2wheeler Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I was not interested in this thread before but I have just started playing arco. If you still need a guinea pig then let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) Hi 2wheeler, Yeh, for someone who's just starting with a bow they're definitely worth a try! I'll put you on the list, though it's a bit of a wait at the mo! We've run out of the new prototype core, which is why things have stalled a bit - but we're hoping to get that sorted very soon. and I'll try and sort a second test set then as well to help move things along a bit quicker... Cheers, Daf Edited October 1, 2013 by daflewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2wheeler Posted October 30, 2013 Share Posted October 30, 2013 Thanks for adding me to the list Daf. I am beginning to really understand what you mean by "a bit of a wait" That's fine though, I am not in a massive rush. I am looking to get new strings at the start of next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLoydElgar Posted November 1, 2013 Share Posted November 1, 2013 (edited) Bought myself some 140B's... Loved them when I first heard them and the price is perfect... Edited November 1, 2013 by FLoydElgar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted November 7, 2013 Author Share Posted November 7, 2013 Hi Chaps, just wondering.... anyone know where we're up to.... ? Ta! Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Hi Daf. I have the prototypes at the moment. I'll send them on to the next person after my gigs next weekend if that's OK? Initially I wasn't sure that I liked these - probably because of the higer tension and less fundamental (thud?) compared to my usual Rockabillys. Hovever the drummer really likes them as the brighter tone means that he can easily hear the start of the note so I've persevered and I have to say that now I've got used to the tension, the sound is really growing on me. Anything in 1/2 or 1st position on the E string is nice and clear and articulate - probably why Mr dummer likes them so much! Acoustically, they're noticeably louder than my Rockabillys or Velvet Garbos - the E string in particular projects really well. Who's next on the list? I'll send them out Monday 18th. Dave Who's next on the list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Hi Dave, So sorry, missed this one! Kipperwig is up next, if you haven't already sent them.... Did they grow on you in the end? Cheers, Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Now with Kipperwig. I definitley enjoyed the last two gigs i did with them. It would have been nice to hold on to them for another month, especially now I have a new bass to try them on! Despite my limited arco ability I found the prototypes to be a very capable hybrid string. The pizz tone was on the bright side of 'old school' if that makes sense! Solid fundamental with enough harmonic overtones to to please steel string players I reckon. The E string in particular is great - nice big solid 'F' and probably the loudest string I've ever played. They're easy to get going under the bow (quite an achivement for an arco idiot like me) and sound pretty warm to my ears. But, now I have my trusty Rockabillys back on, I realise that what I really, really love about them is the 'bounce' I can get from them with my right hand - it's just not possible with higher tension strings. I think I'll stop trying different strings on this bass (the 50s Ply) - for Johnny Cash-esque thumpery, the Rockabillys are just perfect. I will definitley try the hybrids on my new carved bass when they go into production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 Hi Dave, Thanks for that... and to be fair, they weren't really aimed at the same market as the RABs/Ultras/Slaps; more the jazz/classical/shows kind of player - easy on the fingers and easier with the bow... Hey, that could be the marketing slogan! By the way, it looks like we've come up with a name for them... "Polychrome" - they have a polymer core and a chrome-steel outer wrap; and the word also means "multicoloured" - I was rather pleased with that... What do you reckon? daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Good name - especially as 'hybrid' is already taken.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted December 10, 2013 Author Share Posted December 10, 2013 Yeh, good point! - though we were a little concerned about having 'hybrid' in the name anyway, as it might make people think they were neither one nor the other... rather than both! - if you see what i mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philparker Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 An update... I now have the strings, received from Kipperwig this morning. it will be the weekend before I can fit them, I will try and record some sound comparisons to my Evah Pirazzis that are currently fitted and the Belcantos that are going on next!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipperwig Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 [color=#333333][size=4]Hi all, these are my thoughts on the prototypes,[/size][/color] [color=#333333] [size=4]I tried the strings on my ply bass and also on a fully carved chinese I had on loan for a few weeks.[/size][/color][color=#333333] [size=4]On the ply bass, the pizz sound was to dark for me, the bass itself is a little boomy and sounds better with a brighter string, for my taste anyway. On the carved bass, they had a really nice pizz sound, lovely 'pop' on the start of the note and a decent amount of sustain.[/size][/color][color=#333333] [size=4]They bow very easily, with a nice thick round sound, very even tone and volume accross the set, and not at all scratchy.