Thomastik Bel Canto Strings

[Richard Prowse]

Take one old set of Weichs and trash them to death. Hey, these strings last forever. (Imagine a green smiley guy here)
I've just replaced my trusty set of Weichs with Bel Cantos. I bow a lot, but have to do pizz gigs too. Weichs have been kind to me... kind of like a Fender Bass (no offence Ken; I hear that your basses are miles better, but a Fender always gets the job done!) (Imagine the little face guy three rows down on the right here).
At first I noticed how similar the BCs and the Weichs were... the D & G are slightly stiffer and the E & A slightly floppier. The pizz quality is down a bit, but the arco quality is a step up! Ah, they bow well! (now imagine the white face on the left, second row down) Bow articulation is actually similar to the Weichs, on my bass, but the sound is a little darker. These strings are good! I think we'll be friends for a long while.

[Eric Swanson]

I am checking out a prototype set of Belcanto Solo. Had them on for about a week, tuned at EADG (orchestra). So far, G and D are brighter than regular BC's, A seems a little flat, and E is way too loose/quiet.

The low tension is sweet and the jazz pizz sustain is better than regular BC's. Probably going to tinker with regular BC A and E over the next few days.

I'll report back. You can get them from Thomastik-Infeld if you email them. The only "cost" is that I have to fill out a questionnaire when I am done mulling it all over.

I am hoping that they will eventually expand the line to offer Weich, Stark, and Solo. Time will tell all...

[Richard Prowse]

I've had my Bel Cantos on for a while now and I'm really happy with them. The bow sound is very good. The pizz sound has a strong bottom and I like it, though it was harder to play pizz at first... probably still is, but I really like the sound. Problem is, though, I've got this buzz in my peg box whenever I play (imagine bass guitar frets) 9th on G, 14th on D and 21st on G. Ive checked that the screws on the machine heads are tight and that the strings are securely wound. I'd really welcome any ideas on what the cause might be. When I had the Weichs on, I sometimes seemed to get a buzz on 2nd on G and 14th on G (A).

[Eric Swanson]

The prototypical set of Belcanto Solos I have been trying, tuned at orchestra pitch (EADG), are too loose for my bass, arco. Put back on the regular BC's, over the past couple of weeks.

For jazz pizz, they were sweet; like a warmer Spiro Weich. They just didn't drive the bass enough under the bow.

Oh well. I am glad that I tried them.

They were made for a whole step higher, so not a huge surprise.

Still looking for a brighter G string, so maybe I'll see how a Superflexible or Permanent G works with the Belcanto D, A, and E...

[Abe Gumroyan]

everyone in the LA Phil bass section is using Bel Canto. My teacher, oscar meza, was a long time original flexocor user. He switched over and hasn't looked back since. I heard his bass before and after the switch and hear much more nuance and depth of color. That seems to be the consensus among the entire section. The instruments in the section help a bit also .... Panormo, Gagliano, Carletti, & Fendt ... And that's just 4 of the instruments ... Drooool LOL

[Richard Prowse]

I've just put my Bel Canto strings back on The Gloria. They're a shade darker than the Weichs and a shade softer for pizz (the Weich pizz is better).

[Joel Larsson]

I had them on for two weeks now. It's the best set seen as a whole I've ever tried; I usually have to combine strings from different sets to make things work. At last I got A and E strings which rumble! I usually have to use gut core strings on my bass to get this sound. Flats and Flexes seem to choke the lower regions of my bass. The sound is extremely even all over the bass, and the volume is quite loud. For solo playing, I can feel that they lack some of the brilliance up high that a good solo string can provide, but it still responds well (and who cares about solo playing anyway). Pizz I found was very neutral. No annoying "mmmMMWAAAH" that can be embarrassing in a section.
Oh, and my bass is 27 years old. Maybe the age theory presented by Nick isn't out of place.