Good old Weichs!

[Eddue Johnson]

Questions for the more experienced arco players:

I know spiros will stand out in an orchestra but what about for solo or maybe auditions, would spirocore weich be a good choice?

Second question:

Does the compromises that have to be made to be a good hybrid string prevent it from excelling at both arco and pizz? Or is it possible for a string to be excellant for both (not just adequate) jazz and orchestra?

[Bin Hire]

Number two is a tough question Euddie.
I must be honest and say that I have not found the answer.
I accept that we are all different. We all see beauty in different things.
Nothing stays the same. Could a perfect string actually exist?
Maybe it is our quest as musicians to take something that isn't perfect and to make it work on our terms?

[Terry McDougal]

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh. "
George Bernard Shaw

Bin, I see your point.

[Bin Hire]

Yes and...
"There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic. "
Anaïs Nin

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bin Hire

Yes and...
"There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, on a small scale, by successive developments, cellularly, like a laborious mosaic. "
Anaïs Nin

Are we still talking about Spiro Weichs here or some other Planetary kind of stuff?

[Bin Hire]

Apologies Ken.
It just seemed like the quest for a perfect hybrid string was a bit philosophical. There can never be one right answer.
Pardon me if I am wrong.
The Universe, in my humble opinion, is all about positive and negative, black and white. All opposites exist together.
You bow or you pizz. You find the middle ground.

[Eddue Johnson]

Yes, point understood.

But since we are discussing hybrid strings, I think it might be asking too much for a string to excel at both jazz and orchestra settings as long as it can perform well at either. And considering that Spiros (weich included) are designed to be an orchestra string which is accepted by many to be the go to string for jazz it seem to qualify as a good hybrid string.

[Terry McDougal]

Originally Posted by Eddue Johnson

Yes, point understood.

But since we are discussing hybrid strings, I think it might be asking too much for a string to excel at both jazz and orchestra settings as long as it can perform well at either. And considering that Spiros (weich included) are designed to be an orchestra string which is accepted by many to be the go to string for jazz it seem to qualify as a good hybrid string.

My Man, it is a good hybrid string. It's just that, by definition, one application will probably be a bit stronger than the other.
I use Weichs for pizz and bowing, but no longer on my main bass. I accept that there is always a compromise and, as Ken would probably add, no two basses are really the same.
Well, since we're quoting, here's one from José Ortega y Gasset:
"There are people who so arrange their lives that they feed themselves only on side dishes."
Hey, use what works best for your purposes.

[Eddue Johnson]

Usually with the topic of hybrid strings comes the comparison to the top orchestra strings.

Did the weichs work well for you in an orchestra?

[Bin Hire]

Originally Posted by Eddue Johnson

Usually with the topic of hybrid strings comes the comparison to the top orchestra strings.

Did the weichs work well for you in an orchestra?

Do you want to play in an orchestra on a fairly regular basis or do you want to play other music? I don't want to play in an orchestra, but I want to play arco as much as I can. I guess that if orchestral playing was my passion, I'd check out what the symphony players are using. I suggest that you go to a local symphony concert and find out what strings they are using. Really that's the proof of the pudding.

[Scott Pope]

OK, now that TI has two sets of Spiro Weichs, the 4/4 S42 set and the 3/4 3885 set, which set is being being referred to in the above posts? Thanks.

[Bin Hire]

Originally Posted by Scott Pope

OK, now that TI has two sets of Spiro Weichs, the 4/4 S42 set and the 3/4 3885 set, which set is being being referred to in the above posts? Thanks.

I don't remember the numbers, but wouldn't it be the 3/4 set?

[Scott Pope]

I just got a set of used Weichs for my CCB, the E & A from one source and the D & G from another. Total outlay: @$80 for a set in great condition. On closer inspection, I believe these are the S42 set, which will play just a tad lighter than the 3885 set on a 3/4 scale bass, according to TI's published tension specs.

No, I don't have substantial experience on DB, but oh, I like the way these feel and sound. I do have 35+ years "on the slab," and on tuba, so I'm used to laying down what needs to be laid down to support the ensemble.

Even though I tinker mechanically with many of my other instruments, and have worked on the setup on my CCB as much as a learning experience so I will know the ins and outs of how DB really works, I don't see myself getting into the string du jour race. But I didn't on tuba mouthpieces, either, and if you go on such forums as TubeNet, for tuba players it's mouthpieces as it is strings for DB players. I just contacted Matt Walters at Dillon Music, discussed my playing, and he recommended a mouthpiece. Vladimir adjusted the rim on the lathe to suit my embouchure, and I haven't looked back. I have a couple others for specific purposes, like outdoors or high tessitura, but one basic mouthpiece.

I only relay this seemingly non-related anecdote to emphasize the point that for a guy starting out, instead of spending way too much $$ on any aspect, whether strings, rosins, etc., time is usually better spent getting to know a professional, or rather the time for him to get to know you, so he/she can make a recommendation from experience that will save massive amounts of time and money in the long run.

[Bin Hire]

Originally Posted by Scott Pope

I just got a set of used Weichs for my CCB, the E & A from one source and the D & G from another. Total outlay: @$80 for a set in great condition. On closer inspection, I believe these are the S42 set, which will play just a tad lighter than the 3885 set on a 3/4 scale bass, according to TI's published tension specs.

No, I don't have substantial experience on DB, but oh, I like the way these feel and sound. I do have 35+ years "on the slab," and on tuba, so I'm used to laying down what needs to be laid down to support the ensemble.

Even though I tinker mechanically with many of my other instruments, and have worked on the setup on my CCB as much as a learning experience so I will know the ins and outs of how DB really works, I don't see myself getting into the string du jour race. But I didn't on tuba mouthpieces, either, and if you go on such forums as TubeNet, for tuba players it's mouthpieces as it is strings for DB players. I just contacted Matt Walters at Dillon Music, discussed my playing, and he recommended a mouthpiece. Vladimir adjusted the rim on the lathe to suit my embouchure, and I haven't looked back. I have a couple others for specific purposes, like outdoors or high tessitura, but one basic mouthpiece.

I only relay this seemingly non-related anecdote to emphasize the point that for a guy starting out, instead of spending way too much $$ on any aspect, whether strings, rosins, etc., time is usually better spent getting to know a professional, or rather the time for him to get to know you, so he/she can make a recommendation from experience that will save massive amounts of time and money in the long run.

Scott, this is very good advice. I played trumpet when I was younger and you are spot on about mouthpieces. Yes, strings are the same. They won't give you a shortcut past the hours of practice.