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Double Bass Velvet strings megathread part III

#181
Wanted to try this out again, so I put the Blues G back on with my Spriro Weich set and I am really enjoying this string. Takes a few days to stop stretching and settle in though. It opens up the sound of the bass and is making the other Spiros sound better. It gives the other strings a new character which is nice. Bowing them doesnt seem to be a problem this time around as of yet. Its kind of giving the bass kind of a modern gut arco sound in a way. I may order a backup, this string has been around a while and has some wear on the materiel part of the string and I can see some minor wrapping becoming uncoiled. I wonder how durable these are. Its a great match in gague with the spiro weichs.
 
#182
A question for velvet users. I did a search for this topic and it was too hard to sort through all the stuff that I got.

What is the consequence of taking Velvet strings on and off a bass? I have a fairly worn out set of Animas on the bass now and I want to try some other strings that I have but I would like to have the option of putting Animas back on. Does it just affect the longevity or does it actually damage the windings?
 
#184
fingers said:
A question for velvet users. I did a search for this topic and it was too hard to sort through all the stuff that I got.

What is the consequence of taking Velvet strings on and off a bass? I have a fairly worn out set of Animas on the bass now and I want to try some other strings that I have but I would like to have the option of putting Animas back on. Does it just affect the longevity or does it actually damage the windings?
Click to expand...

I've done this with Compas 180s and Blues and didn't notice any ill effects.
 
#185
This Blues G Im using has been on and off probably about 3 times and actually sounds better now. A lot of the brightness has worn off and it sounds very warm and punchy, with a very natural sustain. Bows better now than it did the first couple times I had the string on the bass.
 
#186
The only problem I had taking a set of compas 180s on and off was the time taken and also the difficulty positioning them so the metal part of the string did not end up getting wound around the tuning peg.
For arco they sounded great: warm, round and sweet, once you get used to getting your arm into them a bit (unlike e.g corellis.or Spiros which both just cut through IMHO). I did my grad recital with them and had no issues with the string.
Similarly for jazz they were great: lotsa quarter note pleasure down low and enough character and overtones to satisfy up high.
I now have evah pirazzis with a leftover compas 180 G (the evah G was to scratchy for me, ESP. Arco). Despite the contrasting tension - which took some work to adjust to- the sound is great.
Comparing evahs and the 180s, I'd say they are both excellent hybrid choices, but the velvets are much nicer to play, especially in Eb! I'll probably get them again after giving some gut strings another run. If I'm feeling flush, that is...
 
#187
Just read this whole thread. Still have to go back and read part I an II ;).

The Compras sound very interesting, but I have a few questions.

Why do they take so long to install? And is there an issue with them snapping if the metal part is wrapped around the peg? Is this an issue on a standard 3/4 bass?

I have Spiro solos on my bass now, and it sounds like I might have to adjust the bridge to account for the gauge.
 
#188
The metal part of the Compas 180 should not be wound on the peg. This might only be a problem with the string that is wound on the first and perhaps also the second peg because they stretch initially.

The Compas 180 do not have a ball end or a loop. They have open straps to be mounted in a special way (not too much complicated when you did it right once) so you can adjust the position of the metal wound part. This way you can adjust the string so that the metal wound part ends at the upper nut. Sometimes you need to readjust the position of the metal part (after the string has stretched a bit) and this takes some time.

For me, the mounting is a clever way to adjust the position of the playable part for any bass, but it needs some time and practice in the beginning. Some don't like this and if a string would break during a gig it is not so nice to replace the sting quickly. Older strings (which could possibly found in the classified) had manufacturing issues, the actual ones don't.
 
#189
Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but I'm curious about any experiences with purchasing Velvets from Lou Roten. I ordered a set of Garbos with a gut G a week ago, and haven't heard a peep out of him. The PayPal transaction went through, and I emailed him a couple of days ago just to confirm the order, but still nothing. Is this typical? The price is right, unless they turn out to be air strings, but I'd rather pay a little more and know they'll arrive.
 
#190
DoubleMIDI said:
lly.

The Compas 180 do not have a ball end or a loop. They have open straps to be mounted in a special way (not too much complicated when you did it right once) so you can adjust the position of the metal wound part. This way you can adjust the string so that the metal wound part ends at the upper nut. Sometimes you need to readjust the position of the metal part (after the string has stretched a bit) and this takes some time.

For me, the mounting is a clever way to adjust the position of the playable part for any bass, but it needs some time and practice in the beginning. Some don't like this and if a string would break during a gig it is not so nice to replace the sting quickly. Older strings (which could possibly found in the classified) had manufacturing issues, the actual ones don't.
Click to expand...

I have to say that putting these strings on is a total PITA! Lining them up between nut and bridge is very difficult. I had too much length between tailpiece and bridge, the material binding got caught on the bridge as I tuned up and the string broke. They are nice strings once installed, don't know why Velvet doesn't come up with the loops or other more normal installation with these. Maybe they just stretch too much...
 
#191
The reason must have been that they break when the metal winding goes onto the peg. So they needed a flexible way to mount them on the lower end.
BTW, they learned and are developing a string that could be wound on the peg and uses loop ends.

I agree that you have to care more about the Compas 180 when mounting and retuning several times. For short scales there might be a problem, no problem for my 109 cm 4/4 (yet, I haven't tried the E until now). But I had to readjust the lower end one or two times for my highest string (on second peg) to avoid the metal part reaching the peg.
 
#192
I've ordered Velvets a few times from him. I think it's a part-time business for him. Sometimes there will be a wait, but I've always received the strings. You can pay more at other websites and get them quicker. It's your choice. I always order replacement strings at least a month before I plan to install them, so I don't have to worry.
 
