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Double Bass Velvet strings megathread part II

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#341
I think that it's frowned upon mostly by the Velvet company :)
The miraculous benefits of even tension blah, blah, blah...

IMO they're fine to mix and match. At one point on a bass I had Superflex E&A, Anima D and a plain gut G. The Anima D was a nice transition from the steel to the gut. People will often use Olives on the G or D with steel on the lower strings and Animas will achieve the same effect, giving a fatter, less whiney tone on the upper strings. Animas are not very good for arco though.
 
#342
warenut said:
So-

I've heard that mixing Velvets with other strings is frowned upon. As mentioned in another thread, I've partially switched back (G + D) leaving Superflexibles on the bottom.

I read recently that Larry Grenadier has an Anima G on top. Does anyone out there mix them up as well?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've got an E and G Garbo on with an A & D Anima, Please don't tell! :ninja:

In my case I was in the middle of several gigs and working a day job, didn't have tons of time to spend getting a full set of strings stretched. So, when the E & G broke (just a day or so apart) I switched them out with the Garbos I had in reserve and haven't taken the time to change out the A & D.

That's one bad part of the Velvet strings, the fact that they stretch for about 2 weeks before they settle down. Other than that, I love them.

Now to the part of mixing them with other strings, here's my take. If we all played exactly the same with basses that were exactly equal, then we could probably all buy one set of strings and it would work for all of us. Some may play harder, some may play more arco, some may use higher action, some may be lower, some may play 2 hours everyday, some may play 2 hours per week, some may like higher tension, some liking lower tension, etc., etc.

Through experimentation we come to figure out what works for each individual, since we're all different and play different basses, different music EVEN. :D

It's your bass, your money (or lack of it in my case) and your strings. If a fav player is using this and that, maybe before plunging, ask questions as to why they are doing what they are doing (such as you have done here) and then make decisions upon information you have gathered.

With all this typing, I hope I never attempt to answer a hard question. ;)
 
#344
I have been using Anima G and D and Helicore E and A on and off for a year now. I enjoy them very much. I got the idea initially through Larry Grenadier (using Helicore's and Anima G). I saw Ben Street doing the same thing and tried it myself. The result is similar to steel E and A and Gut G and D tension and sound wise. For me the Anima's give it a little more modern sound on the G and D. The amplified and acoustic sound are fantastic. I have used Oliv's most of my bass playing life and in a way, I like the Anima's better amplified. Oliv's always sounded great acoustic but lost their brilliance through an amp IMO. I still use them though and bounce back and forth. Both are great strings and have their qualities that I enjoy/don't enjoy. I also recently recorded with this set up (Anima G and D)and was very pleased. Rufus directed me towards rosin that really helps with arco passages. I would never attempt heavy arco passages with this set-up but for "Jazz" arco I think it sounds great. Since experimenting with this, I have noticed others doing the same thing as well.
 
#350
The Velvet folks are excellent at customer service. After I explained what happened and sent photos of the problem strings they sent me a new extended E and D string. I haven't installed them yet-- maybe I'll give 'em another shot come January.
 
#351
I've had Compas 360's on for about 6 months. I really like the pizz sound but feel they are a bit too loose with the right hand compared to steel strings. Sometimes with busier pizz lines they feel just slightly slow. Bowing is not impossible but not comfortable. I'm thinking of going back to steel strings for more articulation. Anyone have a similar experience with Velvets?
 
#352
I left Animas because I couldn't get a good arco sound out of them, especially in thumb position. As you noted, they do respond a little more slowly than some other choices. Great pizz sound, though!

I have Evah Pirazzis on at the moment, and I like them a lot. That said, there's a good chance that I'll go back to Spiros soon, for the articulation and versatility that they provide. I came to terms with Spiro's arco awhile ago, and they work well for me. I have some really challenging recordings coming up in the next year, and I want to have as much ammo in my camp as possible. :smug: Our friend Marco Panascia, who plays with piano phenom Eldar, once mentioned that he couldn't imagine doing the bass acrobatics he does on anything other than Spiros. I'm coming to the same conclusion for my own playing. I just play better on them.
 
#353
Slow for me too. I loved the tone, especially when they were new. They wore me out though when I was trying to play something articulate. I think I was always late on the groove with those. I had to play way out front to be on time.
 
#354
Hi.

I also use Velvet Garbos on E & A and Lezner plain gut on D & G on my Englehardt ES-1. I Still have them on my bass but when I play Pizz on my E, i hear a little buzz too. Dont know if my bridge setup is wrong on the E string or it's only the string.....

I was thinking to go back to spiro solo on E & A but I want to know first if the problem is the string or the bridge.....

Thanks
 
#355
I haven't moved away from them yet. Started with Garbos, tried a set of Animas and decided I liked the Garbos better (mainly due to the tynex wrapped G string).

In fact, I'm working through a broken set of Garbos right now with another new set waiting in the wings.

I've thought about trying the Kolstein Heritage strings (since I've read they seem similar) but haven't traveled that road yet.

Guess I'll stick with what is working for me. I'm not a fad chaser.
 
#356
I loved them I used Garbos since the came out and stocked up on 5-6 sets so I wouldn't need to find another string if they went the way of golden spirals, then last year I tried the first new set of Garbos that were not gut and they didn't sound or feel how I liked, then I tried a set of Animas and really liked them at the beginning but felt the same slowness to the note that Toad spoke about which I didn't like on a few recordings I've done so I have just went back to Spiro E-A-D Mittles and an Oliv G but I'm trying to find a D and G that are like the Golden Spirals and get back to what I liked so many years ago
 
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