Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

What bass player doesn’t love to roll their sleeves up and start seriously feeling out on bass strings? In fact, it can almost become a sickness, and many players get to a point where they feel compelled to try out every single darn string they can get their hands on.

Also, strings seen to really come in and out of style. A “hot new string” hits the marketplace and you suddenly see it on everybody’s bass. A standard older model suddenly comes back into vogue, and a forgotten old string is suddenly the hip new thing again.

Plus, everybody’s bass responds differently to different strings. What sounds awesome on one bass might sound wretched on another bass. Factors like string tension, flexibility, surface feel, and more are highly personal things, and some players like a stiffer or looser feeling under the bow.

Nevertheless, I thought it would be a good idea to get a list of general impressions of different popular strings going. This is most certainly a work in progress, so leave your own thoughts on your favorite (or least favorite) brand of strings. I’ll keep this list as an evolving document, so please chime in and let me know your string tastes!

(By the way, I’m not getting into solo strings on this list, but feel free to chime in with your thoughts on these as well.)

A Word on String Pricing Trends

It has become considerably more expensive recently to purchase European-made strings in the United States. This has caused strings that used to be about the same price (like Pirastro Permanents and D’Addario Helicores) to be pretty far apart cost-wise, with the Pirastro strings now costing 30-40% more than their D’Addario equivalents. If you’re an American and cost is an issue, you may want to consider a US-based string company instead of a European one. My favorite strings are all European in origin, unfortunately…

Pirastro Strings

Permanent - These are my current strings of choice on my own bass. They strike a good balance between robustness and flexibility, with a comfortable amount of resistance under the bow. They have an even sound throughout the upper and lower register. While not generally considered a jazz string, they have a good pizzicato sound and are used by some players in a jazz setting.

Obligato - A little mellower and more flexible under the fingers, this is another popular string that works well for both jazz and classical settings. Many feel that this string lacks the volume and projection of more “robust” strings (we’ll get to those brands later), but the warmth and spread of their sound makes up for it in the eyes of many players. These strings actually twist under the fingers, which some players find irritating.

Flexocor - These strings are stiffer than either Permanents of Obligatos. They respond well to orchestral bow strokes, with a nice and even sound that works well on many setups. Popular with orchestral bassists, these strings are not generally considered to be good jazz strings.

Original Flexocor - The classic orchestra string. These strings have an unmistakable “growl” to them in arco playing and a wonderful chocolatey sound. Not for all tastes or basses, these strings tend to produce a “love ‘em or hate ‘em” reaction. They have a good amount of resistance to them, making them excellent orchestra strings but lousy jazz strings. They sound fantastic on high-quality instruments, particularly older basses, but tend to sound mufled and unclear on cheaper basses. They sound great under the ear but may not project well in large spaces. Again, these are excellent matches for many basses and the string of choice for many orchestral bassists.

Evah Pirazzi - These strings are relatively new and have become quite popular among jazz bassists. Though synthetic core and steel wound, they have a gutlike sonic quality to them buy with the stability of steel strings. They bow well, but would probably not satisfy most orchestral bassists. Their pizzicato sound is warm, and they feel great under the fingers, with tension levels similar to Permanents.

Oliv - These chrome steel wound gut strings are thicker than your average steel string and considerably more expensive (though not as much as Eudoxas). Good for players looking for a gut string with some qualities associated with steel strings, these strings lack the projection of Pirastro’s other strings but make up for it with warmth and depth of tone.

Eudoxa - These silver wound strings have had a complicated history. When Original FlatChrom (described below) originally came out, they were labeled ‘Eudoxa’ strings, being designed to closely replicate an older set of gut strings known as Eudoxas. This naming convention seemed to satisfy no one, so Pirastro rebranded these new synthetic strings as Original FlatChrom and came out with this very expensive line of gut strings. They are slightly brighter in tone than Olivs but are quite similar otherwise. You’d better be made of money if you really get into these strings, because they’re crazy expensive ($728.53 list price as of fall 2008) and break frequently. Bad combination!

