chrisd24 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I am pretty new to db (brand new in fact!) and already i am baffled by the inevitable "what strings" conundrum. The double i recently purchased has been with a luthier for the past few days and is now set up and sounding a whole world better than when i got it,unfortunately the strings on it are by the looks of things about 20 years old and sound pretty dead in places so its time to replace. I have the bass to play purely acoustically currently,playing bluegrass/folk styles of music,i quite like to dig in but cant see myself slapping it or bowing it (except purely to aid my intonation) so playing mainly pizz and not installing a pickup (as yet) i quite like the feel of the strings already on it which are metal core and im guessing around medium tension. Any recommendations would be highly appreciated as i have practically no idea what im doing and can see me making some pretty expensive mistakes! Cheers Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmybass04 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 iv just fitted a set of super silvers after doin some research , iv had a set of steels on my bass for the past 8 years and fancied a change. these new ones are not steel and they have more of an old style sound, good for folk, country,blues, slap, but i ll still be playing jazz on them when i can. i v only had them on for a couple of days but so far im happy with them, they sound and feel very different to what im used to, so i ll have a better opinion over the next few weeks. strings are so expensive, youv just got to do your research and buy what sounds like the best one for you. As i say im no expert, just my tuppence worth. good luck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisd24 Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Hi Jim, whats the tension on those like? i mainly ask as the guy doing the work on my bass said lower tension strings would need a higher action and in that case a new bridge fitting. When you say they feel very different to steels,in what way do you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmybass04 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 The super silvers are said to be medium tension , being used to the steels i would say these are a lot more loose but not too floppy. the difference in feel is in the way you can slide your finger on the steels easily , where as with these it feels (as someone else said , ropey ) i dont know if thats the right word but it kinda feels that way . my bass is set up with a medium to high action ,and these are a bit more noisy on the fingerboard, but im tryin to use a softer touch to control it. as i say its early days for me and i will make my mind up in a week or so . hope this helps, jimmy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Spiro Weich's are low tension. Last forever. Will allow you to dig in. Raise the string height a little bit and you have a good set up for folk/bluegrass. You can but them used with confidence as long as the windings are in good nick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 [quote name='marvin spangles' timestamp='1332631773' post='1591073'] Spiro Weich's are low tension. Last forever. Will allow you to dig in. Raise the string height a little bit and you have a good set up for folk/bluegrass. You can but them used with confidence as long as the windings are in good nick. [/quote] +1 for the Spiro Weichs. With the right set-up & technique will allow you to get good volume, pizz, arco and slapping if you want. Bit more 'zingy' (the Spiro's don't have that 'thud') than hybrid / nylon strings, but more versatile IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Hi Zero9 I think Thomastik may have changed the compostion of the spiro weich's , I got a set recently (last Dec ) I wouldn't describe the Weich's as Zingy in any way on my bass. In fact they produce quite a 'fat' tone. The Mittles on the other hand tend to be a little zingy out of the box but settle after a while. Of course every bass is different... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisd24 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Share Posted March 27, 2012 thanks for all your replys, im certainly leaining towards the spiro's! My bass is probably on the small side of 3/4 though (scale is about 40.3 inches) so do you think the mediums would be a better choice as my tension will be a bit lower anyway? also is there anywhere i can find them cheaper than 140ish quid....(almost makes me wanna cry!) anyone with a secondhand set burning a hole in a spare drawer please send me a pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 [quote name='chrisd24' timestamp='1332873842' post='1594328'] thanks for all your replys, im certainly leaining towards the spiro's! My bass is probably on the small side of 3/4 though (scale is about 40.3 inches) so do you think the mediums would be a better choice as my tension will be a bit lower anyway? Not sure what you mean by this. I don't think that having a slightly reduced string length means that the tension will be less. Maybe others could pipe in here... [/quote] Both Mittles and Weich's are great strings. Maybe somebody could lend you some to try. If you are patient you can get them second hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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