Honeys trial set - please read "Innovation trial sets" before posting

[daflewis]

Post a reply to register your interest in a trial set....

HONEYS
A fairly low tension, slightly thicker than average, metal wound string designed primarily for jazz, but that bows very well too. They have a gutty thump at the front end with some sustain but a softer sound and less growl than most metal wound strings. The windings are non-ferrous so these strings will not work with magnetic pickups. (piezos are fine)

List ( * = done)

Sarah Thomas *
Jakenewmanbass *
Bassinmyface *
Noojb *
The rev *
Missionary *
Jwbassman *
Tiki613 *
Philparker *
Patrickhadow *
johnny dissident *
Bassfunk *
Maude *
Blood Sugar Hill *
JimmySims *
Subfeeder
steve
G-wrath
Nugget
bass awkward
eubassix

Edited November 10, 2014 by daflewis

[sarah thomas]

I'd love to try a set of Innovation Honey strings. I had Golden Slaps on while I built up my callouses and then changed back to the Helicore Hybrids that the bass came with. I play pizzicato jazz. Please add me to the list.

[daflewis]

Thank you Sarah - consider yourself added!
just so everyone knows, Jake Newman was actually first on the list - he posted in the main header topic instead of the individual string section; but once he's had them for a couple of weeks he'll be in touch with Sarah and we'll go on from there...

Edited May 29, 2012 by daflewis

[jakenewmanbass]

Hi Guys,
Yes I have the Honeys, am going to get them on there tonight and will report asap as to their performance, and i will be able to compare with Silver Slaps which I hae on currently and super silvers which I have on my ply 'lives in the band van' bass

[jakenewmanbass]

Ok so the honeys are on, first impressions (all pizz... bow tomorrow) they are a little louder than the silver slaps which for me is a good thing live, as my bass is a little quiet but records superbly well...
The bass end is a little lighter and less growly than I'd like but I can imagine that suiting certain sounds. The mid range is all full and strong and I like the tone very much. around D to F on the G string gets a bit twangy for my taste but that's a personal thing, I prefer more thump than wang (note the technical terms)
In terms of tension they are similar in my mind to the super silvers so I look forward to a gig where I play in anger to work that resistance and see what happens, I do find that I can over blow the silver slaps sometimes so the super silvers were an improvement on that on certain gigs.
My gigs this week are on the ply bass that lives in the band van (which has E A silver slaps D G super silvers) so I won't get to use the honeys on a gig until next week but will report on that and pass them on then...
Any questions feel free...!
Jake

[BassInMyFace]

ooooo i would love to have a try of these. rumour has it they will drive a magnetic pup? i blend piezo and mag but have struggled to find strings that are slappable. so if they are slappable (not psycho billy, just a bit of click here and there) and mag friendly i would love to try.

[daflewis]

Hi Bassinmyface,
Sure, give them a go - though innovation do make the point that none of their current strings will work with a mag (there is some ferrous metal in there but not a lot, so i think they're covering themselves) so there probably won't be a lot of signal.... If you feel they do work well enough it would be good to get the word out!

[jakenewmanbass]

Ok guys, the trial is over and I shall be Pm'ing Sarah for the onward address.
My overall impression is that Innovation are making seriously good strings, these Honeys were lovely and smooth and when dug into gave a nice big fat round sound. Also very easy under the bow, with a pretty even tone across the range, although as I said in my earlier post, around C-Eb on the G string was more middle and twang than I like and for that reason, and the tension difference, I am glad to be getting my Silver Slaps back on. If I was doing a pit job that had any element of arco tho I would probably switch to Honeys as for me they are a better all rounder. But a big thumbs up all round and the trial is a great idea!
And of course a big thanks to you Daf for organising it.

Edited June 14, 2012 by jakenewmanbass

[noojb]

Hi again Daf, I'd love to give these a go after bassinmyface if thats cool, thanks!

[daflewis]

Consider it done!

[sarah thomas]

The Honeys are on my Boosey & Hawkes Artia (thanks Jake, for passing them on). As a beginner with limited experience, you're going from the sublime to the gor blimey after Jake's review, but here goes with my first impressions:

The first thing I noticed was how floppy the Helicore Hybrids seemed in comparison once I'd taken them off. This could be a feature of the Helicores or it could be that they are old strings (they came with the bass). The Honeys are louder, deeper, woodier and altogether more wonderful. I sound like a proper double bass player. I've got a jam session coming up next week and an open mic at the local jazz club on July 11th so I can tell you more then.

Definitely louder - the pianist particularly liked that. The house band bassist thought they had a good sound. They seem to suit the Artia. I find my callouses have taken a hammering though, and an old carpal tunnel syndrome issue has been letting me know it's still there. I guess they are higher tension than my previous strings. Dave the double bassist gave me a couple of pointers on technique to help with the wrist problem and to get an even better sound (more arm, less fingers basically). Things I thought I knew about but obviously wasn't applying.

I'd like to keep the strings on until after the 11th July, when I'll pass them on post haste.

