Double Bass Velvet Garbos double bass strings megathread part I

[Steve Killingsworth]

They stabalize. It takes awhile. Mine are like spiros now. Don't have to tune much at all.

Well said.

Four days with the temps in the 90's and yesterday was near 100.

I have basically had NO tuning problems. Outside, in North Carolina, in the heat and humidity. One hour sets each day and I'm a happy camper with the performance of these strings.

I'm definitely sold on them.

Very similar to my situation this past weekend. Saturday between 4:00 and 10:00, I played on the stage with 3 different bands and spend an additional 3-4 hours jamming and never had to retune.

 

[greitzer]

I have basically had NO tuning problems. Outside, in North Carolina, in the heat and humidity. One hour sets each day and I'm a happy camper with the performance of these strings. I'm definitely sold on them.

Mike -- do you play arco and pizz both, or just pizz? I'm wondering how the Animas are for arco.

 

[Jeremy Allen]

Your action should naturally get a bit higher as the Velvets settle in, but keep in mind that, as the Schertler guys put it, these strings need more room to vibrate than tighter steel strings. When I put Velvets on my bass, they often buzz a bit, which is remedied by raising your bridge height until the buzzing stops (provided you have adjusters). I always find that raising the action high enough to alleviate the buzz also simply puts the strings at their optimum height, the place where they're making the most/best sound.

 

[tito mangialajo]

hello,
I've forgotten another question to garbos users: is someone able to bow the garbo strings exspecially the G?
if the answer is yes, how do you make that? (rosin, kind of bow...)
ciao, tito.

 

[stockbass]

The Garbos are a wound low tension string that are bowable, but can be sort of big and undefined. It's a beautiful string that really do not shine with the bow. I've found the G string to be the hardest to bow.

I would say that it depends a lot on the instrument.

 

[M Ramsey]

Mike -- do you play arco and pizz both, or just pizz? I'm wondering how the Animas are for arco.

I play nothign but pizz. But my daughter plays arco and she is home today practicing for a school of music audition tomorrow. The other night, I thought her tone sounded very good. The Animas have copper winding on all strings, which should help them be a little more arco friendly than the Garbos with the nylon (or tynex) wound G.

I hope this helps.

 

[basstef]

hello everybodys,
I switch yesterday to garbos.
some question for you garbo users:
-what is your strings height at the end of the fingerboard from the bottom of the strings? mine is G=9mm; E=14mm
-I hear a buzz on G in the position of d, eb, e ,f. before garbos I had no buzzing sound on the fingerboard. should I go to my luthier? do you had same problem the first time time with garbos?
-do you have some special maintanance routine for these strings?
-how is the garbos lifespan in youre experience?
-do you had other problems in the first days with garbos?

after 24 hours I like the sound, very guttish.
thanks for answering.
ciao, tito mangialajo.

ciao Tito...your action seems high enough not to have buzzing problems. I think your fingerboard has some problems, think about having it examined by your luthier. Garbos are delicate strings and the board has to be at least perfect. If it is, you can even slightly lower your action. Good luck, ciao Stefano

 

[basstef]

hello,
I've forgotten another question to garbos users: is someone able to bow the garbo strings exspecially the G?
if the answer is yes, how do you make that? (rosin, kind of bow...)
ciao, tito.

Ciao Tito.

It is technically possible to bow Garbos, with a bit more of rosin maybe. But the sound that may come out, especially from the G string, is not the sweetest in the world
Ciao Stef

 

[sforzando6]

My understanding of these strings is that they can be used in both solo and orchetral tuning.

Does anybody know if they sound good in both tunings? Is it true that they are quieter than most other strings? Thanks.

 

[Adrian Cho]

I'm wondering what the state of Animas is nowadays. I had heard that they were reformulated sometime in the last few years. I tried them about five years ago and found that they left my fingers all black and the windings were rough enough that they chewed up my fingerboard and my fingertips. Yet I see so many people raving about them, I wonder if they are different strings.

Would anybody be kind to post some close up photos of the strings?

Thanks

Adrian

 

[Uncletoad]

I tried them about five years ago and found that they left my fingers all black and the windings were rough enough that they chewed up my fingerboard and my fingertips.
Adrian

That sounds about right. I don't think they are chewing up my fingerboard per se but I'm looking at some black fingers as I type.

I still like the sound of them with all their faults.

 

[Adrian Cho]

That sounds about right. I don't think they are chewing up my fingerboard per se but I'm looking at some black fingers as I type.

I still like the sound of them with all their faults.

But the windings aren't smooth are they? I know they are round and then machined flat on the outside but what I used was not completely flat. They were sort of like half-roundwound. I also remember the arco wasn't that great.

 

[Anonymous75966]

Main differences: higher tension than before (still less than a steel string, but much more conventional-feeling), much better arco, and generally louder, so it seems. The windings seem to be the same type as before.

I also had an old set and my bass never liked them too much. Lately I've played a couple of basses strung with Animas and I've been pleasantly surprised.

 

[PB+J]

I've been using them for about six months now. I would not call the windings "rough": the winding is a flat or ground flat wire, and it seems to me what you feel is a little more gap between the windings. They don't seem to be chewing my fingerboard up; although I do see a shiny copper colored line on the board under each string, I don't feel a groove of any kind. I sometimes have gotten the black finger thing, though I haven't in a while.

I'm really impressed with animas, and they just seem to keep sounding better to me. If I have tme this morning I'll post a photo

 

[jazzy bass man]

Velvet string are intriguing my wallet,

I was told that animas are half-rounds, does anyone know if garbos are as well.

Also a detailed explanation of the differnces in sound would be cool too.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Marcus Johnson]

I'll chime in real quick, before I head to the gig; the Animas aren't real "roundwound" feeling, like you would get with some electric bass strings. It's only in comparison to ubersmooth finished strings like Spiros or Obligatos that they feel a little knobby. It's not an issue once you get used to them.

BTW, Don Z has a used set of Animas for sale in the classifieds, if you want to lighten the load on your budget.

 

[Nuno A.]

Last time the Animas were really changed was about 4 years ago, the winding now is a bit smoother and we havent heard any complains about fingerboards beeing chewed, also about the black fingers, now that the winding is almost made of a copper, the problem shoud be minor.
We feel that the strings are louder, and the tension increased 1kg, from 24 kg to 25 kg. The roughness of the windings like PB+J said, is the gap between the windings, but on the last series made, the windings are really closer. but there are still lots of old strings beeing sold, so you may end up with a old model.


Nuno

 

[Nuno A.]

The idea of the compas suit is that they could be used on both tunings, they have less tension than the regulars 180(22kg instead of 26) and so they can be tuned to solo.
About them beeing quieter than others, its really subjective, compared with Velvet Garbos and Animas, they have a bit less body, but that has a lot to do with the gauge of the strings, since the core is made of the same material for all, but the gauge of the core is different(less in the suit and compas solo)


Nuno

 

[jazzy bass man]

Thanks man

 

[Mark Carlsen]

Man, the fact that they are pricey and not as smooth as their price should make them...I woulld stay away.
I just dressed 2 basses today w. those things on there and it's hard to get a clean non-buzzing sound after the work is done. Talk about paying twice...IMO these are one of the big rip offs in the DB world.