Double Bass Young Jazzer/Bluegrasser on a Budget

[Mellow Fellow]

I was looking through the strings thread about trying to get new strings.

I bought a Bella Fina Chinese bass (not that great) when I entered college, and it came outfitted with some CHEAP CHEAP strings.

The tone is atrocious. Its got a dull thud of an attack, and the E,A,D get almost no overtones. The bass is VERY boomy.

I don't know what kind of strings they are, but they haven't been changed in 5 years, and have never sounded that great.
I don't have a lot of cash.

In the new set of strings I'd like a more classic jazz sound, flexibility, and a bit of speed.

I just do blue grass for money, and wind up with 5-7 gigs a month with practices during the weeks. This puts a lot of strain on my tendons, especially in the cold weather.

I was looking at Corelli 370s, but really don't know what they sound like outside of text descriptions.
I'm not sure how to apply the information about the strings in the string mega thread, so I'm not sure what would fit my needs.

Recommendations?

 

[unbrokenchain]

I use a Kay strung with Corelli 370F for bluegrass and old time applications, and it sounds great, loud and easy on the hands. I can raise the adjusters and have some good punch and volume, or lower it back down for a little growl and easier effort in jazz. That being said, I found a set of barely used (like 1 day) Spirocore mittels for $100 and put them on my personal bass, and I am very happy with the volume and tone. They have more tension than the Corellis and so require some more effort, but have bigger volume. I haven't seen too many good reviews of the Corellis on TB, and haven't tried them on any other bass, but that Kay sure sounds good. Really good. And with such a low price tag, I would support such an endeavor.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

If you haven't taken the bass in to a good bass luthier for setup, do that first, as sound and tone problems are not just due to strings. Then, you might consider Spiro Weichs or Helicore Pizz Light, which are cheaper (but not in the same class). If you don't use the bow, you might like Velvet Blues, too.

 

[eerbrev]

If you haven't taken the bass in to a good bass luthier for setup, do that first, as sound and tone problems are not just due to strings. Then, you might consider Spiro Weichs or Helicore Pizz Light, which are cheaper.

+1. The spiros are more expensive at the get-go, but you can play them for a very long time. I have no experience with Helicore pizz, though the orchestral strings are garbage IMHO.

eerbrev

 

[iiipopes]

Yes. Spiro Weich.