Double Bass Tone-filter with Thomastik Spirocores

Michal Herman

Michal Herman

May 31, 2013
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#1
I bought new set of Thomastik Spirocores - set was lying in drawer for couple years, but package wasn't even ever opened.
D and G strings had Tone-filter in their packages. E and A hadn't have any.
What is this thing?
Graphics suggests, that it should be put at the top of the bridge. Wouldn't it mute string sound?
Picture of a thing, it is made of hard rubber:
X3JDVR7.jpg
 
#2
Tone filters are intended to be used when the strings are new and overly bright. They damp the high frequencies and make the strings more pleasant during the break-in time. You don't need to use them, but they are there if you prefer a less bright sound.
They are usually only needed for the G, maybe a shorter time for the D. The A and E usually don't need a tone filter and they wouldn't work very effectively on these strings anyway due to the higher mass.

Just check if you like the sound better with or without the tone filter and check again after playing them some weeks and/or months, since the string might have changed during that time.
 
#7
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Just found this thread and find it hilarious because all this time I’ve thought these things were some sort of protecting surface meant to go between the ball and the tailpiece. Learn something new every day!
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No those are what they are meant for. What the op is talking about is a very hard piece of rubber that came with the old spiros. They do look like those felt things that come on Pirastro and D’Addario strings, which are intended for your use
 
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#10
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
Now I want to go spelunking through my fasteners bin in search of rubber washers.
Click to expand...

Amen to that! As it happens, I’m actually stopping by the hardware store on the way home for other reasons. I wonder what size washer of those things should be?
 
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#11
The ones I found at the hardware store (in Germany) were too thick. I had a few of the original ones, but they didn't survive the string.

On the other hand they were meant to be used only during a more or less short play-in time until the string doesn't sound too bright without the washer. So they didn't need to survive for years.
 
#12
Well that was an exercise in failure.

I fished out a reasonably sized hard rubber O-ring from my stash of random crap and stuffed it between the bridge and my obnoxious Spiro D.

Pizz there was a slight roundness that wasn’t there before. Under the bow, straight chainsaw.

So I coughed up bucks for Permanent D&G. Yay.
 
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#13
I got a pretty thin rubber washer and put it on, and it's a little nicer pizz. Arco is not an issue for me, but the instrument (new to me) still has funny dead spots on the D and 8ve G on the g string. Not sure if it's the fingerboard or just the standard weird new Spiro G behavior. Time will tell!
 
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#14
All of my strings have the felt protectors, i think i took some from my Helicore set when i got the Spiro set. Now what i do have with my Spiro's is a little plastic tube at the ball end of the D string only. What is that for exactly? I assumed it was there to prevent wolf tones or something, but no clue.
 
#15
Seanto said:
All of my strings have the felt protectors, i think i took some from my Helicore set when i got the Spiro set. Now what i do have with my Spiro's is a little plastic tube at the ball end of the D string only. What is that for exactly? I assumed it was there to prevent wolf tones or something, but no clue.
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I've heard that that's supposed to go in the pegbox over the G string tuning peg to prevent the D string from getting caught on it and eventually breaking, but I just take it off the string entirely.

The only Spiro I've broken is an A string and that happened at the tailpiece.
 
#16
the_Ryan said:
I've heard that that's supposed to go in the pegbox over the G string tuning peg to prevent the D string from getting caught on it and eventually breaking, but I just take it off the string entirely.

The only Spiro I've broken is an A string and that happened at the tailpiece.
Click to expand...

I think i am maybe following. It's supposed to be on the D string in the peg box? My D is nowhere near touching the peg for the G string, but it does get pretty close to the A string peg but still not touching. Your explanation makes some sort of sense though. I currently have it at the ball end of the string, above the tail piece and not under it. Doesn't seem to cause any issue there but not sure it really has any purpose there.
 
#17
Seanto said:
I think i am maybe following. It's supposed to be on the D string in the peg box? My D is nowhere near touching the peg for the G string, but it does get pretty close to the A string peg but still not touching. Your explanation makes some sort of sense though. I currently have it at the ball end of the string, above the tail piece and not under it. Doesn't seem to cause any issue there but not sure it really has any purpose there.
Click to expand...
Yeah it could probably go over the A peg, but I just take it off every time I change strings
 
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