Synthetic Strings (Dominants, Evah P, Obligato)

[Jeff Moote]

Thanks guys, but as I posted in another thread I'm doing almost all arco playing, split maybe 70/30 between orchestra and solo (classical) playing, so I don't really care what they're like as jazz pizz strings. Still, your opinions can be extrapolated to give other indications

It seems universal that people find the Oblis die fast (under 1 year for sure) and that the low strings go first. That alone is enough to steer me away from them. On the other hand, Dominants when installed carefully are said not to break as much as Talkbass might imply, and will definitely last (1-2 yrs+)

I'd jump on the Doms (or a Dom/Spiro combo) if all I was doing was section playing since that will be a nice loud/bright set. My concern is for when I want to play solo repertoire that their sound will be too harsh and hard to start under the bow at low dynamics.

[Pete George]

I've had a full set of the Evahs (with a long C low string) on my Arvi bass for about three weeks. I love them. The tone is fantastic, and they bow very easily -- at least as forgiving as the Flexocor '92s, but with a much better tone (IMHO) than either the Flexocors or the Bel Cantos.

It's also the only string I've found that's truly balanced on my bass. I've had to use mixed sets with everything else.

In particular, I love the long C, which tends to be either wimpy or unbowable in almost every other maker except the Permanent. But this C is a better sound and just as loud, with more tonal complexity, than the Permanent long C.

My only concern is the diameter of the G string, which is a bit greater than I'd like. It may be an issue in solo playing, but for standard orchestral use that's not an issue at all for me.

Count me as a BIG Evah fan.

[Jeff Moote]

I've gone for the Dominants with a Spiro low C (I'm in fifths) and so far they're great. They can get a bit out of control under the bow compared to Pirastros (Flex, Orig Flex, Perminant has been my experience) but in return they have a very dry, lively tone. I'm happy so far, and we'll see after a season with the Orchestra but I think they're going to work very well for section playing.

All this talk of the EPs has me really wanting to try some, but having just changed to fifths tuning I have to wait until the solo set is released. That is supposed to be within a year, so that should be plenty of time for me to enjoy my Dominants.

[Johnny Layton]

I've only tried the Dominants on my own bass, and I liked them very much...a great pizz and arco string. They are too high tension for my tastes, though, and so I haven't used them long enough to confirm or refute rumors that they lose most of their brightness after only a couple of months (something that I liked quite a bit and still sounded very good with the bow to me).

I've tried Obligatos a little on other people's basses and don't dislike them, but I like the Dominants better for their sustain and brightness...however, I'm not a big fan of gut strings or old school sound, despite the lower tension.