But you're a tough guy, Richard. We all know, and don't want you to compromise that! Can't you just do a Gary Karr and move nearer to the bridge? I did also notice that they were a bit sensitive to bow placement/speed/pressure - and especially to how straight you keep your bow when playing! They were like always having a teacher with you telling you when you aren't playing as you ought to. Kinda liked that. Now I had to take them off and put on my Perm solos, thanks to an exam coming up, and it's the first time that putting on a solo set hasn't seemed like major facelift. I want my Bels back!

I forgot to mention that they sound great EVERYWHERE on the FB; even the A and E strings sounds good in thumb position. Maybe they're a treat for all you Boardwalkin' guys. :)

don´t want to derail this thead, but thats what bowing plain guts did for me - if you can bow them right(bow placement/bowing angle/speed/pressure) , you can bow everything (imho, ymmv) (richard, sorry for the abbreviations; i mean abbr.; at least i did not use any smilies)(until now::))

What does 'ymmv' stand for? I hope you didn't just make that one up!
I hear you, Anslem M. Hawkeye - my plan this morning (I have two more days off before I go back to work) is to really examine my bowing.
Oh, and here's one of those silly abbreviations for you...
NCMF.
(Nice chatting, my friend.)
BTW (by the way) E. Joel, I don't really buy into the idea that playing everything by the bridge is the 'be all end all' - I think I prefer that Rabath guy's approach. WDYT?
(What do you think?)

My problem, dear Anselm, is that the Bels are a little bit more forgiving than plain gut. I'm not good enough for those yet! And then there is that solo playing problem again...

Richard, I don't like playing everything near the bridge either. Rabbath does have one nifty bowing technique. He can open up his instrument like few other. Do you have his DVDs?
(He has gold spun strings from Sonore. Probably cost at least $2,000, no kidding.)
Myself, I don't have anywhere near his control over my instrument, in any department (and I don't have that kind of money either - I mean, come on, if I had gold strings I'd sound good too!!) so I'll just stick to whatever will make me sound better in the long run. Hopefuly.
Saw him (Rabbath) a few weeks ago down in Germany, and despite being 78 years old, he plays like crazy! One remarkable man and musician, that one.

No, I don't have the DVDs, but watched him on Youtube demonstrating bowing. I'll have to pass on the gold spun strings too. I suspect that good bowing technique makes vastly more difference than some fancy pants string - I'm sure that Rabbath could bow Weichs!

Yes he can. He made a bit of a point of showing us students how good our instruments could sound if played properly. :(

I like the cut of this guy's cloth! (old English retort)

Update:
 

Ah, i bel canti are feeling so good! I've worked on my bowing lately.
Io amo i bel canti!

Bel's (no whistles)
 

I have them on my Gilkes(Jilkes) and Martini now. For the Martini, I pulled them off the Hart and switched for the 92s Flex's that were on the bass.

The Extension E/C Belcanto string is a heavier and tighter gauge than the regular E-string. This makes a huge difference.

I put on a new set at the ISB during the show one day and the difference between them and the Flexocor 92s was amazing. The Gilkes has never sounded so full and deep as it does now. The Flexocors are more colorful but less round in the sound. My Martini is a more colorful bass 'period' and the color still shines thru with the Bel's on it so it's not just the String. The Martini is sweet either way.

How do you find they respond to rapid bowing - like a quick semiquaver (sorry, 16 note) run?

16ths?
 

Ok, 16ths at what quarter note tempo?

I have no problem playing these fast or any other strings for the most part as long as they are on a good bass with a good set-up.

How would a string brand stay on the market of they could only be played slow?

I have a fairly light touch with the bow and can play quite fast as long as my left hand can keep up with my right/bow hand. Fast for me is not a problem bowing. Fingering is the problem. Try doing all the major works of Mozart and Beethoven playing the fast stuff. That's meat and potatoes for a good workout..

I was talking about the string response to quick notes, not the ability to play them. Sometimes I wonder if these Bel Canti get a bit scratchy when playing lots of quick notes - almost like they are moving slowly. It was a fair question. Frankly, I didn't expect The Spanish Inquisition.

I didn't find them scratchy under the bow when playing fast. They're not at all like Thomastik's other strings (Dominant and Spirocore). They have a very smooth, round tone that's deep and "buttery".

On his DVD he says he never uses solo strings because "it makes things easier", yet the Corelli mediums are basically a solo string in gauge and tension. The new Sonores he uses are solo strings tuned down to orchestral pitch...

I suppose he means that he never plays in solo TUNING. As for his Sonores, I was there when he got a new set of gold-wounds from Arnold Genssler in March. These are custom made for his needs and even if you could theoretically tune them up one note, I strongly doubt that they were produced with the aim to be tuned up. Genssler works very hard to reduce tension, and with the thin gauge I suspect that Rababth uses, solo player as he is, I suppose that means that the specifications may make it seem like a tuned down solo set.

Yes, they're smoother than the Weichs, with a lovely dark bottom end; but, in my humble opinion (I wish there was an abbreviation for that phrase), remember that I'd never heard of the Petracchi technique, not dissimilar.

I hear ya. I actually asked Gennsler (sp!?) via e-mail about those strings and he mentioned a few "big name" players that use them. He specifically said that Francois' strings are his solo model used at orchestral pitch.

Ah. Makes total sense, then. :)
Yes, Genssler's strings are 'the thing', it seems. Makes me look for a cheap and easy way to get to Berlin...

Anyways, on the topic, I've been wondering about the Bel G. It seems to have a bit rougher structure than the other strings, and has worn more on the fingerboard. It sounds great and all, but has anyone else noticed anything like this, or have I played a defect string all this time?? :eek:

Just a little info on those Genssler strings... while very far from cheap, the Genssler strings Rabbath uses are far from $2000 - 449 euros, or about USD 645. They're not a specially made model for Francois - they're a standard set that he makes called RED MORGANTE, which Genssler says are the best metal hybrid arco/pizz strings he makes.

Gennsler?
 

This is a Thread about Belcantos.. ok? If you wanna change the subject, make a new thread. I can easily move some things here over there or better yet, maybe I will just do it later when I find the time..