Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: echo008 on September 24, 2006, 08:48:28 AM
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Hi,
I wanted to know if anyone has recently tried these on there short scale SC bass? I just orderd a set.
Ive been reading mixed reviews and decided to take a shot anyway. Any opinions are welcome, and yes I did a search but did not find much related to Short Scale Pyramids.
Thanks
- Tom
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I've got some on my Starfire. They are the brightest flats I've ever played, and they are so slick it's like they're oiled. I've had to adjust my technique because of the slickness. I never realized how much I would use the coarseness of a roundwound to help hold my fingers in place. With the Pyramids, when I try to stretch for a note while holding a lower note, the finger on the lower fret just wants to follow along!
They sure do sound good, though.
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Thanks,
I am excited to get these and check them out, Im glad to hear you use the word bright while I do not expect that my SC would ever be muddy sounding, I was hoping to take off some of the edge that I get with Steels, and was considering going with Regular Nickels at first.
At around $70 they are a bit of an investment
Would you say that they are sounding better the older they become? Ive read that it takes a few days/weeks for them to kind of Settle in
- Tom
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Definitely. They were almost too bright at first, but the sound has evened out now. They're staying in tune pretty well now, too. I didn't cut them, so there's a lot of string wrapped around the posts. If you get an urge to try nickels, may I suggest DR Sunbeams? I've used them on long scale and they're great. Maybe the best feeling strings out there, IMHO. They're compression wound like the Alembics, and a little warmer sounding, to my ear.
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Tom,
I've had a set of TI-JFs on my Series 2 shortie for three years, and while I'm not sure they continue to improve with age time hasn't done much to take the shine off of them.
Most of the treble comes off with age, I've found, and the rest tends to be buried in the mix. As far as the playability goes, once you get used to them they're great...your touch has to be very gentle and precise to get a tone out of them, but over time my technique has improved a lot from this.
You'll need at least the medium-scale set to fit on a short-scale Alembic...I have long-scale strings on a short-scale bass and the silks stop short of the nut. If the medium-scale set fits, they should have firmer tension than my set, which plays pretty soft because the string diameters are narrow on mine, .085 on the E string I believe.
As far as the price goes, where did you get that quote? Mine came from the Vintage Bass Trading Company (vintagebass.com), and Steve's prices are a damned sight lower and come with great service to boot.
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I usually use either DR Miller's or TI Powerbass strings but never really felt I wanted/needed a Flatwound before.
The Pyramids I heard alot about and always wondered what it would do for me. If these dont end up being what I want, Ill probably go back to TI's, I know they make a nice medium scale set.
BTW:
I bought them from Just Strings :
Pyramid Gold Pure Nickel PYR_BFS40: 71.25
Flat Wound Bass Short Scale, .040 - .100, BFS40
Seems like this price is consistent these days.
- Tom
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I found my set for 60 or 62 including shipping, but I can't seem to remember where. I just did a google search to find the dealer. It may have been the VBTC...
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60-62! ooof
everywhere I looked had it in the $70+
I usually order my Ti's from the Dudepit, but I dont think he sells Pyramids.
-Tom
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Just to follow up ... the short scale set fit my SC Deluxe perfectly, no need to cut at all
At first sound I think they are going to be good, Definitely alot brighter sounding than I thought cant wait til they Settle in a bit!!! but as is, Im loving them
- Tom
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$70 for strings is nothing compared to the money i have to spend on upright bass strings!!!
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tom, or anyone. in 1970 i purchased a 1965 hagstrom that had strings like those described.they were very slick and felt as if they were oiled . the core was steel and silk. i played these for almost twenty years mainly because i could not find anymore.im still looking for these for my long scale elan.are the pyramids or ti flats what im looking for? chuck
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Hi Chuck, I would say you want to check out a set of Flatwounds, Pyramids or TI's I personally have never used a set of TI flatwounds, The pyramids though were very popular back in the day.
Read here
http://www.pyramidstrings.com/art4.html (http://www.pyramidstrings.com/art4.html)
- Tom
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Here you go...
http://www.tone-man.com/pyramid.htm (http://www.tone-man.com/pyramid.htm)
60.00 a set.
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thanks for the information tom . they certinly are proud of there strings,$71.95 plus shipping---chuck
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Any wise old heads out there got some insight on a soft-feeling medium-light gauge compression wound short scale string? I love the sound and feel of Alembic's strings, but that .105 E is too heavy to my tastes - it's a pig to compress it from the 12th fret up on a short scale.
I am using a light gauge set of RotoSound short scales (.90 E) and they feel great but are kind of harsh sounding compared to the Alembic CXs, which are both clear and round sounding.
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chuck see crgastons link they can be had for a little bit less than I paid... yes they are expensive regardless but I expect Ill leave them on my bass for the next few years!
- Tom
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Found pyramid gold nickel flats steel core at chuck levins washington music center,$65.00.ordered same. they have one set of long scale left in stock.-------chuck
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tom---- I received set of pyramid flats from chuck levins washington music center today less than 24 hours after ordering.great service from sean. you were right on with your recomendation.they are the same strings i have been looking for almost 20 years. strung them up on my elan plus and they sound great. very soft and slick,almost pornograpic. no string noise even with the trebel cranked up.again thanks.--------chuck
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Chuck that is Great... Im very glad you got what you were looking for. I have had my set on my short scale for about 2 weeks now and I like them more and more each time I play the bass.
Chuck Levin seems to have some pretty good service all around, Ive heard others here mention getting very good service from them as well.
- Tom