[/size][/color][color=#333333] [size=4]They felt very comfertable to play, I'd say pretty close to Honeys (the only other Innovation string I've tried) in feel and tension only not as thick. the tension was slightly higher on the G compared to the rest of the set, but not enough to bother me at all really.[/size][/color][color=#333333] [size=4]I dont have as much experience with trying different strings as some guys on here, but I'd say these are a damn fine hybrid string. They might not suit everyone or every bass, but i think they pretty well fit the brief of what they were supposed to be. Great job Daf![/size][/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hi Rob, Thanks for that, and it was nice to see you again on Saturday. we spoke about it when we met, but I just wanted to comment on here about the weight of the G string... it seems to be one of those oddities of the double bass - that they're all so individual! they've been tried out on about 15-20 basses and I've had comments about the G feeling a little higher tension on 3 of them (and I should stress, as you did, that the difference is slight...) Phil, Thanks for the update, and if you do get a chance to make those recordings it would be really helpful - thanks! Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philparker Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I've just finished testing these and made a quick YouTube comparison between these and my previous Evah Pirazzis and most recent Belcantos. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvNuVif43-Y[/media] I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed with the Innovations. In the very short time that I’ve been playing DB I’ve managed to try out 7 sets of different strings (including 2 sets of Daf’s trial Innovations). The Arco/Jazz is aptly named if they want to remove the ‘Hybrid’ tag. They are very similar to the Evah’s in ‘feel’ and I think they bow and pizz very similar as well, with just a slightly more neutral tone compared to the darker tone of the Pirazzis. They also have a little less tension even though they feel to be about the same gauge. I’ve only used the Belcantos for a short time now and they seem to bow a little bit better than both the Evah’s and the Innovations and the dynamics are easier to control with the bow. The Innovations must be a 10/10 for value although I don’t know how durable they will be over time compared to other makes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share Posted January 28, 2014 Hi Phil, Thanks very much for the feedback and for taking the time to organise the comparison video - much appreciated! Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) I have the hybrids at the mo. If you are a Spiro player but dream of a decent arco tone, then look no further (for me, on my bass). If that were what my tone goal I would be all over these like a bad rash. At the moment the braids are doing it more for me and I am fine with that (for me, on my bass). These are slighlty higher tension than the braids and I like the lower tension thing. If I could bow the Rockabillys then I would be using them. But if I were a Spiro kinda guy I would be on these - the tone is slightly less metalic - perhaps like a mature set of Spiros (on my bass, for me). Slightly lower tension than Spiros, but really nothing in it, but they have the same immediacy and sound focus (is that even a concept?). For me, on my bass. Who is next? Edited February 16, 2014 by owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) "Mature" ha! Like it!! Interesting comments - one of my deps in the show said something similar - though I seem to recall the word "old" rather than mature! (He's from London, but I'd have sworn he was a Yorkshireman speaking that plainly!) By the way, You mention the tension being similar to or a little under spiros - I'm assuming you mean the weichs? (I've not played spiros in many years and have never played the weichs) Ta, Daf Edited February 25, 2014 by daflewis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) You are correct, I am comparing them to Spiro weichs. Edited February 25, 2014 by owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 Could I be added to the list for these please? I've been fairly settled on Spiro Mittels for a while now, but arco is always a bit of a challenge and I'm now playing arco about half of the time in one of my projects. It's possible that I may find the tension too low, but it might be interesting to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hi Beer, Sure, I'll put you on the list (see the OP for a full list and where the strings are currently) - I think you'll like them, you're exactly the kind of player they're aimed at... Cheers, Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassInMyFace Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 who is next? im a few days away from passing these on so would be about time to get details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 There's a list of people in the opening post of each topic - looks like it's johnny dissident. Cheers, Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Hi Everyone, There has been some confusion recently about what to do when you've finished with the strings, so just a reminder for everyone... There's a list in the opening post of each topic that I update as often as I can, so you can keep an eye on where the strings are and also see who you need to contact when you're done with them. - (But it's all in the terms and conditions thread, which everyone has, of course, read... ) Cheers, Daf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny dissident Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) I apologise for slowing the process, half a sleep I'm afraid. I've PM'd BassInMyFace. Cheers Edited April 17, 2014 by johnny dissident Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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