sound like buzzsaws and I can't seem to find the right combination of bowspeed and lightness of touch to get them to not do that.
When I'm playing with little or no amp it's not near as much of an issue. Probably a little to do with the pickup being more string sensitive than say a Realist. The Realist won't do loud though.
Pizz the spiros sound ok this week. A little stiff perhaps. My hands are a bit sore from all the playing I've been doing. Makes me think about something lighter.
End Progris Riport.
Bowing spirocores on a loud gig is a bitch. They sound like buzzsaws and I can't seem to find the right combination of bowspeed and lightness of touch to get them to not do that.
When I'm playing with little or no amp it's not near as much of an issue. Probably a little to do with the pickup being more string sensitive than say a Realist. The Realist won't do loud though.
Pizz the spiros sound ok this week. A little stiff perhaps. My hands are a bit sore from all the playing I've been doing. Makes me think about something lighter.
End Progris Riport.
