Double Bass Replacement for a velvet blue E?

[C Niz]

Hey everyone, hoping someone with more knowledge can help me out. I was given a set of velvet blues years ago by a friend, and recently another friend broke the E string. I was dismayed to find out velvet no longer exists and was wondering what you all would recommend to replace it. I really loved the feel and the sound and I only play my db at home and maybe a few gigs a year so just looking to replace that one string. My 2nd friend is happy to buy the replacement, but I have no idea what to look for. Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

 

[LouisF]

The Blues were synthetic core, copper wound strings, that were "equal tension" across all four strings:

• Tension-25 Kgs per string
• All 4 Velvet Blue strings have copper windings

So you might look at other synthetic strings: Evah Golden Slaps, Innovations, Obligatos, Kolstein Heritage and see what comes closest to that tension. Other options might be Jargar, Corellis or Spiro So F#/E.

 

[bassmanbrent]

Maybe the Aquila Golden Springs metal wound? I haven’t tried them myself though…

 

[Francois Blais]

Long answer:
Belcanto/Spirocore "Velvet Blues" Set

Spoiler: Short answer

Spirocore solo F#(4)

 

[LouisF]

I have a Spiro solo Ext E/C with 3 plain guts and its a very good match

 

[elmer]

Aquila Red Springs 16 series E. Synthetic core covered with a flat copper wire. They sound, feel and look very much alike Animas or Blues.

 

[HateyMcAmp]

Gollihur still has some Velvet Blue extended Es available. I know it’s not generally recommend to use an extension string without an extension but I recall the Blues being fairly robust strings (compared to the silk core variants) that could handle the string being wrapped around the peg.

I also think a 4/4 Sprio Solo F# would match up well. It believe they have the same 55lbs-ish of tension so the Velvet “even tension” thing would remain and the string balance would feel natural. A lot of the coolness of the Velvet concept came from that even tension across the strings.

The Aquilas are an interesting option too. My only reservation would be that the Es are only 46lbs of tension and may be too soft next to the blues.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I just put the Aquila Gold Springs E and A on my bass. The E definitely feels less tense than the A but according to the Aquila website the E is 52lbs. It’s lighter but comparable to the Perpetual solo F# tuned to E that it replaced.

My initial impression is very favorable for these strings!