Innovation trial sets Terms and Conditions - please read before borrowing a trial set!

[noojb]

I thought i would write a post of my experiences on this thread as although i have only used the honeys trial set, in the last couple of months i have got round to trying golden slaps, rabs and honeys. So i thought this would be the best place to tell you all how i got on with them.

I'm playing a carlo giordano double bass with a bassmax pickup through a gk mb150e.

I started off by buying a set of golden slaps second hand off here. I liked the golden slaps, i thought they had a really nice feel, but felt the sound was a bit too 'simple' for me. They are really nice strings but not right for me for a number of reasons. My main band that i play double bass with play in Eb. The low tension of the golden slaps was a bit too low when down in Eb, they ended up sounding a bit like rubber bands, especially when amped up. I felt that they lacked a bit of character and didn't really get on with how thick they are. On the other hand though they have a lovely growl, are very comfortable to play and sound brilliant for slap. I really felt that my slap playing improved a lot just from using these strings. But all in all these strings did not feel right for me so i put an ad out on here to see if anyone had a higher tension set of innovations to swap with me. I ended up getting an offer to swap for some Innovation RABs and went for it.

After a bit of a struggle getting these strings on, which was quite difficult as the previous owner had cut the ends fairly short, and they are very 'floppy' strings, i instantly fell in love with these strings. As soon as i started playing them i thought they were just perfect. I love how they are not as heavy as the golden slaps and they have loads of character. I love the dark sound, you get such a lovely growl from them and the sustain is awesome. The slaps were a bit too dead for me so it was really nice to get the rockabillys on and have this amazing sustain. They are really loud and sound great acoustic or amped up. They are not as good for slapping as the golden slaps but still slap really nicely and are a really good all round string. For me these strings are the one, they play so nicely, and make my bass so easy to play. Once i got these on however i realised i was next on the list for the honeys and got them through in the post last week. this weekend i finally got a chance to put them on my bass and give them a go.

The honeys were a nice mellow string and are probably a lot better for straight ahead jazz playing than the RABs and the slaps. I found them a little to mellow though. They sounded a bit dead to me, and not enough growl for my taste. If i was playing more straight ahead swing stuff i think these strings would be nice but my main band is kind of a dirty rockabilly/latin/jazz mix and the RABs suit it much better. The honeys bow the nicest out of the three sets, i am not a good arco player at all but have done a bit of experimentation and found the honeys easiest to bow. As i said though they do not have enough character and growl for me so i have taken them off after only a couple of days of playing as i like the rockabillys so much more.

So all in all i thought that all three sets of strings are nice and for certain things would be perfect. The slaps are great for slapping and the honeys would be brilliant for jazz. For me though i thought the RABs were the best all rounder and suit me best.

Thanks a lot Daf for letting me try the honeys and i'll try and get them off to the next person on the list as soon as possible!

[daflewis]

Hi Noojb,

Thanks for the feedback - that's a really useful comparison.

The honeys were designed to have a more "reserved" sound, if you know what i mean - and, in part, that's what makes them better to bow (along with the metal wraps) - it also gives them a more "thumpy" pizz which is nice for straight ahead jazz. But it's all so down to personal preference isn't it... i love the sound of the slaps for jazz - i find they really cut through; but i also love the ultra blacks (RABs with a little more tension) yet most of the time i need my basses strung with braids or honeys (or the new prototypes) because so much of my playing involves switching between pizz and arco - I think i need more double basses!...(as if 5 wasn't enough!!)

[ubassman]

Hi Daf,
What is the published gauge, tension and design string length of the ultra blacks and are they available in medium and high tension?

[daflewis]

Hi ubassman,
I'm afraid the company doesn't have tensions for its strings (like many double bass string makers) and giving a gauge is not particularly helpful as the type of material used can effect the thickness so much - sorry about that! I think comparisons are probably the most useful thing I can offer at the moment...
Daf

[philparker]

My experience with the Honeys' Trial:

I'm a comparative newbie to DB, but not to bass, guitar or changing/testing strings! My DB is a lower range, but solid wood Spruce carved front and maple back and sides GEWA Mittendorf 3/4 - originally fitted with strings of unknown origin, but with red silks at the ball-end I though htey may be Thomastic, but not Spriros; they did bow very well and were no good at pizz and had become a bit 'dead', probably on the bass for a few years. I switched to a used, but good set of Evah Pirazzi's for a few months before the trial - and to a used set of Spiro Mittles after the trail.

