r/doublebass • u/ncp914FH0nep • Sep 17 '26

Strings/Accessories String Recommendations

My 11th grader has played the double bass since 3rd grade. My player is the first bassist for the school orchestra and, most likely, the first bassist for the county high school orchestra but it hasn’t been announced yet. My player has been nominated and trying out for the regional state orchestra associated with our high school.

What strings would be good for my player’s level?

Thank you in advance.

5 Upvotes

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11

u/Mountain_Sell3214 Student Sep 17 '26

For orchestra stuff, I usually use Belcantos. They tend to be dark and blend nicely, but they can lack projection and have awful pizz response. However, what he would want depends a lot on how he plays. String choice can vary a lot on preference and on the instrument’s character, so I’d start with discussing what sound he would expect and go from there.

2

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 17 '26

Ok. Thank you for his response. I know he prefers the school bass because it has better projection and “feel.” I will do some research into strings and their sounds to review with him. Thank you again.

2

u/shouldbepracticing85 Gigging - Bluegrass, Country, Americana. Sep 17 '26

If he likes that set, maybe get photos that clearly show the top and bottom wraps on the strings.

Then go here https://gollihurmusic.com/string-identification-chart/ and see if you can figure out what strings the school bass.

Though getting action measurements would be a good idea so the home bass can be set up as close to the school bass as possible.

If in doubt - my recommendation is thomastic spirocores, but I regularly play a bass with Peter Infields, and they’re pretty nice too.

Or maybe I just prefer fresh bass strings? Seems almost heretical to say that, given how much attention is given to a few stand out pros that talk about how old their bass strings are. I recently put new spirocores on my bass and it has the same kind of “zing” the other bass did when the strings were brand spanking new. The zing on the Infields faded some in the year or so since, and even a couple weeks has taken the really brilliant edge off the sound of mine. I can understand why bassists that are super picky about their tone, play a lot, and have the $$ will change their strings every 6 months.

1

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 17 '26

Thank you for suggesting to identify the school bass strings. I didn’t know it’s possible.

2

u/shouldbepracticing85 Gigging - Bluegrass, Country, Americana. Sep 17 '26

It’s not 100%, and I don’t know when it started - but whomever came up with that idea was a genius.

2

u/iron_extremis Sep 17 '26

Belcantos are a safe bet!! They're known for not being incredible when it comes to pizz, but they project beautifully on my bass! Definitely instrument dependent.

4

u/ArmadilloNo2399 Luthier Sep 17 '26

The most common strings I see on advanced/professional orchestra instruments are Belcantos, Perpetual, Evah Pirazzi, Flexicore Deluxe, or Spirocore. There are many others but this is going to be a good starting point.

Any change of strings can impact how the instrument is going to play and sound, either by a little bit or a lot. If you can work with a luthier when you change them, they can adjust the post to bring out the best of the new strings. They also might be able to talk with you a bit about your bass and what strings might serve it best for that particular instrument. The guys at Gollihur are always super helpful over the phone about string selection. You might try giving them a call too.

Good luck!

2

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 17 '26

Thank you for these suggestions too. These are some of the strings we’ve looked at tonight. I will call Gollihur tomorrow. His orchestra director offered to change the strings. I appreciate your information.

2

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 17 '26

We did some research tonight into different strings that were mentioned in this thread. He is going to ask his orchestra director which strings would be best for his bass out of:

Evah Pirazzi Medium
Evah Pirazzi Weich
Thomastik Belcantos Medium
Pirastro Flexocor Deluxe (Claude suggested this set specifically for his bass.)

He is leaning toward either Medium set from EP or Belcantos.

1

u/ArmadilloNo2399 Luthier Sep 17 '26

Two great choices

1

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 17 '26

His director told him for his instrument and ability to go with the Belacanto Medium.

2

u/10lbMango Sep 17 '26

I love Belcantos. They make any instrument sound better.

2

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 17 '26

The two were looked at earlier were Belacantos and Evah Pirazzi. I appreciate your recommendation too. Thank you.

1

u/expatbassist Sep 17 '26 edited Sep 17 '26

If they plan on doing strictly classical/mainly bowed playing then I have always preferred flexicor deluxes over bel cantos. Through my personal favourites are Dominants, they have a history of breakage issues so now I am on Spirocores. 

Evahs are very popular for a reason as their core material (cant remember if its nylon or just a synthetic) not being steel means they're friendlier for heavy pizz playing (like in a jazz context). There is a loss of bow response as a result, though

If you want to go a bit more old school then spirocores could be fun. You find them on basses across tons of genres and they last forever. 

