Double Bass Velvet strings megathread part II

[61pollmann]

Coming up on the one-year anniversary of using Velvet Blues. I'm still extremely pleased with the sound and playability of them. I bought a new set at the end of September to put on before some major recording sessions in early October. I still haven't put them on. I originally had a concern about the G, but it seems to sound better than it did 7-8 months ago. Raising the bridge a little bit on the E has also helped it to sound better(less fb noise). If anything, the E has diminished more than the other three. I will put the new set on in a couple of weeks. My recording experience with them has been great. The engineer loved the sound(my vintage Shure ribbon), and the leader was very pleased. The lower tension has also helped my aging fingers. I think my sixties Pollmann also likes them.

George

 

[FMartin]

Very useful to read how someone likes them and how they are doing after a year of playing. Thanks, George.

Has anyone tried to match them with a more bowable ones, like Flexocores?

 

[Don Higdon]

How do Blues and Animas respond to being taken off and put back on? I can't consider a string that dies the way an Obligato does.
Apologies if this has already been answered; I've only scanned the posts.

 

[Bobby King]

I found that Animas didn't suffer that much when taken off and put back on. (don't know about Blues) If I understand correctly, the core of Animas is some type of fiber material, as opposed to Obligato which is a perlon/nylon type of material.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Bobby, those Animas I got from you are now on their second bass and have been taken off each bass at least twice. I did buy a new set but sold it because I couldn't get a good sound with the bow but I kept the old set.
The G broke where it wound around the tuner, but other than that, the strings are still in good shape, other than a slight separation on the D at the bridge.
All in all, these have held up pretty well considering.
FWIW, I bought a Gollihur bow (black hair) and am using Kolstein soft and Brohan's Oak and am pulling a nice arco tone now. They aren't the best arco strings but sound pretty good.

Don, having had both a used set and new Animas I don't know that there is much tone degradation. I had an old set of Obligatos on for a few days prior to the Animas and they were dead, dead, dead but the Animas still have lots of life.

 

[vinny2397]

hi, I was wondering if anyone out there is using garbos for blues, i now use belcantos but i hear garbos are louder and more gut like. also can you play slap on them?

 

[Francois Blais]

hi, I was wondering if anyone out there is using garbos for blues, i now use belcantos but i hear garbos are louder and more gut like. also can you play slap on them?

Welcome on Talkbass, Vinny.

Merged your new thread with the Velvet megathread.
I suggest you search this thread, and the other one here:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7521

Lots of info there!

Best of luck!
Regards,
François
String forum co-mod.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Dono; Animas can sometimes look a little funky if they're of and on the bass a bunch. The wraps look like they're about to come apart when they pass over the nut or the bridge. Overall, they seem to hang in there pretty well. I did break one E once, up in the peg box. But stuff happens. I think they're pretty durable, and more importantly, they age really well sonically.

I still have a very warm spot in my heart for Animas.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Yeah they really do. Maybe they're somewhere in a world halfway between Spiros and guts. They just do their own thing. I'd still like to check them out on the bottoms, with my Gamuts on top.

 

[christ andronis]

Marcus, have you ever tried the Garbo's? Just curious.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

The only time I tried them was on an Eminence bass. They felt and sounded really nice on that bass, and I bought my first set of Velvets (Animas) shortly therafter. I went with the Animas because I needed something that would respond to the bow.

 

[thejumpcat]

hi, I was wondering if anyone out there is using garbos for blues, i now use belcantos but i hear garbos are louder and more gut like. also can you play slap on them?

Vinny, this summer I wanted to try some Velvets for jump blues. I wound up getting a new set of Animas on ebay pretty cheap. They work well, and I've been slapping them around for about seven months now.

However, several folks have suggested the Garbos for blues, and I think I may go that route next time (if I don't go straight for guts).

Where are you located?

 

[Gearhead43]

I just got a Garbo light E&A string to pair with my gut D&G and so far am pretty blown away at the tone! They are for damn sure the closest in sound & playing feel to a wound gut E&A I have been able to get, not counting the real thing.

The lights are great for slap, very low tension actually - I may have been just as happy with the standard gauge even.

They still have a little metallic twang to them when slapped, but they are brand spanking new. For pizz, they are awesome already. I love the gut-like hit on the front of the note and the amazing amount of volume I can get without really playing hard. Very similar feel and pizz response to wound gut, but with a smoother winding surface.

I think these are keepers.

 

[Jacques Raymond]

Does any one out there have any feedback regarding the Velvet Blues? How do they compare to the Velvet Anima or Garbo strings?

 

[SAlcott]

Loved the pizz, hated the arco. I had no trouble bowing Animas. Never played Garbos. YMMV.

 

[Jacques Raymond]

Thanks! Anima seems to be the best and safest choice.

 

[RobinBetton]

blues were easier to bow than the garbos which i have on now. I would go with the animas

 

[weary gill]

I'm with salcott. I loved the pizz but I had to get something else since I'm preparing a classical recital for April.

 

[Brian McCree]

I am new to Anima strings. I have second hand sunshine bass from Lemur. I don't know what kind of strings it had but I think they were old. They were red with black spirals at the tail piece and different colors at the head. Anyway, the G string broke and the E and A were showing signs they've seen better days. I read through alot of the post on TB and settled on trying Velvet Anima's. I found them through LNRMusic. Lou was willing to send me the G, which I needed, and the E, which was on it's way out. The rest are back ordered. The Anima's are fatter sounding and when I really yank on them they are pleasantly loud, compared to the old strings. So far with this mixed set bowing is not bad either, the
Anima's require a lighter touch. I am looking forward to the A and D strings so I can see what the whole set sounds like.

 

[Adrian Cho]

I am using an Anima G, A and extended C with a Garbo D. I wanted a fatter sound on the D and was also used to a large gauge after playing unwound gut. This mixed set works great for me. I love these strings and find anything else really inferior. Huge sound and tone and very versatile with the warmth and punch of gut and the clarity and stability of steel strings.