Originally Posted by Scott Pope
Don't confuse tension with feel, and don't confuse the tension of strings whose tension specs are quoted for 106 cm mensure with those quoted for 110 mensure.
Most folks by default use the 4/4 S42 set of Spiro Weichs, which are quoted for their tensions at 110 cm, which when you do the math to get the equivalent tension at 106 cm, difference in tension being the square of the difference in mensure, you actually come out about 14 pounds tension less than the Bels overall, with the Bel E string being almost identical in raw tension to the S39W string once tension is compensated for mensure. That's what I had on my bass to start with because I was doing exclusively jazz/dance band gigs.
HOWEVER, when you look at the Spiro 3/4 3885W set, quoted for 106 cm right off the T-I website, the quoted tension is a hair lighter on the G string and a hair heavier on the E string than the Bels. The Bel E string is too floppy to suit me, and that's why I went with a 3885.5W E string, which balances better on my bass. Your mileage will vary. My bass is very middy and growly in tone anyway; the Spiros almost sounded like Rotosound Swingbass electric bass strings. So the Bels on my bass are not as dark as they probably are on other basses. I even have my Fishman Full Circle mounted "upside down", or threads up, to get more fundamental than overtones to balance better (option 2 on page 2 of the Full Circle installation guide).
Feel, on the other hand, is a totally different subjective quality, having more to do with the overall string diameter, the flexibility of the core, set up of the bass, the ergonomics of the player, and so forth. What something feels like can have no relation to the actual tension of the string. And don't go there with how tension and feel may relate to such variables as overstand, tailpiece, afterlength, bow and hair differences, etc. That is a debate way too broad for Ken's bandwidth.
As far as the subjective judgments posted above regarding Bels and pizz, I agree with the objective part. They are dark relative to strings normally associated with pizz. If I was doing modern jazz, I'd immediately go back to the 3885W set. However, they are very easy arco, and that's what I'm working on at the present and for the next year, and the "standards" gigs I have coming up over the next few months will be fine with the darker pizz, and I'll just boost the upper mids on my combo amp a bit to compensate if necessary. But as set foth above, I probably won't have to.
It's not "good" or "bad." It's what's happening for the particular gig and the combination of bass/strings/player/repertoire. Ken knows that better than anybody.
In about a year or so, I'll probably be changing strings again as I work on arco. If I improve arco to suit myself, then I'll have a lot of studying to do to figure out where I want to go next, or just leave them on, and if I want to try to get into a formal setting for performing arco. But, being left-handed playing a conventional right-handed bass right-handed, if my right hand just doesn't take to arco, well, it will be back to a set of 3885W, and pizz on it.
WARNING: RANT AHEAD -- this is why I am frustrated that Pirastro won't give tension ratings. It leaves everything to a subjective, "Yes, it is," "No, it isn't," pizzing match like what almost happened above, except for the gentlemanly way I thank you all for tempering the comments, unlike elsewhere. When a guy says something like, "You know, I don't get quite the drive out of (certain lighter tension set), but (certain heavier set, or especially E string) tends to choke the table," then the numbers can help narrow the universe of strings to a few managable choices to consider.
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