#193
61pollmann said:
I've ordered Velvets a few times from him. I think it's a part-time business for him. Sometimes there will be a wait, but I've always received the strings. You can pay more at other websites and get them quicker. It's your choice. I always order replacement strings at least a month before I plan to install them, so I don't have to worry.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's reassuring. There's no screaming urgency, and I've paid already, so I guess I'll continue to wait, and "suffer" with my Evahs!
 
#194
I ordered my compas 180's from Lou, and had to wait an eternity before I got them. Emailing him doesn't seem to do much good, I would call him, he will eventually return a message. He doesn't carry a supply of strings in stock, or least doesn't for compas 180's, but seems to wait to get a few orders in and then makes a bulk order from Velvet. You then need to wait for the strings to get manufactured, then shipped from Switzerland to Lou, who will then mail them to you. I think it took me about 45 to 60 days if memory serves me right, from when I bought them before I received them. However, he does have the BEST price going for Compas 180's, significantly cheaper than Lemur or Gollihur. So, if you can wait for Lou, the deal is the best. For Anima's and Blues, Steve Cosica in Phoenix seems to have the best price and hopefully better service but I haven't used him before.
All that said, my compas 180's were worth the wait! I am mostly a jazz player but I studied classical for years at the college level and need strings that can handle alot of arco really well, and these strings have delivered that for me. I have had them for about 6 months, and they have been the best strings for what I do. I seek a more gut like tone, but with a little more sustain, and that is exactly what I am getting from these strings. With a higher action and a strong right hand you can get a great gut like thump, and then pick up the bow and do all the arco soloing you want.
I got a Gamut pistoy G string and for about a month I had it on there instead of the Velvet G and was able to really compare the differences. I must say that I really loved the gamut Gut string except I missed the sustain and the bowed tone of the Compas 180 too much so I ended up putting it back on after hearing a recording of me trying to bow the Guts. When my compass 180's wear out completely I might put the gamut G back on and get a pistoy D and give the gut thing a longer trial, but for now I couldn't be happier with a string. I like them much better (mainly due to the lower tension) then the Spiro mediums I had previously had on this bass (which likes lower tension) their darker sound and more gutlike thump gets me closer to the Ray Brown tone I am shooting for without killing my left hand. ( I know, Ray Brown switched to Spiros at some point, duly noted)
I will say that the install of these strings was completely brutal. It took me almost 2 hours and I was done for the night. You have to wind and rewind and experiment and take in to account the amazing amount they will stretch to avoid having the metal bits get wrapped around the peg which is the key to their not breaking. My bass is 41.25 scale so this was quite a challenge! Not something I would look forward to again. Anima or even plain gut are nothing in comparison to the PITA factor of installing Compas 180's, but I do feel it was worth the wait and the effort.
 
#195
engedi1 said:
I ordered my compas 180's from Lou, and had to wait an eternity before I got them. Emailing him doesn't seem to do much good, I would call him, he will eventually return a message. He doesn't carry a supply of strings in stock, or least doesn't for compas 180's, but seems to wait to get a few orders in and then makes a bulk order from Velvet. You then need to wait for the strings to get manufactured, then shipped from Switzerland to Lou, who will then mail them to you. I think it took me about 45 to 60 days if memory serves me right, from when I bought them before I received them. However, he does have the BEST price going for Compas 180's, significantly cheaper than Lemur or Gollihur. So, if you can wait for Lou, the deal is the best. For Anima's and Blues, Steve Cosica in Phoenix seems to have the best price and hopefully better service but I haven't used him before.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reporting your experience. Interesting way to do business. I'll think about cancelling my order and buying through Bassico in Germany -- they seem to have these in stock for only marginally more. Unfortunately, most of the usual suspects don't appear to have the gut G set listed on their sites. I'll post when I get a response; they might be a good alternative for out of US buyers.
 
#197
I just picked up an almost brand new set of Garbo Light, and I must say they feel terrific. They haven't been on the bass long, but they have more tension than I thought they would(feels like plain gut). The D and G sound great! I went with this set because my bass responds best with Gut on top but I wanted to have a set with a bit more tuning stability as the weather right now is all over the map in Ontario. I don't have any gigs until the weekend, but I will update after and let you guys know how they respond.
 
#198
A question about tension of Velvet strings:

on the Velvet website the string tensions per string type is given, e.g.: COMPAS 180 SUIT 24 kg per string. Is this the tension on a standard 105 cm mensur 3/4 bass?

I guess the tension on a 107.5 cm 3/4 mensur will be bigger? And if so, how much?

Contacted the Velvet service many times (including Nuno's hotmail account) but didn't get any replies...

Thanks for your help!
 
#199
I think the tension is given for 106 cm. With that in mind, tension varies as to the square of the length.

So...

107.5^2 / 106^2 = @ 1.0285

therefore 24 kg X 1.0285 = @ 24.7 kg -- a barely noticable difference.
 
#200
Hi Tony,

the tension will be higher. Haven't calculated exactly how much, but roughly 5% for 2,5cm more (for a 105cm scale).

I played a high C Compas 180 and 180 SUIT on a 109cm scale. The SUIT was still really soft on the long scale, but I preferred the regular 180 because the tension was not too high (I had problems with the thin steel high Cs and Spiro Mittel lower string tension) and there was still a lot of power (a bit more than I could get out of the SUIT). But I was used to play Spiros, not gut. (BTW, the high Cs are not well made, but I got them as a free sample.) The regular sets you can get now are good (but check the strings first and ask Nuno for a replacement immediately if needed).

If you cannot reach Nuno (might be a bit more difficult at the moment, since he does the customer service out of Switzerland) or only with long delays I might help you with my Compas 180 experience (and maybe also a few others like engedi1).

Joerg
 

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