The 5-String Double Bass

[Robert J Spear]

I'm going to have to punt on this one. I don't play enough anymore to have had experience with all the strings that are out there now. I can say that for the low B I would tend to favor a steel rope-core because they are brighter and usually punchier. It's a bit of work to get them going because of that construction, but usually passages where you'd need a low B aren't fast. A string that is warm and mellow just gets muddy on most basses. Pizz is difficult enough without the extra damping.