Double Bass Zyex, Obligato, or Spiro?

[rickwolff]

Spigatex?

Zyspigato?

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Spigatex?

Yes, please, and a bottle of Montepulciano!!

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Spandex?

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Spandex?

I've heard that Scandinavians are kinky...

 

[Matt Ides]

I had a set of perms on my carved bass for a year or two and that worked really well for your application. Spiro E can be added if needed. Just another possibility.

 

[Steve Freides]

I have used Helicore Orchestral strings as all-rounders and found that the pizz seems as good to me as the Hybrid and the arco seemed better. Anyone else?

-S-

 

[Eric Hochberg]

I have used Helicore Orchestral strings as all-rounders and found that the pizz seems as good to me as the Hybrid and the arco seemed better. Anyone else?

-S-

The arco is better but for jazz pizz, the HOs are duller sounding and stiffer feeling. They work but I don't find them particularly enjoyable to play.

 

[Harry D'Agostino]

I was gonna make a separate post, but I figure I'll just tack on here because I have a similar predicament.

I've been playing the Evah Pirazzis and I love them a lot, but they have a short lifespan and they're too expensive to keep buying. I've heard the Zyex and the Obligatos both last longer and I'm leaning towards the Zyex largely because of the price. I play about 60-40 pizz to arco, ranging from acoustic gigs to festivals that are heavily amplified. I didn't like the Helicore when I had 'em on a loaner I played but thats not a controlled experiment since it wasn't my bass.

My main contribution is just to point out that I love the Evahs but you'll be chaning 'em twice a year and they're really expensive.

 

[Sam Dingle]

You're changing them twice a year? Why? Do you not like their dark sound as they age? Do you clean your strings often? If you're chancing Evahs twice a year I can't see zyex being better for you as they only last 9 months on a friends bass (YMMV). I would say try spiros

 

[Michael Karn]

If the most important thing to you is longevity then go Spirocore. I will say that my experience with Evah Weichs was they're amazing for a few months then they lose something. They're still good but not like they are during the honeymoon period. I've found Zyex lights to be much more consistent, at their peak they're not quite as good as the Evahs but don't change nearly as much as they age. I think with hybrid strings a lot depends on how much you play, and i think climate a little bit too

 

[LouisF]

I've gone through a similar cycle with a new Upton Concord: Permanents, Dominants, Gensslers Basso etc and just wasn't getting what I wanted or what I know (I thought) the bass could give. Took a set of used Spirocore Starks out and put them on and we (the bass and I) are in love (as long as my hand holds out!)
Louis

 

[Eric Hochberg]

My Zyex Lights have lasted 1.5 years (and are still good) compared to 9 mths with Evah Weichs.

 

[Sam Dingle]

As we see again it depends on the player haha.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Years ago I had a set of Evah weich on my backup plywood bass. I don't know if I would say they went dead (with my dry alligator skin, my strings last forever and my current set of dominants are about 5+ years old and going strong), but my observation about the Evahs was that they tended to feel stiffer after about 9 months and were uncomfortable to play after that. It's entirely possible that they simply lost their flavor on the bedpost overnight and I ended up working extra hard to get the sound they used to get after that. Either way, I didn't find them comfortable to play after a certain period.

Lynn Seaton gave me a set of Zyex to put on the Shen in my office that he often borrows when he visits for the Aebersold camps. I plan to put them on this summer to replace the now 9 year old spiro weichs that John Goldsby put on for the same reason. I'll report back when they are on. Looking forward to the experiment.

 

[martinc]

And here is an audio clip of the Shen SB80 with a full new set of D'addario Helicore Hybrid Lights. This probably sounds a bit better than the video clips above as the mic was closer to the bass - maybe 3 feet away from the bridge.

Very easy on the hands and the bass really likes them.

Rick: Thanks a million for the three samples you have posted. Very revealing. I was surprised at just how good ( to my ears) the Helicore Hybrid Lights sound in the above audio sample. Great playing on all of them. But your cat (in the first video) did not seem to share my enthusiasm.

 

[Harry D'Agostino]

You're changing them twice a year? Why? Do you not like their dark sound as they age? Do you clean your strings often? If you're chancing Evahs twice a year I can't see zyex being better for you as they only last 9 months on a friends bass (YMMV). I would say try spiros

I first put the Evahs on in May of 2015 and they were dead as doornails by January of this year. It's not so much that I didn't like the tone, but it was both volume and clarity of pitch. They're not super loud strings to begin with and especially the low strings lose a lot of volume after a few months. And after a while it also got harder in my experience to really get a clear and defined pitch out of 'em. I play with singers in 3-part harmony which sets a high bar for accurate intonation.

I clean my strings pretty regularly with 0000 steel wool and alcohol.

I have the Zyex on now and they are much louder and I find a lot more clarity with the intonation (though they're still pretty new). I miss the tone of the Evahs a bit but overall I think this works better for me. I'm considering having a set of Evahs that I use just to record with.

I've played other basses with Spiros and I like both of these strings more for tone and feel.

 

[martinc]

You're changing them twice a year? Why? Do you not like their dark sound as they age? Do you clean your strings often? If you're chancing Evahs twice a year I can't see zyex being better for you as they only last 9 months on a friends bass (YMMV). I would say try spiros

bskts: We need your friend on here to tell us why he only gets 9 months out of a set of Zyex (you don't specify lights or mediums). I think the consensus here (and my own experience) is that your friend should get anywhere from 1.5 to 2 years before his Zyex strings start to fade.

 

[Sam Dingle]

I'll ask him when I see him. I know that's how long his mediums lasted before he changed them out (to the lights). They were very dark and had zero sustain. My guess is because he plays very hard and sweats a lot! I actually don't think he ever cleans his strings which is a big part of it.

 

[martinc]

I'll ask him when I see him. I know that's how long his mediums lasted before he changed them out (to the lights). They were very dark and had zero sustain. My guess is because he plays very hard and sweats a lot! I actually don't think he ever cleans his strings which is a big part of it.

bskts: "very dark and had zero sustain" sounds to me more like they are simply the wrong strings for his bass. If the Zyex were worn out they would likely be tough to keep in tune.....a bigger and better indicator that the strings are shot. So I would disagree with your conclusion that Zyex don't last very long. If he goes to Spirocores it should be because they are universally hailed for lasting many,many years. Not because Zyex have a limited life span than Evah Weichs.
I'm not trying to sell Zyex here.....but I like to see fairness in criticism. They may not be good for all basses (and players!) but they do have darned good sound qualities and last a lot longer in my experience than Evah's and Obligatos.

 

[Sam Dingle]

I can see what you mean. I recal him putting them on and them sounding beautiful. Pretty bright, had very nice sustain but weren't as metallic as the spirocores I had just put on. All those good qualities left after 9 months or so. My apologies.