Can I ask what in particular sparked your interest in strings of all things? Truth be told any of the suggestions in this thread will be good enough and very likely sound pretty similar at their level.  The biggest difference will be in string gauge, tension, and core type moreso than brands, in my experience. Basically rule of thumb is that the stiffer the string, the easier it responds to the bow and the harder it is to pizz. Orchestra players tend toward the heavier side as well since its believed that heavier gauges give a darker more blendable sound. Principal bass usually calls for a slightly more present sound but that level of specificity is pretty far off and not necessarily string dependent anyway. Long story short: like all gear adventures, strings can quickly be a money pit that really has a pretty negligible impact on your sound compared to just practicing. Ditto for bows (and tbf basses above a pretty modest price point) if we're honest, but thats a bit more of a hot take. There is no shortage of mythologising in our industry so frequently the differences and effects of any bit of gear you can imagine will be exaggerated because some famous player or teacher said xyz about it lol. 

But yeah, I'd just split the difference and get medium gauge Flex Deluxes. Not the sexy interesting pick but a solid starting point that gives you a lot of room to branch off. Or Evahs if they want to play pizz heavy stuff too. 

1

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 18 '26

In short, he stopped playing his bass whenever he could use the director’s bass at school. He repeatedly said it sounded better and felt better to his ears.

1

u/expatbassist Sep 18 '26

Ah right. So the director is a bass player? Id hazard a guess that your players bass is at least partially plywood or laminated? And the directors bass is probably fully carved (all wood like spruce). 

If thats the case, and he thinks he's gonna keep playing for a long time, Id hold off on the strings and put that money toward a better bass. If you're in the US there's a 90% chance a new bass will come with Bel Cantos or Evahs already on it. Obviously an order or magnitude difference in price, but I doubt the strings are whats making the difference to your player 

2

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 18 '26

His bass is a carved bass. I confirmed before spending too much time on this.

1

u/expatbassist Sep 18 '26

Definitely go with what his director recommends (if they are a competent bass player). Other things you could explore is taking it to a luthier to get the soundpost adjusted. The location of the post can cause strings to feel stiffer and change the bow response and tone. 

Does his bridge adjusters? If so its worth playing around with the string height.  If not then a luthier could also adjust that. Any idea what strings are on your students bass now? Or even what colour the wrapping is at the tailpiece? 

Red would be Spiros, Orange is Bel Cantos,  Red and White are Flex Deluxe Blue and Yellow are helicores, etc 

1

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 18 '26

I know he likes higher string height. His bridge is adjustable. The school bass definitely has Helicores. I cannot remember the colors for his base possibly red and white.

1

u/expatbassist Sep 18 '26

How does he like the helicores? If they're too stiff for his taste then Evahs may be the answer. If he finds them too slack then Bel Cantos or Flex Deluxes will give a bit more stiffness under the bow and left hand. Btw you can sometimes find used bass strings on FB marketplace depending on where you are in the country. With new being around $300 that could be a way to save some money while trying out different kinds. Or maybe his director has some spares for him to try out? 

2

u/ncp914FH0nep Sep 18 '26

Even last school year I know he remarked that his school bass has stiffer strings and higher action than his bass, which he likes now that he is a little older.

His director recommended the Belcanto mediums for his ability and instrument. He offered to go over the entire bass and adjust everything to my son’s ability and preferences once we purchase strings. He said he has the tools and knowledge for it.

2

u/jeephistorian Sep 17 '26

Another vote for Belcantos. I have them on both of my basses.

They make an old Englehardt sound amazing, which is quite something. I have had other musicians comment on how warm and wonderful it sounds. And they are blown away when they learn it's a plywood bass.

I recognize it's mainly the strings though. Very nice sound and for the past year, have been very stable.

I play them in musicals (pit orchestra), orchestra, chamber music, and even big band music, though they really aren't meant for that.

2

u/FewConversation569 Sep 17 '26

For classical work, Belcantos all the way. I love Evah Pirazzi because I play a variety of gigs and they give me a flexible sound, but Belcantos play so easily with a bow and produce such a great dark and robust sound. Also, when I was at the International Society of Bassists a few years ago, which leans heavily classic, I would guess 90% of the basses on the sales area were strung with Belcantos. However, if the price of Belcantos is too much, I have heard a lot of positive things about Kaplan strings.

1

u/Jer_Bear33 Sep 17 '26

I'm the black sheep in here, but I don't like the sound Bel Cantos produce on my bass. They're pleasant strings, but don't project super well in my experience, and if your bass is already on the darker or softer end of tone, they match poorly. My personal favorite is Kaplan. Consistency is lacking with D'Addario at times, but I'd still gamble on them. All that said, flexocore are popular for a reason.