Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Clinkingbeard
I know the Velvet Animas have been around for several years and have been reformulated some. I bought a set over at TB and played a gig with them last night. Mine seem almost perfectly flatwound on E-D with the rougher G.
I have played on others with halfwound (ground) lower strings that felt weird.
This bass has worn Mittels, Hybrids, Corellis, Superflexibles and Obligatos. It works best with lower tension strings and these Animas are the best of all. The bass is very easy to get a good tone out of, both pizz and arco.
I know these things were the rage before Evahs and Obligatos. Maybe the were the flavor of the month 3-4 months ago  , but some people have stuck with them. Maybe they are a love/hate string.
Anyway, experiences? |
I have experienced them 3 times over already. The first was an old formula where the G was bronze colored and the other three silver colored. Those I hated so bad I wanted to sell my bass. I put Flexocors back on and kept the bass. Then about 2 years ago I got another set, the next formula and put them on. They felt ok but on a jazz gig I wore my finger down to the bone trying to get some audible volume from them over, not out in the audience. Also, I bowed that 2nd set in Orchestra and they were too flimsy for my not so heavy bow hand. I sold that bass with the strings on them, a different bass than the first. Then last year I got yet a 3rd set, newer formula and still had to tie the ends (what a royal pain). I put them on in the evening, didn't know what to think, like, not like..?.. Slept on the idea, and the next morning tried them again and took them off and put back the one year old Flex. 92s that were on the bass.
I think the new Evah Weichs are the answer for a similar tensioned string but without the stringing problem (these can go around the tuners) and without the slow bowing response. Regular Evahs are good as well with the medium-light tension they feel like to me. Tonally, I might like these weichs better than the regulars but have only had the regulars on one bass so far.
Flex 92s or Evahs work best for me with some Belcantos if I need smoother bowing. I don't have that much time for fiddling and testing strings out so the styles above are what works for me. On my newly restored old English Gamba bass the Evah weichs work great for both orchestra and jazz. Maybe its just a really good bass.. lol
Animas or Velvets? Sorry, not for me..