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Double Bass Unusual String Question For Most

S

sonicthepunk

Sound of Music salesman/jr. tech
Mar 22, 2006
10
4
Kokomo, IN
#1
I play electric as well as DB and when I play electric I use a pick and have an ultra bright tone and play very aggressively and quickly. SO naturally when I started DB I wanted to do the same thing. Well I do play very quickly still and fairly aggressive but I am not as pleased with my strings thus far. Does anyone have any suggestions on extremely bright and loud strings. I toured for a long time and my strings held up and projected ok but I really had to lay into them. So any help would be greatly appreciated by me and by my hugely caloused fingers. Thanks!:)
 
#4
They are cheapies. I work at a music shop and do a lot of repair work and setups there. So when I ordered my DB, my boss gave me a deal and acted like he was seting it up and putting nice strings on it. He has very little idea of what he's doing (hince why he hired me to fix things) but they are similar to the Mathias Thoma strings. They are steel cored but nickel wound and are a little stiff. I do some slapping stuff as well, but I am pretty a-typical. I like steel with heavier tension for the bright tone and loads of volume. Plus I was cheap for a long time and just got used to slapping on really high tension strings.
 
#5
The best "bright and loud" strings I've used for pizz playing are Thomastik Spirocores, Thomastik Superflexibles, and Pirastro Flat Chromesteels. All three are good strings for pizz, not necessarily good for bowing, but it sounds like bowing isn't an issue for you. Of the three, my druthers would be the Superflexibles.
 
#6
sonicthepunk said:
I play electric as well as DB and when I play electric I use a pick and have an ultra bright tone and play very aggressively and quickly. SO naturally when I started DB I wanted to do the same thing. ...
Click to expand...

Why would anyone want to use a pck on a DB?

Just kidding... :D
 
#7
I'm using Supers myself now, but I don't hear this "bright and loud" thing you speak of. I hear loud, but they sound pretty dark to my ears. Now the Obligatos I was using before the Supers, that's a bright string.
 

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