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Double Bass Velvet Garbos double bass strings megathread part I

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#601
I finally switch from Garbo to Anima, more versatile and modern sound with a fatty gut feeling, it sounds really like some Grenadier recordings.

I have this action and it works great...

G 6mm
D 7mm
A 8mm
E 9mm

easy to play and full tone, I've tried to raise up 1 mm, I get more volume but It's too slow feeling, I don't like, what's the action on your bass with anima on it?
 
#602
The only thng I dopn't like about the Animas is I keep hearign some odd high overtones all the time, almost like the part of the string that's behind my finger is vibrating. Maybe I need to mute behind the bridge? It's less noticeable when the action is up some
 
#603
Turtle....I haven't measured the string height, but it must be pretty close to the numbers you're using.

PB; how long have you had the Animas on your bass? I've noticed the overtones too at the beginning, but they seem to subside over the first month or so. They do require a bit of patience at first. Sort of like that "giant banjo" period (Durrl's term,lol) that Spiro users have to suffer through.
 
#605
That's it! The animas are missing the "thwack." They're fat and round but the attack is different. It's less abrupt, less intense.

I find them a pain too bow--they sound better than spriros, but they're harder to work
 
#606
I've had my first set of Anima's on for about a month now, and while I love many things about them, I find others troubling (e.g. lack of 'thwack', arco issues.)

My question is one of longevity. I've been a devoted Flexicore user prior to this, and would keep them on for ever (five years), loving them even more as they aged.

What is the useful lifespan of the Animas? How long have some of you gone before changing?
 
#609
Looking forward to your thoughts on them, Chris, if you decide to give them a spin. The main thing that's ruled them out for me thus far, despite the glowing reviews around here and some scrummy soundbites, is the apparent lack of tension (at least compared to Spiro Mittels.) Seeing as you're the man with the Starks, yours might be the review I've been waiting for. :)
 
#610
This wasn't your ex bass was it Chris? Darn it - I can see I'm going to have to shell out on these things but I remember everyone here falling in love with obligatos for a while. If I wait long enogh will evry one come round to likeing something else? I'm still not sure what the wonder quality is and the only reason I keep on reading these thread and asking occassionally what makes an anima sound is that they are sooo expensive - cheapest seen in UK £167 at Turner Violins - double my supers - ouch.

I take it you've hear the student and their bass before and after Chris?

I been playing Larry G non-stop for a while now and I still don't quite get it.
 
#611
The student is a grad student in my studio here at the U, and he's tried every string imaginable. Before this, he had dominants (which sounded damn good), corellis (which sounded good, but lacked focus), weichs (wimpy), reds (blah blah)...

He's kind of an "old school" guy, so he had the strings jacked up pretty good. At that height, they didn't feel too flabby, and the sound was definitely more "organic" than before. I'll have to hear them on a gig to be sure, but my initial impression was that they were worth trying out. Don't know if I'd miss the sustain, but I may just have to shell out for a set and give it a try sometime soon.
 
#613
Mike Crumpton said:
you're another guy to use the word organic which gets used so much about these strings but what does it mean?
Click to expand...
Great question. I'm interested in that as well. To me the Dominants are big and fat but sometimes don't sound organic but rather synthetic. Guts are the ultimate in organic. I prefer the organic to the synthetic. Is that what you mean?
 
#614
I'll pipe up on the "organic" thing.... more wood, more overtones, more "graininess", less of the "mwahhh" that can make the bass sound like a big fretless. More balance across the entire range of the bass, especially up on the G and into thumb position...less "cello-ness". Gutlike, but not really:eyebrow:... Huge acoustic sound. YMMV, as always.

I have to edit this one more time...DURRLL, there isn't any lack of sustain, it's just different from the Spiro experience. I still get a lot of growlll, but it's somehow bigger and wider than Spiros. In my experience, it sits very nicely with a wide variety of playing situations. I can push a band around pretty hard with the Animas, given the added breadth that they have. The people I play with regularly seem to love them. Hard to describe, obviously. I became interested in them because Ed recommended them in these forums, but playing a set of Garbos, oddly enough, is what sealed the deal for me. I always recommend that people try them first, because they're different.
 
#615
BIGGUS RICHARDUS said:
I'll pipe up on the "organic" thing.... more wood, more overtones, more "graininess", less of the "mwahhh" that can make the bass sound like a big fretless. More balance across the entire range of the bass, especially up on the G and into thumb position...less "cello-ness". Gutlike, but not really:eyebrow:... Huge acoustic sound. YMMV, as always.
Click to expand...

That pretty much describes "organic" to me - especially the "grainy" part. They have more texture than a steel string, both in feel and in sound. They do sustain, but it's different somehow, like part of the sound has a quicker decay while another part of it stays. Like I said, I don't know if I'll like them in battle, but they sure sound nice to take for a spin solo. Time will tell.

Another aspect of this curiosity is that I dinged up my left arm playing the jacked-up Dominants this weekend. Mr. Pickens called a couple of his famous, "1...2...FORM...FORM...FORM...FORM" tempos, and while I was able to keep up, I paid for it and am still paying. I like the height, which enabled me to dig even at faster tempos, but the tension got painful, and the bass sounded a little thin to my ears.
 
#619
It's too soon for me to say, because on my first set, I broke the E string, and ended up putting on some Spiros for awhile. At that point, the Animas were about eight months old, and were sounding fantastic. I play 6-7 nights a week, so it will be interesting to see how they hold up in the long run.

I'm not sure why the thing broke, but I do remember that on that particular night, some big ol' oaf walked across the bandstand and plowed right into my bass (layed down), kicking it square in the pegbox. Without so much as an apology, I might add. That might have had something to do with the string's early demise.
 
#620
Abaguer, Marcus and Mike,
I installed the Garbos on the Cleveland last week and the nut did not need modification Yea! Marcus and Mike, The sound is coming on huge. I thought I had the best string in the Spiro starks and for growl they still give a more defined jazz sound. But for the bluegrass enduro jams, volume and a lesser degree of abuse of the fingers, I now prefer the Garbos. The feature yet to be determined is how durable they might be. As before Gents, thanks for your assistance and advise.
Jim
 
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