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Double Bass Velvet strings megathread part II
- Thread starter PB+J
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Sorry Neal, i was out of the country and will get back to Velvet only tomorrow morning, you have p.m.
Nuno
Nuno
No worries Nuno I know what it is like to be in and out of the country, thank you for your help it just shows how great a company velvet is having people like you working with them. Thanks to everybody again
Give the Velvets time to settle in before you make a final decision on them. I had Compas 180s on for a while and they took a long time (or maybe my bass did) to adjust. The tension is quite different, if you've been using steel strings, and on my bass the sound took a while (about a month) to really warm up and be settled.
I just put a set of Compas 360's on and was able to keep up w/o an amp on my regular Tuesday gig. I usually use an amp and had Sprio Orchs on previously. The drummer is not loud but not real quiet either and the room is pretty live - really brings out the cymbals. I wouldn't say it's night and day volume wise from the Spiros but the Velvets definitely have more presence and emphasize the low mids giving a more supportive feel without the amp.
What is the difference between the 360s and the Anima's. It sounds like they have a similar winding? Can the 360s be bowed? What is the thickness of the 360s? Tension? Sound?
I had a chance to try Animas on a bass I played last week and though I loved the strings, and the feel of them, I had a hard time with the copper. It seemed sticky to me. I have played gut for years but the copper seemed to corrode under the fingers quite quickly. Maybe I'm mister acid man but I found it unnerving.
I certainly loved the feel of the tension and the thickness of the strings. The sound was lovely.
KL
I certainly loved the feel of the tension and the thickness of the strings. The sound was lovely.
KL
Haven't tried Animas. I'm finding that they take a different approach to the bow than the Spiros - I'm still working this out but in the few days I've had them on I would say they are more difficult to bow than Spiros. I think once I get the hang of them they will be easier. They aren't super thick - the D & G are definitely thicker than steel strings. They feel soft and sound great.
I had a session tonight in a muggy practice room and the strings were getting a bit sticky.
I've had a set of Compas 180 in my drawer for a couple of years, and I can't remember now why I haven't tried them. How have you found them for pizz?
Oh geez, I just did what I should have done before, I read the threads back at the end of 2004 (the fantabulous Monte!) on the 180's suit or no suit, black ends and red ends. If I paid $245 for these damn things, I'd better put them on and see what happens..
I'm pretty much a bowed guy- even the plucked gigs I do usually end up with some arco- but for me the Velvets were the best pizz strings I've used. I have something else on at the moment because the arco sound and response of the Velvets wasn't quite what I was looking for, but if they bowed as well as they pluck...
I had Garbos on my bass until this weekend. I really liked them, but on Saturday the A string snapped up in the tuning box where the string joins the soft material that wraps around the post. I wan't even playing it - very strange indeed! Any thoughts on why this happened?
Not sure why it happened, but I had an Anima E do the same thing about 2 weeks back. They had been on the bass for about a year and I had a backup Garbo to replace. I liked the Animas but I believe I'm going to change out the A and D and have another full set of Garbos on my bass. They are a bear getting them to quit stretching, but after that, they calm down and are really stable for me.
BTW, no horse hair and crooked stick for me, it's all finger meat and strings.
As much as I liked them, that doesn't give me a lot of confidence! My only backups were a set of Eurosonics that I tried a couple years ago and hated - really scrtachy, no boom. I popped them on, and raised the action to give them some bounce, and volia - they sound great! I don't know if they're "the answer" for this bas, but I'm not complaining.
in your experience, how long is the lifespan of velvet garbo?
I play a set since July 2006. I have'nt perspiration on my fingers while I'm playing.
thanks, Tito.
I play a set since July 2006. I have'nt perspiration on my fingers while I'm playing.
thanks, Tito.
I think this will be determined due to a few differing factors. How much do you play? I play about 8-10 times per month. I played one set about 2 years before I noticed a vast difference in tone, volume and pitch stability.
The pitch stability issue was this for me. Toward the end of using them, I would hit a note, either fretted or open and you could hear the note drop in pitch. That let me know it was time to get a new set.
I hope this helps,
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