Double Bass Picking Strings for my Slap King Upright

[Timothy Austin]

Hi guys,

I have a Slap King Upright (plywood but decent quality) and need a new (want) a new set of strings. I play almost exclusively traditional jazz (100% pizz) in a seven piece band and stay amped for most performances (K&K pickups). From my own research, I've narrowed down a few strings, but I was hoping someone with knowledge of Slap Kings could help me pick the right ones.

I'm currently using the D'Addario Helicore Hybrid strings, and they sound decent. They have good sustain for a plywood bass, but are missing the warm(dark?) sound of the traditional jazz bassists you heard in the 20s and 30s.

Strings I'm looking at:

Pirastro Obligato for $190.00 at String Emporium
My cheaper choice, but I've been told they sound decent and would be an easy solution.

Evah Pirazzi Slap Set (Synthetic E, A, and D, but gut G) for $235.60 at String Emporium
I haven't read too much on these, but they are cheaper than the Lenzners and the few websites I've seen say they are good for jazz players (doesn't specify the type of jazz).

Lenzner (Gut G,D with wound A and E) for $307.00 at String Emporium
These are the ones I think I want. I'm just hesitant about the price and whether my daydreams of gut strings will turn into nightmares upon reality.

Thanks in advance!

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Gut strings change pitch with climate, but will be closest to what you want.
Wound gut is most sensitive to climate changes and if the string swells too much the winging can break making the string unusable. Naked gut needs less maintenance and lasts a lot longer, but the thick A and E strings are very stiff hand have a very short pizz sustain.

EP Slaps have the low tension of gut strings, but sound different and the synthetic strings have no climate problems.

Obligato strings can roll on A and E and often don't last very long soundwise.

A longer lasting replacement for the Obligato, but a bit darker in sound are Evah Pirazzi Weich or my favourite, Innovation Braided which are very similar to EP Weich with some better characteristics.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I've found that Obligatos last longer than Evah Pirazzi Weich and I've used several sets of both over the years. The E & A do tend to roll on some instruments, but the trade off is a brighter sound and more growl than the Evahs. These two are probably my favorite all-around string sets, but they really don't sound like a gut string.

I also play in a traditional jazz band and recently decided to keep one bass set up for this music. I started with Rotosound RS4000 which were fun but kind of strange and not very easy to bow. I then switched to Evah Pirazzi Slap with a plain gut D&G and enjoyed that until the Florida humidity kicked in. Eurosonics and Innovation Silver/Golden Slaps have piqued my interest, but neither is very good for bowing and do like to play arco passages and solos (bowed bass can be good tuba substitute). I think the synthetic Evah Pirazzi Slap set might be the best all around set for a low-tension, old school sounding string that works for pizz, slap and arco. If bowing isn't important then one of the synthetic-wrapped strings I mentioned might be a good choice.

- Steve

 

[DoubleMIDI]

If you want to avoid wound gut strings for climate reasons and probably to save some money, you might want to mix naked gut G and D with lower tension synthetic or steel core A and E.

For the lower two EP Slaps or downtuned Evah Solos or Obligato Solos or Innovation Braided Solos or Spiro 4/4 Weich or downtuned Spiro 3/4 Solos can work.
Maybe Innovation Silver/Golden Slaps, I think the lower two are metal wrapped, but I'm not sure as I gave them to colleague for testing.

 

[Bisounourse]

Another one, that's wouldn't break the bank are the Gut-A-Like Swingmasters, but they don't have a lot of sustain, more of a dry thump.

 

[Francois Blais]

Maybe Innovation Silver/Golden Slaps, I think the lower two are metal wrapped, but I'm not sure as I gave them to colleague for testing.

No, all four are wrapped with synthetic.

 

[HCF]

Be mindfull of the tension of the strings. What kind of tension are you looking for? I have no experience with the Helicores, but the strings you mention vary IIRC quite much in tension.

I assume you play mostly pizz? Then you might be more interested in the Evah Weichs instead of the Evah Slap.

Also, you could combine the Lenzner gut D+G with another string E+A (Evah Weich, Spiro Weich, Velvet Garbo are all good alternatives), as wrapped gut can be a bit problematic, as @DoubleMIDI mentioned.

 

[Timothy Austin]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I will go with the Evah Slaps with gut G and D.
I'll update you guys on whether I made the right choice or not once they've settled. Thanks again!

 

[Bigbassguy]

Tim, how are your strings working. I am thinking of this combination and am interested in your experience.
Thanks

 

[Timothy Austin]

Tim, how are your strings working. I am thinking of this combination and am interested in your experience.
Thanks

Overall, I've enjoyed them immensely and they have convinced me to stick with gut. As a set, they blend pretty well and sound great. I did notice my mids were more muddy when amped, but that was easily fixed.

The gut G and D sound good, and after settling down, have warmed up nicely. I can't really compare them to any others, but the feel and tension on both hands is amazing. The upkeep is a little more then I thought it would be, but I think that is because I live in Texas and sweat a lot while playing.

The synthetic E and A are okay. Better tension and sound then steel and the tone is close enough to gut that it does blend well with the other strings. I may try out some other synthetics in the future, but these are definitely worth getting.