velvet animas?

[tommyjamesallen]

I'm thinking of trying out some velvet animas. Does anyone have some old ones for sale? Or does anyone have a particular opinion/experience of them.
Thanks.

[mtroun]

I use Velvet Garbo on my bass for the D & G (with Spiro E & A). I made the switch recently from the full set of Spiros. Garbos are bigger and more old-school sounding than Animas, which have a slightly more modern (but still 'gutlike' sound) I went for the switch because I wanted to get a more gut-like sound and Garbos deliver. The tension is low but it matches well with Spiros on E and A (I like a bit more definition on the lower strings) and contributes to a rich sound.

What strings are you using now? What kind of sound are you aiming for? That's probably going to dictate whether or not Animas are for you.

[tommyjamesallen]

Right now I have Spiro mediums E and A and helicore hybrids D and G. I'm thinking anima instead of garbos because I heard they bow better. I think ill still keep the Spiro E and maybe the A for a bit of power in the low end. I am a bass player after all. I'm just trying to find something a bit softer but not dead sounding in the upper register.

[marvin spangles]

The Animas are very loose tension and therefore easy on the RH. They have a sound that is unique. While it can be described as gut like it has a slightly synthetic sound. Not bad just different. Lovely to play pizz. I found them very unsuitable for arco despite Velvet's claim. The arco tone was unpleasant to my ears. Spiros are much easier to bow IMHO and have a superior singing tone. I can't imagine anyone using Animas in an orchestra.

[TPJ]

I've got Animas on my bass. They have quite a unique sound. I wouldn't go quite as far as saying they sound synthetic, but they do have their own sound. Med to low tension depending on your setup. My current setup is quite high so the tension is greater but still easy to play.

They are the darkest string on this bass so far, but the loudest. Definitely nothing like Spiros. Previous strings on the bass have been no name steels, Honeys, Evah Weichs. The Velvets are somewhere in between the Evahs and Honeys diameter wise. They are expensive so you need to be sure they are the kind of sound you're looking for.