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Double Bass Velvet Garbos double bass strings megathread part I

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#561
Hah! Looks like we both married very wise women....

One thing I found with Animas (vs. Spiros) arco; they seem to want a little more bow speed and a lighter touch. Otherwise, they like to screech a little. And it's really important to leave them on the bass for awhile before you form any hardcore opinions of them. The paybacks come a little further down the road than with some other strings, but they are really worthwhile.
 
#562
Marcus Johnson said:
One thing I found with Animas (vs. Spiros) arco; they seem to want a little more bow speed and a lighter touch. Otherwise, they like to screech a little. And it's really important to leave them on the bass for awhile before you form any hardcore opinions of them. The paybacks come a little further down the road than with some other strings, but they are really worthwhile.
Click to expand...

Right on once again with the bow speed thing--I noticed that as well. I've had mine on since August, and I'd say it was a good month before I became completely enamored of them.

Going back to steel really is strange; I just came from a rehearsal, and after it was over I asked the sax player if he had noticed anything different about my bass in the past couple of days ( I put the Spirocores on two days ago and have played with him a couple of times since). He paused, then said, "I guess I'm more aware of the sound of your amplifier than I have been. What, did you change strings or something?" :bawl:
 
#563
Well, I've had to go back to using my AMT mic since switching to the spiros. It wasn't necessary when I had the Animas on. So I guess it's natural that your friend is hearing the amp more now.

Turtle...sorry for the sidetrack. You seem to have run into a couple of Velvet fans here...
 
#564
Thanks a lot :)
I think I'm a fan too, I just want to try that Anima because I want a more modern and vesatile sound without going on a steel string.

What about the thumb position with Anima?
I've found that on my Garbo the bass sounds very thumpy in upper register and it's not so lyrical as it was with the spiro weich.
 
#565
TheTurtle said:
Thanks a lot :)
What about the thumb position with Anima?
I've found that on my Garbo the bass sounds very thumpy in upper register and it's not so lyrical as it was with the spiro weich.
Click to expand...

Thumb position with Garbos is much more difficult and cumbersome than it is with Animas. I found it very difficult to get any sustain up there with Garbos, and the thickness of the strings is quite awkward. The situation is much improved with Animas, although there is still very little similarity to spiro weichs. But I would say Animas in thumb position are not a problem.

(Of course, a TB member accustomed to Spiros recently purchased and then immediately sold a set of Animas because he didn't think they were right for the amount of thumb position work he does. If you go to Animas from Spiros, they will seem awkward; if you go to them from Garbos, they will seem like a dream to play. I've done both!)
 
#566
Exactly. You know how Spiros thin out when you get onto the G and up into thunb position? The Animas don't do that; the sound remains fat and "basslike". They don't sustain like Spiros do up there, but there is more harmonic complexity to the tone. When I first used Animas, I compared it to the difference between plain yellow mustard and a nice grainy French mustard. That's still kinda how I hear it. With the Spiros, on my bass, I still have those moments where I think, "Hmm...big fretless bass...":rollno:
 
#567
Yeah! I agree at all with you guys!
I've got the same experience with Weich and Garbo so I think it's time to switch from Garbo to Anima and see what I'll get, I hope I'll get a kind of hybrid between this two extreme.

I also feel my bass with Weich like a big fretless... with my Garbo I really don't like to play in thumb position and I find a lot of problems when I play in piano trio because I've a lot of work to do on that register (you know LaFaro works!). I'm playing all my solo stuff like Mr. Haden, it's funny but it's boring after ten pieces! Anyway I played today with a Big Band here in Rome and in that situation the Garbo are really superbe.
 
#568
Well I'm a big fan of Animas but they just feel so slow to me. The windings have so much friction in them. Right now I am using three weichs and a Anima G. For my dark bass this works really well. Steel top strings on my bass whine at the E and F and the Animas sound so Vocal. On my bass for Pizz nothing sounds better in thumb position then an Anima.
If they could make an Anima with a smooth finish I'd use them for sure.
 
#572
Hey all you Anima guys and gals; I'm about to install my second set of Animas on the bass this weekend. Most of you know I love the things, and am fairly likely to stick with them for some time. Two questions;

1.) I remember mention here of bringing the tuning up over a long period, and maybe even letting them stay a whole step low for awhile before bringing them up to pitch. Does anyone do this as a practice, and if so, why? I'm off on Sunday, and will install them on that day, and then gig on Monday and every day thereafter. That's the only window of opportunity I have. (Yes, I know my left hand will be busy retuning for a week or so...)

2.) First time around, I didn't refile the nut slots wider, because I didn't know if the Animas would be to my liking. Well, they were, and I'm wondering if I should just do it this time. The slots didn't seem like they were crimping the strings or anything, but I would like to get the optimum setup. I think I can do this myself with care, but I'm just a bit nervous since I don't have a luthier anywhere nearby. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to ditching the amplification on my duo gig again! :hyper: Hard to wait until the weekend.
 
#573
1. I didn't do that, I pretty much would tune to pitch any time I picked the bass up (which was pretty much every waking moment the week i got it back), it didn't seem to matter. After about 3 weeks it stabilised and now it stays pretty steady even with the bass out of the case for much of the time.

2. JEFEJEFF??? - did you file the slots wider than my other nut? I don't think it would have been something I would have worried about unless I had problems with slippage, and I didn't.
 
#576
Once again I need to call on the bluegrass and jazz TB boys for advice. I've read all the newbies stuff and 30 odd threads on Velvet garbos and decided to put them on the Cleveland. Have been using the Spiro starks A and E with mittels G and D and loving them. Only problem is the blisters that generate under the calouses during these enduro acoustic bluegrass jam sessions. From what you have told me via the threads is that the garbos should have a lower tension where the advertising says without loss of volume. You know "... can even be heard over an aggressive drummer" or something to that effect. Also, how are those things tied off in the peg box? The picture on the installation instructions seems inconclusive.
OK, Big Mike Childree, Simon "The Brutus Cheesecake", bluegrassers, jazz men and string experts in general let me know if I'm about to make a mistake. Thanks for all your help.
Jim
 
#577
I'm an Anima user, but I've played the Garbos, and I think that they would be positively deadly on the Cleveland, for both jazz and bluegrass. No arco, of course, but I think you would be in Big Pizz Heaven. I think you would like the feel of them for those long b-grass sessions.

Louder than any Spiros, in my experience.

Not sure how they tie on, the Animas just loop around themselves, and then wind 'em up. Real easy.
 
#578
Wish I had some direct experience to help, but the only thing I can offer is that practically every string I've tried were louder and sounded better (to my ears) than the Spiros that came on my Cleveland. The Obligatos I have on now have the lowest apparent tension and they're the loudest of the bunch.
 
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