Original FlatChrom - These strings are truly old-school orchestral cannons. Kind of like a more extreme version of Original Flexocors, these high tesion cables produce a magnificent sound in the lower register but often sound strained and throaty in the upper register. While not for all tastes or basses (they tend to overpower cheaper basses and can verge on being completely unplayable on others), these strings can produce a rich, choclatey bass sound in the right hands. These are pretty much the opposite of what jazz players look for in a string. On the wrong bass, they can have a pinched and nasal

Flat Chromesteel - Another middle-of-the-road string for the Pirastro line, somewhere between Permanents and Flexicors in terms of string tension and robustness of sound. These strings poduce a no-muss and no-fuss sound that works very well for classical and moderately well (but not wonderfully) for jazz. Great for bowed playing in general across a wide variety of basses.

Thomastik Strings

Dominant - These strings are not nearly as popular as their upper string equivalents. Quality control is an issue for Dominants (an issue that rarely plagues Pirastro strings). Though not used very often in the United States these days for bass, these strings actually have many desirable characteristics, including a throaty growl that both jazz and classical players like. They are a medium to medium-heavy tension string with good projection and an even response.

Spirocore - The gold standard for steel string jazz playing, these strings are also popular as low E, extended E, or low B strings. Bright and loud with a lot of sustain, these strings don’t bow particularly well on the top three strings, making a full set of Spirocores a dubious choice for classical playing. They are excellent jazz strings, with an unmistakable pizzicato sound. They come in multiple guages, so experiment with a set if possible to find a good match for your bass.

Spirocore Weich - These lower tension, thinner, and mellower variants are extremely popular among jazz players. They bow much more easily than regular Spirocores and are easier on the hands. They are good crossover strings for players who usually play pizzicato but need to also sound good with the bow, and they work well on a wide variety of basses.

Bel Canto - These relative newcomers to the string world have exploded in popularity, though they are much quirkier than many other popular string brands and carry a high price tag compared to other similar options out there. They have a magnificent, buttery sound when paired with the right instrument and are quickly becoming a favorite among orchestral bassists. They can take some getting used to at first–they are much looser than other popular orchestra strings like Original Flexocors, Original FlatChroms, or Permanents, and many bow strokes feel substantially different on this setup. Their pizzicato sound and sustain is also very nice, though without the punch and growl of Spirocores (if that’s what you’re looking for). They tend to wear out faster than other popular brands, which may be a factor for folks on a tight budget.

D’Addario Strings

Helicore Orchestra, Jazz, and Hybrid - These strings from Long Island-based string manufacter D’Addario exploded onto the scene in the early 1990s, with both orchestra and jazz bassists singing their praises. Around 1995, it seemed like every bass player had Helicore offerings on their instrument. They have faded in popularity in recent years but remain a common string of choice for American bassists. They come in three different guages (light, medium, and heavy) and have orchestra, jazz, and jazz/classical hybrid versions, giving the player a lot of variables to experiment with as they search for the perfect setup. I have used many combinations of these strings on my basses. Check out this comparison chart to determine which variant is right for you.

Savarez Strings

Corelli - Like Helicore, Savarez’s Corelli strings come in several differet gauges (including one made to work well for both solo and orchestral tuning. Long known as the string of choice for double bass soloist François Rabbath, these strings are made of tungsten steel and are much thinner and lighter than other brands. They are extremely bright and very low tension (even including the thicker gauge ‘forte’ strings), and the response is more suited to solo playing than orchestral.

Super-Sensitive Strings

Red Label - Super craptaculous. A last resort string to be avoided at all costs. My dislike for Red Label strings has caused me to avoid all other Super-Sensitive options. If you’ve got opinions about any Super-Sensitive strings just leave a comment on this post.

Jargar Strings

Another string that has faded considerably in popularity with bass players these days. Cellists often use these strings–bassists much less so. It’s been years since I’ve used them, honestly, so it’s hard to even remember much about them.

Velvet Strings

Many jazz players love these low tension and earthy sounding strings. Radically different in sound and response to steel strings like Spirocores, these strings work well for many jazz and pizzicato contexts and not very well (despite having more bow-friendly offerings in their lineup) for other contexts.

Additional Resources

These are simply one guy’s thoughts (often based on distant memories or cursory experiences), so by no means should you think that this post is the final word on strings! There are a lot of fantastic resources out there for learning more about strings. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

• Lemur Music Catalog (PDF) - great descriptions of various string brands
• Pirastro Gut Strings Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Pirastro Synthetic Strings Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Pirastro Steel Strings Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Helicore String Response Chart - includes comparison of all Helicore variants

I’m leaving out tons of strings on this list, but the aforementioned are all strings that I’ve used in the past, so there’s my own personal geek out list. What strings do you use? What works for you? What doesn’t? Let me know!