Just charging up the electric screwdriver so I can try out the new string winder to take the Honeys off. I don't want to take them off. Now my fingers have started to toughen up I love the thumpy deep yet clear boom of these strings. Bill the house bassist from last night (11th) was impressed by the sound of them (as was Dave from the previous session). Bill said that beginner bassists often sound a bit clunky until their fingers grow suitably strong and calloused but that these strings didn't sound at all clunky - confirming my view that I sound like a proper DB player. And more people are asking to play with me. I love these strings!

They're off to Bassinmyface tomorrow morning. Enjoy!

Edited July 12, 2012 by sarah thomas

[daflewis]

Hi Sarah,
Thanks for that; just so you know, the reason the honeys are stiffer than the helicopters is a function of the solid core and the number/type of wraps. It can effect the way they react to being bowed, which is one reason the honeys are described more as a jazz/pizz string than an orchestral one.

[TheRev]

Can I go in the list for the Honey set?

After such a good experience with the rockabillys on my ply, I'm hoping to repeat the experience with my Eminence EUB.

[daflewis]

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1342178667' post='1730879']
Can I go in the list for the Honey set?

After such a good experience with the rockabillys on my ply, I'm hoping to repeat the experience with my Eminence EUB.
[/quote]

'tis done!

[Missionary]

On recommendation from TheRev, I too would like to try out the Honeys. I'm a DB noob so having the opportunity to try out different strings is something I am greatly looking forward to.

[daflewis]

Hi Missionary,

Welcome!
Consider yourself on the list. and please feel free to put your name down on any of the other trial lists too....

Cheers,
Daf

[BassInMyFace]

so unfortunately i didnt get a great amount of time to try the honeys. gig season is very busy at mo so could only use them for one at home practise and one acoustic flamenco jam. i apologise for holding them for so long, really couldnt find an oppurtunity to string them up for a week or so.

my thoughts after limited play time.

a really nice all rounder sound. no real growl but mellow, warm response. unbelievably easy to bow! i am a terrible arco player but was able to bow these straight away, completely effortless. please bear in mind i have never bought strings for arco so have no idea how these compare to others but i couldnt believe how well they sang under the bow.

the tension is very playable, medium to low i would say. easy enough to dig in if necessary but nice and stiff for fast passages.

acoustic they were of medium volume, have had louder and quieter sets and amplified sounded very smooth. surprisingly, they did drive a magnetic pickup quite well. i know the advertising blurb says no metal content but the chrome winding was enough to get a useable signal through my kent armstrong pup. yes, it was lower signal than steel core strings but only by about a third i would say.

on reflection, these are a great all round string. lovely playable feel and a great workaday tone. if you are plugging away on solid steel core cheapy strings, these are a brilliant upgrade that will really help your playing without losing the strong fundamental DB tone.

for my preference im looking for a bit more character, darker and thumpier or a bit of growl but really these strings are very impressive and would recommend to anyone who wants a good all rounder.

many thanks for opportunity to give them a try!

[daflewis]

Thanks for the comments Bassinmyface - I see you've signed up to try the silver slaps; you'll certainly get more growl from them, but they are quite a bright sound because of the round outer wrap. I think you'll like them anyway, but it might be worth trying the rockabillys too - they're the darkest sounding string, but do still have some sustain and growl...
Just a thought.
Daf

[BassInMyFace]

[quote name='daflewis' timestamp='1344011779' post='1758758']
Thanks for the comments Bassinmyface - I see you've signed up to try the silver slaps; you'll certainly get more growl from them, but they are quite a bright sound because of the round outer wrap. I think you'll like them anyway, but it might be worth trying the rockabillys too - they're the darkest sounding string, but do still have some sustain and growl...
Just a thought.
Daf
[/quote]

yep reckon I'll be working my way through all the sets! many thanks for setting this up, great way to expand the horizons without going bankrupt!

[daflewis]

[quote name='BassInMyFace' timestamp='1344868726' post='1770347']


yep reckon I'll be working my way through all the sets! many thanks for setting this up, great way to expand the horizons without going bankrupt!
[/quote]

Yay! and why not!?

And thanks for that - always nice to be appreciated.

Which reminds me, I must pull my thumb out of my a** and get the other sets sorted!

By the way, how's the condition of the strings holding up? They've been on and off a few basses now, are they still pretty decent?

[jwbassman]

Can I put my name down to try a set of Honeys please - how do you think they will compare to the Evah Pirazzi Weich I'm currently using?

Cheers

John

[TPJ]

[quote name='jwbassman' timestamp='1345020647' post='1772315']
Can I put my name down to try a set of Honeys please - how do you think they will compare to the Evah Pirazzi Weich I'm currently using
[/quote]

Hi John, I've had both on my bass. IME the Evah's are higher tension, thinner diameter and have a more focused tone. They weren't necessarily louder than the Honey's but had a better definition. I loved the Honey's and liked them more than the Evah's on my bass but that is purely personal preference.

Definitely try the Honeys

[jwbassman]

Thanks Tom

I think I've got my name on the list now, so I'll give them a go - I'm so new to this that I don't know what I'm talking about, my bass came with the Evah's on it (brand new set as recommended by George Martin) and I've not had any real reason to change, just curious I guess

Cheers

John

[daflewis]

Hi John,
Sorry I didn't reply earlier, but yep, you're on the list
And I think TPJ hit the nail on the head with his description.
Cheers,
Daf

[jwbassman]

Thanks Daf, no worries