Good old Weichs!

[Ken Smith]

I say it depends on the Bass as much as the player. I have Weichs on one of my modern Italian Basses currently (G.Lombardi, 1976) and it bows kinda good. Too good to change the strings actually. I had Weich Spiros on my Bohemian bass as well (which I just sold) but that was not as deep a bass for bowing and it didn't sound quite as good but it worked. It was my Jazz instrument so I didn't care how well it bowed.

Years ago when there were ONLY Spiro Reds or Rope Core Blues (can you remember that far back?.. maybe there were solo Spiros, not sure when they came out), I used the Reds on my old Italian Bass for every thing I did. Sure, I tried some other strings and my Bass was also with me in hand the test bass/player for the Labella steels back in 1978 or so. Rotosound even made an Orchestra string that for me, was lighter tension but more of a Jaegar feel string than a Spiro. The Reds were in the middle for me so that was my go-to string that I used the most. If I had a bowing job, same bass same strings. Jazz gig, same same. So, with the Weichs out now, they make it easier to bow on lesser basses than the old classics whihc can sometimes work and sound as good with anything from pure rope to barbed wire.

One thing though I want to mention. If the strings are too flexible on your bass, when you pizz like in jazz and you start to dig in harder, you might find yourself chasing the beat as they respond slower when played hard. For that, Reds are better.

[Eddue Johnson]

That is one of the reason why I prefer higher tensioned strings. Weichs are a lot easier to play but on the faster uptempo tunes I sometimes hear myself behind the beat. It's really noticeable at times when the band is playing a song faster than it should be played.

I used to think, like many others, that Spiros were hard to bow because most bassits I knew played them pizz but not arco. Then I heard how well they sound when played properly. Then I knew the strings weren't the problem.

[Bin Hire]

The first time I played Weichs I had only played old strings on school basses. I don't know what they were.
When I first put my bow on some strings with the purple and red ends, on someone else's bass, I thought,
"This is easy!"

[Thomas Erickson]

I don't know why so many people say that spiros are bad for bowing; IMO they bow fine - just takes a little different approach is all...

Which isn't to say that spiros sound good on every bass though!

[Eddue Johnson]

There are many bassists, myself included, with very limited bowing skills. Sometimes it's just a matter of blaming the strings rather than admitting we haven't mastered the technique of playing arco, then move on to more forgiving strings.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Thomas Erickson

I don't know why so many people say that spiros are bad for bowing; IMO they bow fine - just takes a little different approach is all...

Which isn't to say that spiros sound good on every bass though!

Unless you have a very dark smooth sounding bass, usually old Italian or German 200 years or more and play very well with the Bow classically, bowing 'Spiros reds' instead of standard Orchestra bowing strings, the 'barbed wire' sound will not blend in with the rest of the bass section.

I have seen a few Extension Es in the Reds and occasionally a mixed set with the E and A in Reds but rarely do I see any level headed Orchestra player using a full set of Spiro Reds in USA. There are just so many better choices for bowing strings. Usually a player starts with the smoothest string he can find for bowing and then starts gradually brightening up the sound testing other strings till he gets what he needs to match the desired sound of the section.

Show me a professional Orchestra with all the basses bowing on Reds. Please!

[Bin Hire]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Unless you have a very dark smooth sounding bass, usually old Italian or German 200 years or more and play very well with the Bow classically, bowing 'Spiros reds' instead of standard Orchestra bowing strings, the 'barbed wire' sound will not blend in with the rest of the bass section.

I have seen a few Extension Es in the Reds and occasionally a mixed set with the E and A in Reds but rarely do I see any level headed Orchestra player using a full set of Spiro Reds in USA. There are just so many better choices for bowing strings. Usually a player starts with the smoothest string he can find for bowing and then starts gradually brightening up the sound testing other strings till he gets what he needs to match the desired sound of the section.

Show me a professional Orchestra with all the basses bowing on Reds. Please!

Ken, when you mention reds, are you talking about all the Spiros, or just the medium ones?
I humbly suggest that the bass is also bowed in other settings, not just in the orchestra.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bin Hire

Ken, when you mention reds, are you talking about all the Spiros, or just the medium ones?
I humbly suggest that the bass is also bowed in other settings, not just in the orchestra.

Red's are the medium ones and back in my younger days, there was only one kind and maybe solos. Weichs were not out just yet and Stark Reds are more recent to me ears. Are there others that are Red at both ends?

Other settings? Sure, why not but the true test I thought was playing Orchestra music or Classical type solos.

Who wants to head scratchy bowing?

No one I know..

[Thomas Erickson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Unless you have a very dark smooth sounding bass, usually old Italian or German 200 years or more and play very well with the Bow classically, bowing 'Spiros reds' instead of standard Orchestra bowing strings, the 'barbed wire' sound will not blend in with the rest of the bass section.

I have seen a few Extension Es in the Reds and occasionally a mixed set with the E and A in Reds but rarely do I see any level headed Orchestra player using a full set of Spiro Reds in USA. There are just so many better choices for bowing strings. Usually a player starts with the smoothest string he can find for bowing and then starts gradually brightening up the sound testing other strings till he gets what he needs to match the desired sound of the section.

Show me a professional Orchestra with all the basses bowing on Reds. Please!

I didn't say they were an ideal orchestra string, I only said that IMO they aren't that hard to bow.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Thomas Erickson

I didn't say they were an ideal orchestra string, I only said that IMO they aren't that hard to bow.

Hard to get a smooth bowing sound from unless you have the right bass and technique combined. So, hard to bow. I disagree, sorry.