Steel string advice

[lowlandtrees]

So I bought this DB in Sunderland. It is laminate with a carved top. Old, chipped but with a fan[attachment=223957:New Bass.jpg]tastic loud resonating sound...and a looker, I wanted it for initially rockabilly/roots stuff but it is too good for that and does not suit nylon strings at all. I would suit classical or jazz but probably needs a new fingerboard. I will probably sell it on but before I do I want to put lower tension steel strings back(the existing strings were high tension and impossible to play with my feeble digits. Don t want anything too expensive (as I might move it on)...what strings should I go for?

[lowlandtrees]

Think that I may have buggered up the pic thing

[Hector]

Less about the bass, tell us more about the hat!

Back on topic: classical or jazz is a bit of a divide in what you're aiming for stringwise. You could try Spiros (weichs if you want lower tension), which are a standardly standard string for jazzers.

They bow less well than you might want for classical playing, depending on who you ask, than some other strings. I did fine on them as part of a section, but might not be a soloist on them. Or any string let's be honest.

I'm currently on helicore hybrids (E and A at least), which I love and would also recommend unreservedly, but they're maybe less widespread than the spiros.

Edited July 20, 2016 by Hector

[SubsonicSimpleton]

Have you positively identified the strings that were fitted when you bought it?

A picture clearly showing both ends of one of the strings (or all 4 if they are different colours) might help provide a positive ID on the strings and suggestions for alternatives.

[TPJ]

I tried a set of [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/presto_balance_hybrid_34l.htm"]Presto Balance Hybrid 3/4L[/url] steel strings recently. They weren't low tension but somewhere around medium on the bass. They were definitely less tension than Spiro Mitts on that bass, and somewhere around Innovation Honeys. They are off the bass now so if you want to try them, pm me your address and I'll dig them out.

[neilp]

If you want to do both classical and jazz I'd suggest Evah Pirazzis. They have a nice thump and growl for jazz and they bow pretty well too. I have a lightly used set you can have for a smallish consideration

[lowlandtrees]

[attachment=224005:20160721_165543.jpg]

These are the strings that were on the bass when I got it. All the same colour

[bassace]

Not sure where you are, lowlandtrees, but there's a double bass meet scheduled for October 2 just outside Derby. There will be all sorts of basses and strings there plus, importantly, people you can have a conversation with. We'll be re energising the event at the beginning of August with eight weeks to go.

[SubsonicSimpleton]

Looks like they might be Thomastic Superflexibles according to the Quinn Violin databass (can't see the ball end quite clearly on your picture) there is a good pic on the following link.

http://www.contrabass.co.uk/images/accessories/strings/super_flexible.jpg

[Beer of the Bass]

I'd concur that they look like Thomastik Superflexibles - I've used them before and still have a couple stashed away somewhere. Those are a high tension string (despite the name), I'm not sure of the numbers but they feel at least as stiff as Spirocore Mittels. So most of the strings mentioned so far would be a pleasant step down in tension.
It's an interesting looking bass - the grain on the top is quite unusual and I like those old hatpeg tuners.

[JoeEvans]

If I'm seeing it right in the photo, I think that's a plywood top, not a solid top. A solid top will always have straight, parallel grain running vertically, because they are cut from boards that are either quarter-sawn (a chunk like a thin slice of cake running into the middle of the log) or slab cut (the middle slice if you cut a trunk into slices). Plywood never has that grain pattern because it's made by peeling wide, thin slices off the outside of a log, sort of like a giant pencil sharpener.

[TheRev]

I agree with the Superflexibles diagnosis. I actually quite like Superflexibles for some reason, maybe they just work on my bass?

For low tension steels, you won't go wrong with a set of Spiro Weichs. If you want similar but cheaper, then Presto nylonwound mediums might work - just be aware that the E and A are hefty beasts compared to yer typical steel string.

You could also look at Velvet Blues- they're quite lively for a synthetic string.

[lowlandtrees]

Thanks for all this. Anyone who wants these cheese graters is welcome to them (free). Not sure how long they have been on the bass but thhey look OK

Jimmy

[lowlandtrees]

[quote name='JoeEvans' timestamp='1469125066' post='3096014']
If I'm seeing it right in the photo, I think that's a plywood top, not a solid top. A solid top will always have straight, parallel grain running vertically, because they are cut from boards that are either quarter-sawn (a chunk like a thin slice of cake running into the middle of the log) or slab cut (the middle slice if you cut a trunk into slices). Plywood never has that grain pattern because it's made by peeling wide, thin slices off the outside of a log, sort of like a giant pencil sharpener.
[/quote]
Yes. I think you are right. Should have seen that (having done a guitar/mandoline building course). It is incredibly thin ..4mm max. I suppose that the resonance and volume come from the thin top. The whole bass is very light.