What strings do you use and why?

For jazz Spiro mediums, tuned in 4ths.
Growly boom tinkle sound. Last forever. Maybe longer.

Orchestral C Spiro RM, G Dominant solo f#, D Belcanto, A solo Belcanto.
Why? Deep pure arco sound, goes to low C without an extension and much less top pressure. Works for orchestral and solo repertoire.

 

Flexocor Deluxe is my current choice. Works great for jazz or classical.

 

Spiro S42’s, ‘cause Rufus said to!

 

Spirocore's are what i have used the most consistently. Various tensions depending on the bass and my mood. I like them as a focused pizz string that cuts through a mix and allows me to hear whether i am in tune pretty well. They can also be played arco to amazing result with a high amount of expressiveness. They also feel good under the hands and last many years.

 

Spiro mediums = 'the voice of God herself' when I hit it correctly.

 

Oh, man ...
I own - and have tried - dozens of kinds of strings, but as I have only three basses, I can only use a few of them!

Right now - and it could change at any moment -

Bass 1: Full set of Tempera strings. Loud, full timbre, easy to play. Arco.
Bass 2: Gamut G/D/A, Spirocore weich E. Pizz but bowable. Great for "roots" music.
Bass 3: Oliv G/D, Bel Canto A, Spirocore weich E. Loud, full timbre, easy to play. I'm still looking for the magic formula for this bass, though... maybe I'll go back to the Pirazzi weich it came with.

My overindulgence stems from the fact that I kinda suck with the bow, and I keep looking for strings that will magically make me sound better.

 

On the carved 1810 Tyrolean bass: Goetz plain gut GDA with a Jazzer E/C (I had a Jarger Forte E/C previously, which was a better match but the string was a hundred years old with winding issues; the Jazzer was in the drawer. Surprisingly good bowing string. I use the bass as strung in two full community orchestras;

Carved 1880s 5/8th German has Dominant GDA with Spiro weich E/C.

My reasons are that I want as round, dark, full sound as possible; and as much ease on hands as I can get.

 

Both my basses wear Spirocore mediums. They were sensible for me when I was about to graduate from undergrad. Get a string that can last for several years to save me money, and most importantly just focus on playing and finding my sound rather than experiment with a lot of strings in search of my sound.
They're a great pizz string that ages well like wine. Loud, focused, and full. The low end is thunderous, which is always how I gauge if I like a string for pizz or not. And I've found them to be surprisingly great for arco. They make you really focus in on your bowing technique and have a wide variety of colors available. I primarily use them in improvised music and folk music settings, but I've been playing in a local orchestra recently and have had no complaints from my sections mates and the other strings about using Spirocores.

 

Evah Weich on my Shen Hybrid because they seem to sound and feel the best out of the string sets I’ve tried on this bass.

Superflexible solo downtuned to orchestra pitch on my Eminence EUB because they feel good, amplify evenly with a magnetic pickup, and the price is right.

 

I’m still searching but I’ve had the most luck with Spiro 3885 Weich E & A with Obligato D & G.

 

Pirastro Perpetual, currently stark DG but I liked the normal DG as well. Because they sound like spiros plus something i like, and the tension is right for my bass. They're loose normally but on my 43.5 inch scale Juzek they feel just right.

 

Full perms. Why not? Cheap and play well.

 

Temperas on my "dark one"... used mainly for arco, but they also sound very fine in an "old-fashioned way" when pizzed.. and on the "new" one a set of Perpetuals with a Stark D and G... used also for arco and pizz... and they sound and play so well, that I can't decide to check out a set of Temperas, which is also still lying around here...

 

Velvet Compass 180 Orch. on mine; great for pizz, and work good for arco as well.
(I do think I'll have to search for an alternative at one point though...)

 

On my carved Italian bass, I have Perpetual (with D and G stark). Very happy with them. Pizz is really nice, loud and articulate. They bow very well in spite of my sub-par bowing skills.

 

Innovation Super Silvers on my no-name German plywood (used for blues, folk, honky-tonk, bluegrass, etc.)

This is the bass seen in my avatar. Have been using various synthetic guts and steel since I got the bass in 1981, prior to these I used Velvet Garbos but they kept breaking and were really expensive (and now no longer made) so switched to the Super Silvers 12 years ago. I just replaced them with a new set this week and was startled at how much better the bass sounds...way louder, more punch. Should change them more often

Helicore Pizzicato medium on my plywood Juzek (used for anything high volume, arco practice, fake jazz)

This bass has both a Full Circle piezo and a String Charger magnetic pickup. The mag is for controlling feedback when I must crank to loud rock levels and requires steel strings. I can't believe it but my records show I bought these strings in 1998 so I guess they are due for a switch, too...time to call up Mark G! They were new to the market at the time. Chose them because they bow better than the Spiros I had on before and are cheaper as well. Obviously they last a long time

EDIT: I forgot about my Azola Minibass. That's also got Helicore Pizz strings.

 

I use Pirastro Perpetual because they have the sustain, growl and clarity of a still string coupled with a nice left hand feel and good arco response. This set is the best hybrid string I've tried.

- Steve