Pirastro strings

[fatgoogle]

I asked on talk bass but their mildly useless over there.

Any have experience with either flat chrome steels or permanents in orchestral tuning. Mainly for bowing and solo work. Looking for something brighter then the belcanto's which are great orchestral string but the e lacks projection.

So flat chrome steels and permanents.

Cheers
Sam

[ubassman]

I found that the flat chrome steels are great in orchestral tuning - they like the extra tension. I actually used them on a short mensur solo bass and they were probably at less than performance tension but absolutely sang. Replaced them with some short scale Corellis and I think i may still have an old set knocking around - will have a look.

[fatgoogle]

Cool beans pete. Im still thinking about kaplans but have a feeling they would be just as dark as the belcanto's.

[ubassman]

yes reckon the Kaplans wouldnt be bright enough . I'm away at the moment but when Im back I fish out the pirastros and wang em over to you to try !

[geoffbassist]

Hey Sam,
I'm not a huge fan of Flatchrome Steels, they are good.....but I do really like the Original Flatchromes. I wish pirastro were clearer with there names! The flat chrome steels are popular but if money were not an issue then I would rather go for Original Flatchrome Steels which, on the right bass, are an awesome sting. I consider them the industry standard against which other classical strings are measured in the same way spirocore are for jazz. They are a lot brighter edge than Belcantos and are a great orchestral string. You may find the E string similar to the Belcantos (which are my favourite classical string) in that its a bit weak. Permanents are brighter still and quite aggressive under the bow, but also a lovely string. I'm not sure about the E, but they are a great set and like the original FS's they can cut through, whilst still retaining a lot of body. I actually really like the medium Kaplan strings and think they could be worth a shot. They really do sound great.
I really wouldn't know what to suggest overall, but it sounds like you are on the right track.

Edited November 21, 2013 by geoffbassist

[iiipopes]

Another forum to consult is smithbassforums.com . Ken Smith is a double bassist, electric bassist, restorer/rebuilder of basses, and has built his own line of well received electric basses for over a generation. There are many threads on his topics about different basses, different strings, and such.

BTW - I agree that the Bel Canto E string lacks projection and definition. I found a good match on my bass using the Spirocore 3885,5W E string (3/4 Weich) with the Bel ADG. It has both heft and good response, as well as balance of feel and tension. Maybe one good E string will do what you need without having to purchase an entire set.

My very limited experience with Pirastro is that their E strings in general are lighter, like the Bel E string, to get more immediate response under the bow, at the expense of other characteristics. That is why the particular Spiro E 3885,5W works well: good response and projection without necessarily sacrificing other aspects.

Edited November 21, 2013 by iiipopes

[ubassman]

Geoff's post got me thinking which strings I actually have and they are these:-

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1370178517' post='2097240']
[b]String:[/b] "FLAT CHROMOSTEEL SOLO"
[b]Made by:[/b] Pirastro
[b]Info:[/b] [url="http://www.pirastro.com/public_pirastro/pages/en/Flat-Chromesteel-00001/"]Product info[/url]
[b]Identifying colours at the winding ( peg) end : [/b]Pale blue, dark blue, yellow, green .
[b]Identifying colours at the tailpiece: [/b]White silking with burgundy spiral to all strings , with a burgundy solid band at the either end. Black buttons and white felt pads.

[b]Personal review: [/b]The strings I have are for Solo tuning ( also available for Orchestral tuning ). Strings that sing! Do wear out quite quickly though !


[/quote]

[geoffbassist]

I do like the Flatchrome steel's and prefer them to Felxocore, but out of that bunch I would go for the original Flatchome. Whenever I have this discussion i need to visit this page to remind myself what the hell I'm talking about! :-)
http://www.contrabass.co.uk/orchestral_strings.htm

Back on point, the permanents are great, but a bit too bright for me. YMMV though as my favourite is the Belcantos.

[ubassman]

It can be a wierd thing though with strings because they can sound great on one bass and not so great on another

EDIT - my conclusion over the years is to narrow the choices down to some good recommended/options and then try different sets to see which my bass likes the best. The variables between basses can be immense.

Edited November 21, 2013 by ubassman

[fatgoogle]

Thanks for the response's. I was thinking if there was only one type of string we would probably all be happier and better players.

You do sell the originals well Geoff, im not a fan of really high tension but i suppose if i were to keep them low they would be manageable.

List of strings to try know,
Going to put the Original flatchrome at the top, i think my teacher might use these but ill have to check and try out.
Flatchrome's next
Kaplans afterwards.

Yikes going to have to win the lotto.

Thinking about it some more, i think the reason i want to change more then anything, is that belcanto's are amazing but boring. Maybe it's the fact that there so easy to play...... or im going crazy. 3 gigs yesterday, never again...

[geoffbassist]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1385069606' post='2284213']
It can be a wierd thing though with strings because they can sound great on one bass and not so great on another

EDIT - my conclusion over the years is to narrow the choices down to some good recommended/options and then try different sets to see which my bass likes the best. The variables between basses can be immense.
[/quote]

I couldn't agree more. It's a never ending cycle as by the time you have played each string you buy a new bass and have to start again.

Hey Sam, I know what you mean about Belcantos being a bit boring, they are a bit plain, but I love the way the play. It may well be that the Original FC are too high tension. I would recommend trying them first as they are so expensive. I bet your teacher will have some good suggestions too, especially as he can hear your bass with the current Belcanto's.
Good luck mate, finding the right string can be hard work.

[fatgoogle]

How much more tension then the belcanto's did the originals have roughly would you say? I don't think building up left hand strength will ever be a problem just a bit if an annoyance

[ubassman]

Sam, you still want me to post you the Flat Chromosteel Solos to try? If so PM with your address (back in the UK in about a week or so).

[fatgoogle]

Pm'd you.

[geoffbassist]

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1385158688' post='2285285']
How much more tension then the belcanto's did the originals have roughly would you say? I don't think building up left hand strength will ever be a problem just a bit if an annoyance
[/quote]

I'm not honestly sure, but I remember the Blecantos being a lot easier on the left hand. In terms of tension Im not sure. I have played the solos at orchestra pitch and they were really easy to play.

[FLoydElgar]

I've got a set of 140b innovation strings and it's opened the bass up! Previously had bel cantos on there and it was nice but even with low action the bass would still have a tight and compact sound projection.


I really like the A string and E. The g needs a good extension of the right arm to get the string to sing. You can't get away with playing within the mid section you really have to have a straight bow at the bridge for it to get a good sound! I think they're a great string to really think about your technique and inform you of taking shortcuts as they don't work on these strings lol!!! At £88 a set.... You can't go wrong!!!

[fatgoogle]

Hi Floyd. What's the pizz sound like on the innovations? I'll defiantly add them to my list.

[FLoydElgar]

Really good! Much better than bel cantos