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Double Bass Velvet Garbos double bass strings megathread part I

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#582
Ok, I finally put a set of anima on my bass, they are quite different from Garbo, more modern but with a gut-like sound, very good in thumb position. I like a lot the G and D but I've found the A and E a little bit floppy, they sounds like a Weich on gut... that's not bad... but the Garbo are louder and much more gut-like and with more tension.

I've tried to mix the two sets using G & D Anima and A & E Garbo and it works well but it's not balanced really well, have you ever tried to mix theese strings?

Under my fingers Anima are faster... probably when you plug in to the amp (Walter Woods) you don't hear the difference in attack and presence... what's your experience?
 
#583
I was very happy with the amped sound of the Animas, especially with the microphone and P/U blended. Arco, not as much, but serviceable. The sound was very similar to the unamplified sound. And yeah, I can definitely get around on them faster than on the Garbos, but that might be because I've spent so much more time on them.
 
#584
Anybody care to weigh in on the differences between these strings?

I've messed around with a used Velvet 360's set, and currently have a set of Dominants on my NS Cleveland. In comparison I found the 360's to be easier to play and sort of addicting, or musical or something but they are kind of weird compared to the other metal or gut strings I'm used to. The Copper is goofy to me and turns my hands black. I'm attracted to their feel and was really attracted to playing them.

I think the Dominants have a bigger rounder sound. They enhance that nice boom that the Cleveland has and sound real thick amplified which I like. At times they get kind of "plastic" sounding and they feel kind of spongy some times.

In contrast the 360s sounded open and sort of diffuse, less focused and not quite as loud. The 360s almost sound like they are falsing, the notes aren't as focused as the Dominants. I don't know if that is the nature of Velvets or the 360s or just that old set.

So I'm wondering if Animas may give me the qualities of sound that I like from the Dominants (the big round fat focused loud tone) and still have that low tension feel of the 360's, weird copper windings notwithstanding.

I guess I don't know if the Animas would be different enough to be worth trying and they are two expensive to hate them right away.

My luthier friends don't like the Velvet strings but they do have lots of very dedicated player advocates.

I can be happy with the pros and cons of the Dominants but I'm always looking for something "better".

Opinions?
 
#587
Weird. Anyway, big round fat focused loud tone sums it up. Really big complex sound on my bass. Kind of trad, but not really "gut" sounding, they have their own sound. They feel low tension even when you jack 'em up to the point where they start to speak. At first, when you first have them on, they sound like they might be "falsing" a bit, and a little piano-ish. Then they settle in and the good stuff starts happening. You have to be a little patient with the Animas. The black hand thing....I dunno, I guess I just got used to it after awhile. It's probably superficial, but I really like the look of the copper strings on my bass as well.

I've never played Dominants on my own bass, but they were earthshaking on a friend's bass when I tried them awhile back. I liked them quite a bit.

One more thing.... I would recommend that prospective Velvet owners try them out first before buying. They are not inexpensive, and they are different enough to qualify as "not for everyone". In my case, I tried Garbos, loved them, and then chose Animas for their bowability.
 
#588
I tried Anima's, and I'm currently using Dominant's.

The Anima's were dandy pizz, but I hated them bowed. I'd like to try the more arco oriented Velvet set, but I can't afford them right now.

The Dom's are loud, and focused in my opinion. I think they have somewhat of a "thwak" sounding attack, and then a nice rice tone immediately thereafter. Not a bad string to bow at all, but that may not be a concern of yours; don't know.

I'll keep the Dom's around, and look forward to trying the Compas 180's from Velvet, but I am looking for an even more bowable string and have some Flexocore's on the way.

Good luck with the search.
 
#589
That "thwack" is the one thing that's a little bit missing on the Animas IME. Dominants have that, Spiros have that. The Animas make it up for me in their overall balance, all over the instrument, and their sheer volume. I'd love to try Dominants on my bass sometime....don't know if I'll live long enough to try 'em all! I've never played Olivs either, so I've got to hang in there for at least awhile.

Trying different strings....maybe that's the married bassist's version of "dating around"....
 
#593
reedo35 said:
Between $220 and 240, I think. There was somebody on the forum that knew somebody that sold them cheaper, but I am reluctant to try them, based on the arco reviews. I play too much bowed stuff to use an Arco unfriendly string.
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I don't consider them arco unfriendly. They would not be anywhere near the top of my list if I were primarily an orchestral player, but I don't find them to be any harder to bow than, say, Obligatos. They're just different. I do think that they prefer a light bow hand and a little more bow speed.

Of course, Reedo, your demands for an arco string are much more stringent than mine would be, since you play a lot more classical music than I do. I'm pretty much a jazz bassist, so I can live with the "Jazz arco" limitations of the Animas.
 
#594
Chris Fitzgerald said:
FOGHORN was saying in another thread that I should try a lower tension string jacked up high to see if I liked it. Maybe when I get my new "#2" bass, I might try that just for yuks.
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Yea thats what started me thinking about this again.
MarcusMaximus said:
That "thwack" is the one thing that's a little bit missing on the Animas IME. Dominants have that, Spiros have that.
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I do like that thwack thing too. It defines the front end of the note in a big mix and I think clarifies the groove well. The Doms are even more defined than the Spiros IMO.
 
#595
Marcus Johnson said:
Of course, Reedo, your demands for an arco string are much more stringent than mine would be, since you play a lot more classical music than I do. I'm pretty much a jazz bassist, so I can live with the "Jazz arco" limitations of the Animas.
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See, that's the thing, Marcus. I play such a wide variety of music and I Don't have room for, and cannot afford, another DB. So I'll keep using the Obla-di's and keep on listening to you pizzi-cats rave about the Animas.:)
 
#599
I just brought the action up considerably and I'm liking the Animas even more than I did before. They sound much better raised up a bit. I liked them a lot before, but I'm, really happy now. The tone is stronger and fatter, and they're still pretty easy to play. I've also considered filing the nut slots a bit, but I haven't done it yet
 
#600
Something funny....I actually left the adjusters all the way down this time, just to see what would happen. There was no noticeable loss of volume, and there was actually more growl than when I raised them 1mm, where I had them before. I tried this again this time, just to check, but on my bass, they are actually performing better at the lower setting. They are very easy to play at this height. Best part is that I've got my volume and tone back.
 
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