TheRev Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Every time I try a new set of strings and then inevitably find myself going back to Spiro weich and I promise myself that I won't be tempted to spend hundreds of pounds on the pointless pursuit of 'something better'. So why did I allow myself to get sucked into a Talkbass thread on the new Pirastro Perpetuals? They should arrive this weekend so I'll have a couple of days to agonise and try to analyse if they're 'better' than Spiros. Why do I keep doing this to myself.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 8 minutes ago, TheRev said: Every time I try a new set of strings and then inevitably find myself going back to Spiro weich and I promise myself that I won't be tempted to spend hundreds of pounds on the pointless pursuit of 'something better'. So why did I allow myself to get sucked into a Talkbass thread on the new Pirastro Perpetuals? They should arrive this weekend so I'll have a couple of days to agonise and try to analyse if they're 'better' than Spiros. Why do I keep doing this to myself.... More money than sense? I jest. I've always loved Sprios and never needed to change. I've got a box full of effects and a cupboard full of books however, so I feel your pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 31 minutes ago, Burns-bass said: More money than sense? Funnily enough, I came home on Monday after a weekend of 4 well paid festival gigs and healthy merch sales. I'm sure it's not unconnected.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Well, I am a fan of the Perpetuals. Very Spiro like overall but relatively low tension and super flexible (as in feel more like spaghetti than cables!) I think you will be impressed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 Let us know how you get on! I was thinking Spiro Weich until I saw that Perpetuals thread too.. 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulKing Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 I'm seduced by that Perpetual thread too, or mainly by the phenomenal buttery tone on Rick Wolff's bass, and 'low tension and flexible' description here . I'm sure my vintage ply will sound exactly like Rick's with them on. 😁 I've got a Perpetual E and an Evah Pirazzi weich A heading my way as step 2 in my radical venture away from deeply-ingrained gut purism. I'll let you know which I prefer, or whether Spiros have enough thump to to the job. Or whether I go back to guts after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petebassist Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 1 hour ago, PaulKing said: I'm seduced by that Perpetual thread too, or mainly by the phenomenal buttery tone on Rick Wolff's bass, and 'low tension and flexible' description here . If you mean this one, then me too :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulKing Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 Yeh, but listen to the clip he made on day one, better mic placing... It also sounds gorgeous through his KNA pickup ... I'm minded to try mine out again. Though I think it struggles with scratchy high-mids, will really show up any raggedy slapping I might do with steels .. and is a bit feedback prone with big bottom end. Based on my single road test in live setting. Sweet sound at low volume though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 10 hours ago, PaulKing said: I'm seduced by that Perpetual thread too, or mainly by the phenomenal buttery tone on Rick Wolff's bass, and 'low tension and flexible' description here . I'm sure my vintage ply will sound exactly like Rick's with them on. 😁 Yeah, my bass doesn't sound like that.... So, they've been on a few days and had time to settle down and so far I'm enjoying them, which is a good sign - usually if new strings aren't working for me they're off the bass within days. They were a lot brighter than my Spiros when they first went on (though the Spiros were probably a bit dead...), especially the E string, but that seems to have mellowed out now l. I recorded some clips with the Spiros, followed by the Perpetuals ehen I first put them on for comparison. I'll record some more when I get home from this weekend's gigs to see of there's a noticeable difference. On first impressions, the Perpetuals have a richer, more complex sound, but with a clear fundamental, but, as I mentioned before, my Spiros could be well past their prime. Tension-wise, they feel pretty similar to the Spiro Weich. There may be a bit more bounce under the right hand, especially on the G, but it's subtle and my perception is probably skewed by the mention of this in the Talkbass thread.... in a blind test I probably wouldn't be able to feel a difference between Spiro Weich and the Perpetuals. What is noticeable is that the Perpetual G has a much sweeter tone than the Spiro G, especially up around the E and into thumb position. There's none of that twangy, nasal tone thing going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulKing Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 19 minutes ago, TheRev said: Yeah, my bass doesn't sound like that.... So, they've been on a few days and had time to settle down and so far I'm enjoying them, which is a good sign - usually if new strings aren't working for me they're off the bass within days. They were a lot brighter than my Spiros when they first went on (though the Spiros were probably a bit dead...), especially the E string, but that seems to have mellowed out now l. I recorded some clips with the Spiros, followed by the Perpetuals ehen I first put them on for comparison. I'll record some more when I get home from this weekend's gigs to see of there's a noticeable difference. On first impressions, the Perpetuals have a richer, more complex sound, but with a clear fundamental, but, as I mentioned before, my Spiros could be well past their prime. Tension-wise, they feel pretty similar to the Spiro Weich. There may be a bit more bounce under the right hand, especially on the G, but it's subtle and my perception is probably skewed by the mention of this in the Talkbass thread.... in a blind test I probably wouldn't be able to feel a difference between Spiro Weich and the Perpetuals. What is noticeable is that the Perpetual G has a much sweeter tone than the Spiro G, especially up around the E and into thumb position. There's none of that twangy, nasal tone thing going on. Good signs ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulKing Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 I recognised all that in the E I tried. It’s nice, quite soft and airy, very bright to begin but mellowed quickly. im suspicious I’ll prefer them to Spiros where I want a Spiro sound ... but all in all I’m digging EP weich for the sound I want ... clarity with a big nod to gut thump and fundamental Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted September 25, 2019 Author Share Posted September 25, 2019 A few weeks in and another couple gigs and I'm really enjoying these strings. Ignore what I said previously about the tension and bounce being close to Spiro Weich, now that the Perpetuals have mellowed and opened up a bit, they are noticeably more supple under the right hand. There is much more bloom to the start of the note, which means they're a bit less punchy than Spiros, but once I got used to that, I really started enjoying them. So that's it. My 4 year relationship with my Spiro Wiech is over. I might even buy a set to replace the Preston Nylons on my carved bass.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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