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Double Bass UB blacks vs. Innovation rockabilly
- Thread starter kurt
- Start date
My upton superswing has innovation rockabilly strings. Any thoughts on how long they will hold up. I do not slap the bass.
Thanks
Thanks
I'm really liking these strings. Will be using them next Friday night on a gig.
Upton hybrid superswing with RS pick-up.
Upton hybrid superswing with RS pick-up.
i posted this question in another innovation thread so far with no answer. i like the pizz of innovation golden slaps. i want a similar feel and sound string for a different bass but would rather have a smoother outer winding than the slaps (wound with nylon wire). are the rockabillys similar in sound and perceived tension? i realize they are slightly higher than the slaps but if they are close ill be happy. im talking about pizz here.
I've played for a while the Rockabilly strings but I have no idea about the Golden slaps. The tension seemed to be medium-low, I think they should be higher than Golden slaps as they have been described. The feel was good anyway.
good for pizz? and my idea of good is not spirocore zingy, but more like wound gut, which actually does have a sustain to it. not totally thumpy like some people seem to think
The rockabillies have a little more tension than the slaps but not a lot more. Still less than just about any steel string. They also have a little more sustain and mids than the slaps. Less sustain than a typical jazz steel string but more than some of the orchestral steels. They are smoother than slaps for sure and the diameter is a little smaller. They are one of the easiest playing strings pizz wise I've ever tried! They are kind of like a nylon string gateway drug for people coming from steels imo. Really fun, playable string. Arco is their biggest drawback. Doable but the tone isn't great and they slip and squawk more as you go up the neck into thumb position.
The only thing I didn't like about Rockabillies was the not even tension -(or maybe stifness articulation?) between strings. The G was the stiffer, the D less stiffer, the A less, the E less.
The opposite from what I'm used to with steel strings.
The opposite from what I'm used to with steel strings.
i put on an A and E rab string to go with a plain gut G and a golden slap D. the rab are very nice strings. tension seems to match the other 2 very well and they sound good. a tad brighter than the other 2, but they are brand new. hopefully they will mellow a bit. to me they seem like a very good pizz string. i wouldnt call them dark sounding, and they definitely do have sustain to them. they're giving me some weird echo/ resonance on the A string when i play in thumb position. i didnt have that with my last strings. i tried damping the after lengths and that may have fixed it. will know more as a i play it more. the weird thing to me is, many years back i was on a kick with the labella black tape strings. on my bass they were super high tension and they made my bass sound like a giant banjo. super bright. ron carter tone. these are pretty much the opposite, but from looking at them i expect the ron carter tone.
Picking up this old thread. I put a set of the innovation Rockabilly string on my bass yesterday and I am really liking the pizz tone and playability. Arco…I’m working on it. I tried the sandpaper technique and applied rosin liberally to the strings and to the bow. I can get something like notes this way, but I really have to work at it. As I keep bowing on them and applying rosin, will this get better eventually? I mainly bow to practice reading and intonation, not to gig, but sure would like that option….
They’ll bow better with some miles on them. Not night and day, but better. They’re really pizz and slap strings.
I had Innovation Rockabillys on my ply for years. Loved them them pizz, couldn't bow them worth a darn.
Swapped them out for guts - tho pricier, far superior in all respects.
Swapped them out for guts - tho pricier, far superior in all respects.
Yeah I get that. Not expecting to ever bow great, just better. Thanks!
Having had the rock-a-billies on a bass, I think trying to bow them is an exercise in self-flagellation. Good otherwise, though.
Yeah I agree with the pizz only sentiment.
I’ve had a set of RBs on my old hybrid for a few years, swapping out the E and later A with very old Spirocore weich as the synthetic RBs lost their pizz pizazz.
It’s a good mix on my bass, it reminds me of a bassoon.
I’ve had a set of RBs on my old hybrid for a few years, swapping out the E and later A with very old Spirocore weich as the synthetic RBs lost their pizz pizazz.
It’s a good mix on my bass, it reminds me of a bassoon.
So I realize I've only had them on for a couple of days, but I think I've learned my lessons:
1) I really dig the pizz sound
2) I really dig how easy they are to play (pizz)
3) I think @AGCurry said it best - arco is an exercise in self-flagellation.
Luckily, I have a buddy who doesn't play arco at all, and I think he'd really like to try them. I am going to probably put my Spiros back on, and order a gut D and G.
