Velvet strings megathread part III

Hey Peck_Time you still coming over to Sydney? How do the blues handle tuning/detuning neck off neck on again etc?

 

Try some Nyman's Swedish rosin and a light touch.

 

yeah? are they dark sounding?

 

Matthew: Hi Matthew! Yep we're bringing ukulele madness to Oz at the end of February. I'll email you the dates once I find them.

I haven't tried the Velvet Blues on the removable neck bass (yet), I emailed Velvet and they recommended the Garbos as being more suitable to multiple on and off cycles. Unfortunately the Garbos were too muddy for me although they stood up fine to the abuse. I've got Spiro Weichs on there now, but have a hankering for guts on top or Velvet Blues.

Ethnotime: To me they sound quite gut-ish, so a bigger fundamental than say Spiros (on my bass) but with a good edge to the note. They amplify well and bow too.

 

Tried and heard some Velvet Blues on a former student's bass today during my clinic at the bass convention. I was favorably impressed, nice lively pizz sound, fairly bright on this bass (Upton Hybrid) and bright bowed sound, kind of reminiscent of guts with some scratch and nasality, which I kind of liked. Nice loose feel too. The bass projected well acoustically with piano in a medium size concert hall. I may pick up a set of these at some point.

 

Probably a dumb question.....but I just bought a used set of garbo lights and the gauges look very close. I can't tell easily which is E-A-G-D. Does anyone know which color corresponds with each string? The colors are on the loops.

Thanks

 

Black, Blue, Green, Red. EADG

 

thanks so much!

 

Can't wait to put the garbos on tonight. They have some build-up on them in spots (bought used). I assume a bit of alcohol and a clean rag is suitable for cleaning this up?

 

you can use a rag with a bit of toothpaste , works great with the copper

Nuno

 

so how long before these strings start holding pitch?

...and one last probably dumb question for garbo users - Is it OK that on the strings wound to the pegs higher up in the box that the textile portion of the string is all that has wound? In other words the core on a couple stings isn't wrapped around the post. They came up to pitch well before the core/wound portion of the string approached the tuning posts.

 

Does the toothpaste cleaning method work for Anima's too? I have not tried as I was worried about the texture of the Anima G and didn't want to ruin the string.

 

no one?

 

anyone?

 

If I remember well, not only that happens like it is desirable to.
Never had the Garbos, but with 180s the strings should not meet the pegs with the risk of breaking the core and then breaking the string.
By the way, the 180 are the best i've ever had for Bow.
I've had Animas long ago so i don't remember well if all the string meet the pegs or not.
I'm currently using the Blues and they don't have that issues.

By the way, I never realize that the usual Garbo G had a different kind of winding, I know they are not made for Bow but are the other strings Bowable?

 

Its not a problem that only the textile will go around the tuning machines, in fact in the A and D that will happen almost for sure.. only if you have a really small bass.

In the Garbo, Anima and Blue both the textile part and wounded part of the string can go around the tuning machines, but on the compas 180 family only the textile should go around the machines because the compas 180 have a very thin silk core and a delicate inox winding.
as always if you need anything its always better to write an email to [email protected] , i try to check talkbass in a daily basis but sometimes i dont have the time, on the other hand the velvet email is checked everyday from monday to thursday.

regards

Nuno

 

awesome - thank you!

 

Yes, but the D has a thin nylon coating similar to the Anima G. Something to consider if you are used to all metal wrap.

 

Have they changed the Garbo formula? I have a Garbo D that looks almost identical to an Anima D other than the color of the pegbox textile. Both are flatwound copper.