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Double Bass Velvet strings megathread part III
- Thread starter Dudie
- Start date
Man if I could afford them and/or had an endorsement, I might’ve stuck with the Animas cause damn we’re they good. Still, I’m seriously in love with my Spiros and is they’re aging.
Contemporary jazz with Branford, reflections with Kurt Rosenwinkel.
I checked out a few others but have settled on these two
They`re totally worth it if one can live with issues mentioned above.
My Mangnetic pickup-friendly Garbo / gut substitute set has been 4/4 Spirocore solos on the E-D, and a Eurosonic Medium on the G. Everything is nice for pizz, even volume supringly (although not quite the raw power of the velvets.) Arco and slap are a compromise, and I’ve yet to find a better “all arounder” than Animas!
I know this is a long time from your post, but I'll answer anyway. To my ears and hands, the Blues were twangier and growlier and had a touch more sustain. And I never felt safe using the E- I saw some marks after a few weeks of use that looked like the marks round steels can leave on a fretless slab's fingerboard (I don't slap). The Animas (just got them this week) are more "complex"- sounding, have a bit more bottom (especially the G and E), and are louder to my ears. It was weird playing in my living room just a few minutes ago, noticed that turning the bass toward the larger area of the room made it seem louder than my usual playing area about 8' from a wall. I haven't gigged or rehearsed these strings yet, so I may have another opinion in a week.
Cheers for the reply all the same.
I ended up buying the Anima's. Glad I did. They're delicious.
Big bodied bottom for acoustic sets, and the D & G are loud enough to keep with it.
I love these strings, they're exactly the tone I had in my head when I started down the Double Bass rabbit hole, and are a HUGE upgrade from the Helicore's I had before. They really suit my old beat-up 70's Suzuki well, and I freakin LOVE that the D & G are the same diameter as the A.
When some people here stated that these strings sound like old-school double bass, think 1940's etc.. That was a great way to describe them.
Thanks for the help DB TB.
I absolutely adored Animas when I used them.
Right up until the moment they disintegrated.
Right up until the moment they disintegrated.
Every time I absolutely love someone else’s playing they have velvet strings on their bass. Every time I love my playing I have spirocores
I bought a set used here on TB a year ago. I've put a lot of miles on them and so far, they are holding up fine.
full disclosure - I'm using an Oliv G instead of the Anima. I keep hearing about them exploding but so far, haven't seen anything that makes me worry. Maybe I should pack an extra set.
When I used them, I had no issue with them breaking. The only thing for me was that they lost some clarity as they got older and got a bit too buzzy for my liking. Still, I adored these strings when I used them.
Friend put on a set in October. Last month woke up to his anima E string popping in the morning.
When you say, "buzzy", do you mean, started to buzz because the windings began to separate in places and started sounding a bit like rounds, or because you got more excursion as the strings aged and lost tension at pitch?
It was probably more the latter issue. As they aged, the pitches weren’t as clear as I need them to be. As much as I loved them, I play and write a lot of music that needs a strong, punchy, and clear bass tone. If I was doing a lot more straight ahead jazz then I do, then I probably would’ve stuck with the Velvets as they are truly glorious for music like that. Yet, the only time my friends noticed when I changed strings was when I put on a set of Spiro Weichs.
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Anyone playing a lot of arco on Compas 180, how long did they last for you? I've had mine on for about 18 months.
They still sound fine pizz but arco maybe not so great. Could be just me
They still sound fine pizz but arco maybe not so great. Could be just me
When I was at the BASS convention in the Netherlands some years ago, the guy who organized it (I think his name is Hans Roelofsen or something similar) used the for over seven years and played mostly arco on it and he was still satisfied with the strings.
I only had them on my bass for a short time (missing G string, high C was badly manufactured and every possible replacement too) and liked them pizz, very powerful, but arco was very different from Spiros and synthetic core strings, so I looked for something else. I might try them again if I can find a cheap used G.
I only had them on my bass for a short time (missing G string, high C was badly manufactured and every possible replacement too) and liked them pizz, very powerful, but arco was very different from Spiros and synthetic core strings, so I looked for something else. I might try them again if I can find a cheap used G.
Double Midi, thanks for the reply. 7 years? that's getting your money's worth. Problem may just be ( in order of likelyhood) me, bow, weather. My bass has a rough life getting dragged in and out of motels every week and has been cooked good in my car a few times by hot weather . i'll try a few things before shelling out the $$$ for a new set.
That's what he told me. Maybe they get easier to bow after a while (similar but in a different way like Spiros).
I don't know if these strings survive hard punishment or hot conditions like in a car well.
Never wind the hard tube between strap and playable string onto the peg. There is a high risk that the string would break. I had that once with a Classico which is similar and they told me that I can wind that part onto the peg without problems. Didn't work.
So I need to remount the E several times at the tailpiece the old way and lift that tube part over the nut during uptuning of the string.
