Belcantos for Jazz?

[Joel Larsson]

A friend who manages to make a living as a jazz player just recently switched to the Bels, and he likes them. Myself, admittedly being a half-arsed jazz player but I do enjoy to thump away every once in a while, also like them. I think Ken is right that they sure don't have the buzz (or the 'mmMWAAAH', as it has also been called) that some want but they are still clearly steel strings—they could be said to be 'gutsy' compared to other steels, but they are hardly gut! So, they're nicely in between the extremes... I like that. Now, how did they work with amplification?

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

Now, how did they work with amplification?

Mine amplify fine.

[Paul Warburton]

They didn't have enough "point" or sustain, at least on my bass.

[Richard Prowse]

I played mine quite a few times in a loud Irish band (I don't enjoy playing my DB at that volume) and they seemed to cope, almost as well as the Weichs. I like as little amplification as possible for jazz, so they're closer to the acoustic sound. They sound great acoustic - I played a few 'folk' jams like that and they seemed to power through all the bl00dy mandolins, fiddles, squeeze boxes and guitars.

[Scott Pope]

My CCB ply is really growly on its own, so the darker Bels have been really good for the pizz gigs I've been doing lately: Celtic-trad acoustic jams and "standards" jazz/dance band gigs for the military unit reunion gigs, through a Fishman Full Circle to a small amp. My bass can't take full advantage of the fundamental nature of the Bel E string, however, and I've changed it out for a Spiro 3885.5W 3/4 E string, which blends really well in all ways on my bass: tone, tension, feel, etc., with the Bels ADG.

[Scott Pope]

Follow up to the above posts: had a wedding reception gig this weekend. Good room, appreciative family & guests, etc. Great gig. The room had a lot of inherent clarity which benefitted the band greatly, and helped me truly judge their character in an amplified gig setting (Full Circle mounted "upside down" into a fdeck HPF "Pro" II buffer/preamp/high pass, then into a Carvin MB-12 combo). The band, especially the band leader, who is also the drummer and a high school band director, really like the way the Bels sound on my CCB, with a Spiro 3885.5W 3/4 Weich E string to balance the Bels ADG.

On my bass, the G is solid, not twangy or thin (it is with a Spiro Weich as well, where a lot of folks complain about twang); the A & D have good harmonic character and carry; and the Spiro E string has just that much more presence to really coordinate well with balanced tension and "feel," as opposed to the Bel E which this bass just doesn't have the fundamental resonance to take advantage of. (Of course not - it's ply, which makes it better for the amplified jazz/dance gigs I do)

Compared to the Spiros S42W that were on the bass previously, these definitely have a more "round" tone. Not quite the "growl," but more fitting for the two bands I'm in playing standards. The Spiros had so much growl on this particular instrument, on the request of another friend who is a teacher and occasional bandleader, I actually used my CCB in place of an electric bass guitar for an electric country/classic rock crossover gig with him last year. The added tension of the Bels over the Spiros S42W's has changed the "mechanical impedance" (engineering term for resonance) of the bass, almost eliminating the hot open D string I discussed in a prior thread.

Yes, for lack of any better description, I think the phrase posted above, "gut-sy," meaning slightly less overtone development than other steel strings conventionally associated with playing jazz/dance music, along with a slightly damped sustain, is good. These characteristics make it easier to keep time and intonation cleaner on this bass. The only nit so far is that the G string could actually use a hair more sustain; but nothing is perfect, and of course it's only noticable on ballads (where I probably should be playing two halfs instead of a whole note at slower tempos, anyway to keep the band steady).

Finally, after playing them for three sets, if a player is more used to something like the Spiro S42 Weich set, Innovation Honeys, Velvet Blues, or other strings with true light tension, the Bels are more of a workout, but not the workout that playing a full set of Spiro Mittels is.

[Richard Prowse]

Glad they're going well for you Scott. On my bass(es) the Belcanti felt a tad too loose for pizz - I used them in a gypsy jazz band for quite a while. I like a bit more resistance (for pizz) when the tempo gets faster. I'm getting really interested in spiro reds - I have EP weichs on at the moment. Lovely strings to play, but the bow response is a bit slow.