Chiming in as a new Velvet Blue user...
Replaced a mixed set:
Obligato E
Obligato A
Spirocore Weich D
Spirocore Mittle E
Yeah, weird, but it is what my luthier and I came up with when I got the bass. Sounds great though, however Arco posed the challenge in sound, not actuation. Knowing the difference of sound, I was able to get a relative consistent sound. If I played more Arco (4/15 songs in a set are arco now) I would have looked for alternatives sooner.
So, I decided to try out Velvet Blues since the Obligato die on me in 4-5 months and I hit the point where all the strings needed replacement. Relationship between the spiros and obligatos is the spiros last (the sound I like) 2-3 times longer. Velvet's total tension was close to my prior setup too. Frankenstein is old (my bass) and I wanted to be easy on him since he has not been restored. The decision to try the blues was to have consistent aging strings with consistent bowing. I know I was taking a chance on these due to what I read on the Blue's arco response. Here is my impression of the blues over the week on the bass with about 10 hours of playtime.
First on:
When I first put the blues on, I didn't like them. They were much brighter than my prior setup, but my prior set was on the out, so I let them chill out on the bass. There was an annoying "Buzz" on the low E which sounded similar to a buzz when a obligato low E failed once. Sounds like a metallic bit-crusher distortion. Over the week, it has seemed to settle down. It is much more noticeable when amplified. I also tried paper shims at the nut and bridge to see if that was causing the buzz, but it didn't change anything. First pull with a bow... suck suck suck... I freaked out actually since I had a gig coming up (tonight). Nothing I could do with my 2 bows would bring an acceptable sound. The strings were really hard to start and bared the characteristics that others have commented here as far as sound go. Shrill...Terror Thriller Theme Song... I went online and ordered a cake or Kolstine's soft as another user commented even though my pops was good. Anyway, as with all "First Ons" you have to give them a chance to settle in, so that's what I did and began to pizz the bejesus out of them to teach the strings I was their boss. (laughing)
With every few songs came a tune-up. I played hard and soft, for hours to break these Blues in. The pizz sound is cleaner than my old set (listened to recordings for comparison). To Me, they had 2 distinct properties: Note and Growl. I don't know how to properly describe it, but when the strings were first put on, the Note and Growl seemed disconnected from each other. Over time they have become more connected. Perhaps this is not only the string and Frankenstein has settled in with the Blues too. I think so. I still am out if I like the low character of the string while pizzing away. Back to Arco... oof... but is has gotten better.
I have been really aware of my technique. These strings made me so angry that I threw my bow across the room.:scowl: They have to work, at least for tonight. Yesterday the kolstein rosin arrived, but before I get to that I want to share some things I noticed. After the strings did their preliminary stretch when I first put them, on to now where they ever so slightly go flat, they seem to start easier. They start differently anyway from my prior set. I'm learning this though at first it was frustrating. At my wit's end, I intentionally over-applied pops on the bow. It made a huge difference... for the better. Tightening the bow helped too. This is all so strange to me because I played both my basses with the same application of rosin and bow hair tightness and didn't have to before I changed the strings. For whatever reason, it helped me. Maybe having the rosin coat the string makes it start easier too.. There surely is a technique curve for me with these Blues and a bow. So back to the kole's rosin: It seemed harder than my pops but surprisingly, it made me feel comfortable and confident. Starts were easier and very little shrill. Placebo? Maybe, but I don't care. I do feel it actually altered the tone in the sound for the better too. It seemed to darken the sound.
All in all, I think the Blues are decent for me and my playing style. Time will tell if they will stay on Frankenstein. At least the Blues will be able to experience at least tonight's gig and another week or two to show me what they've got.