The first thing I noticed about the Honey's in comparison to the Evah's is that they were slightly narrower in gauge and a little bit smoother on my finger tips when playing pizz, but they were also slightly less voluminous. They bowed surprisingly well, but marginally less than the Evah's - if I were to give Evah's 8/10 I would give the Honeys' 7/10 and the volume was about the same playing arco. Evah's have been described as having a 'dark' sound (it is a sound I like) and I would say that the Honeys' had a neutral sound - especially when I restrung with the Spiros straight after that had a 'bright' sound. The Spiros did not bow as well as the Honeys, they were brighter and more voluminous than the Honey's, however, after only two weeks I've gone back to the Evah's.

In summary - they are comparatively neutral in sound to the 'dark' sound of the Evah's and the 'bright' sound of the Spiros: they are comparatively easier on the fingers to play than both the other sets. They bow well, but I currently play 80% arco and 20% pizz and they're not quite suited to that ratio in comparison to the Evah's. However, in comparison to both the Evah's and Spiros, they are excellent value for money!

[hubrad]

Phil, sounds like you should get on the list for the prototypes trial.. bowable as Braided with the extra snap of Honeys. I'm 'gonna get me some'! If you're really into the Evahs I'm selling a couple of unused sets.. ;-)

[philparker]

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1361661058' post='1989109']
Phil, sounds like you should get on the list for the prototypes trial.. bowable as Braided with the extra snap of Honeys. I'm 'gonna get me some'! If you're really into the Evahs I'm selling a couple of unused sets.. ;-)
[/quote]

Thanks for your offer - I saw your ad too late as I'd already invested in a new set of Evah's to replace the existing set later on in the year (just practising now, not gigging), but I do also need to experiment a bit and find different sets. I think by the end of the year I will also need to invest in a decent DB as well if my progress and enthusiasm keeps up!

[daflewis]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the in depth and balanced review of the honeys! - (I might move it to the honeys test forum when I get a chance, if you don't mind)

I think Hubrad's right too - it would be worth giving the new prototypes a go (it'll be a few months before they get to you anyway) - I'd also like to know how you find them next to your Evahs....

And thanks Hugh (Hubrad), we might have to talk about a job as sales manager!

Cheers,
Daf

[steve]

[quote name='daflewis' timestamp='1340056245' post='1698538']
Yeh, nice one!
Oh, by the way, and just for the sake of clarity, there are silver slaps and golden slaps which are the same string just with different colours; and then there are super silvers which are the same basic design as the slaps but higher tension. ([b]I'll be putting a set of those up for test ASAP[/b])
Cheers,
Daf
[/quote]

Can I put myself down on the list for these please Daf? I'm playing golden slaps atm but I think I'd like to try a higher tension slap string. Thanks

[daflewis]

Hi Steve,
Yes, of course; I'll add you to the list.

There's a thread entitled "super silvers trial set", (about 9th or 10th down) could you add a post there saying something like "me too" - it just helps keep things in order so people know who's next.

Ta!
Daf

[steve]

[quote name='daflewis' timestamp='1371421955' post='2113838']
Hi Steve,
Yes, of course; I'll add you to the list.

There's a thread entitled "super silvers trial set", (about 9th or 10th down) could you add a post there saying something like "me too" - it just helps keep things in order so people know who's next.

Ta!
Daf
[/quote]

will do Daf, thanks very much

[Blood Sugar Hill]

Hello Daf, I'd love to try out a set of the Honeys if the offer is still open?? Cheers

[daflewis]

Hi Blood...
Yes, no problem...

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]There's a thread entitled "honeys trial set", (it's currently the first unpinned topic)... could you add a post there saying something like "me too" - it just helps keep things in order so people know who's up next.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif](looks like there's probably about a 6 week wait at the moment)[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Cheers,[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Daf[/font][/color]