Jazz/Pizz String taste and choices...

[Ken Smith]

I want to bring up this subject of taste and choice as not everyone hears the Bass the same way for jazz much less plays the same Bass. Years ago when I played Jazz the main string was Spirocore. I do remember a few using Ropecore by Thomastic as well but these are now called Superflexible and I think they have a new formula.

When I started back playing a few years ago I was told to try Obligatos. They worked fine on my Batchelder Bass which I used for all styles of playing including Orchestra.

In the last few years I have tried a ton of strings so I will list them as best I can. Spiros, Superflexible, Animas 180 (the bowing ones), Varicore, Helicore orch, Flexocor, Orig Flexocor, Olivs, Oliv/Eudoxa mix, Oliv/Jaegar Forte mix, Orig Flat Chromes, Permanents, Flexocor/Perm mix, Jaegar Forte, Jaegar F/Eudoxa mix, Labella Gut/Gut wound, Labella Steel/orch 7720, Eurosonics and a bunch or proto-type test sets from both Labella and Eurosonic (JR music).

I have played other sets as well while trying other Basses but these I actually put on the Basses I owned. Also, some of the Basses I acquired had old versions of Flexocor and Eudoxa steel (orig Flatchrome).

For an older type Jazz sound I have found that the better the Bass, the more kinds of strings that sound good on it. Some other Basses are more picky and only work with one or two string types. Just yesterday I switched A and E strings between two Basses. On my Bollbach Lion I had orig Flexocors on it at first but were a few years old. I had a set of Jaegar Fortes in my cabinet unused/unopened for about 2 years. I put them on the Lion and it sounded better in minutes. Still sweet on the top but easier to play on the bottom. Then I thought about my Eudoxas on the Bisiach across the room. At first I was going to switch the two Basses and just change strings between them but was worried I could damage the Olivs or Eudoxas. Yesterday I took a chance and swapped just the A and E and both Basses sounded better after. The Bisiach had more growl with the Jaegar E than did the Lion and the Lion sounded better with the Eudoxa E than either the Jaegar or the Orig Flex.

Every Bass I string up must have some kind of Pizz quality. Recently I got my Batchelder back after it was in NY and Germany being shown. I have some other customers looking so I brought it home. The Obligatos were 5 years old and not sounding good at all. The Bass was not set-up like it was 3 years ago when I put it up for sale as people just messed with it. I did a quick set-up and put this slightly used set of Thomastic Superflexible/Rope cores on it. WOW, talk about agressive growl. I have been told they are not as lively as Spiros but on this Bass they sounded great. I had old Spiros on the Bass when I got it about 6 yeas ago or so. These sound much better to my ear for this Bass as far as that newer growly Jazz tone we've heard since about the '70s.

On my Gilkes I have liked either Orig Flat Chromes or Flexocors for an older Jazz tone. Actually, I use Flex Starks on most of my Basses and get a thicker deeper Jazz tone. My Loveri likes the reg Flex over the Starks as the heavier ones choke the top. Still, it has some zing on that deeper toned old Bass sound.

So, a lot depends on first, what you want to hear and second, what Bass you are stringing up. This is often an expensive learning process finding what works for both you and your Bass.

[Bob Branstetter]

I used Thomastic Spirocores for about 20 years. I discovered over the years that my skin or sweat was acidic enough that it caused the Thomastics to go "false" very quickly. Because of that, I was having to replace the string sets about every 3 months (I was playing 6 nights/wk). In 1996 I had the opportunity to meet Norman Pickering while attending a violin makers convention. Dr. Pickering is probably best remembered by us old guys for inventing the famous Pickering phonograph cartridge for turntables. He is also one of the World's foremost experts on violin family strings and wrote a book titled "The Bowed String" which many consider to be the bible of string books. He had been hired as a consultant by the D'Addario String Company to design a new line of violin family strings. When I told him that I was a jazz bassist, he was kind enough to ask me to be one of the beta testers for the their not yet released Hybrid bass strings. I loved them and have been using them ever since. Apparently they use a different type of metal for the string wrapping since I have not had any problem with these strings going "false". I don't care much for their pizzicato strings, but I've had good experience with both the Hybrids for jazz and the Orchestra strings for arco. The nice thing is that they are also somewhat cheaper than the Thomastics.

[Ken Smith]

I have had about 9 Basses to date with Helicore's orch. on then when the Basses came in. When I got in 6 Corsini Basses they all had Helicore strings. Some bowed well and some did not. Some Es were .105" and some .110. They were not consistant in size or sound and all were the Helicore Orchestra model from the same batch shipped to JR Music to put on their Basses.

I know that Basses vary but the string gauge should be consistent from set to set, no?

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I have had about 9 Basses to date with Helicore's orch. on then when the Basses came in. When I got in 6 Corsini Basses they all had Helicore strings. Some bowed well and some did not. Some Es were .105" and some .110. They were not consistant in size or sound and all were the Helicore Orchestra model from the same batch shipped to JR Music to put on their Basses.

I know that Basses vary but the string gauge should be consistent from set to set, no?

I don't doubt what you are saying Ken, but I have to say that I have not found this to be the case with the Helicore Hybrids or Orchestras that I've used and I've been using them since before the first ones hit the retail shelves in the mid 90's. I agree that .005" is too much variation for a string, but as far as bowing or sound is concerned, I find absolutely nothing unusual about 6 different (same model) basses from the same maker/factory sounding and playing/bowing differently with the same strings. I had that happen in my shop all the time when I was buying basses from other makers as well.

[added 1/30/07] I just noticed in another forum topic that one of the persons who bought one of Ken's Corsini basses thinks that was a Plus that the bass came supplied with Helicore Orchestra strings. This, of course, proves absolutely nothing other than different folks like different strings. If that wasn't true, there would be no market for all the different bass strings currently available.

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by Bob Branstetter

[added 1/30/07] I just noticed in another forum topic that one of the persons who bought one of Ken's Corsini basses thinks that was a Plus that the bass came supplied with Helicore Orchestra strings. This, of course, proves absolutely nothing other than different folks like different strings. If that wasn't true, there would be no market for all the different bass strings currently available.

#1......Hi B!!!!!

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I've been using Spirocores since I began playing again and I'm sure I could have done much worse. After a brief (1 hour) fling with Helicore Hybrids I'm back to the Spirocores again on my Upton Hybrid bass. In the Helicore's defense, I bought them used and the A string was just WAY too bright. They may have been damaged along the way.
I'm going to give Obligatos a spin to see what they're like. The Spirocores just have that metalic sound, particularly the G up around the heel that bothers me. I'm looking for a more woody tone and hoping they do the trick. Then, if I like them, will they last?

Keeping an eye on that String G.A.S....lol