Chorda D & G w/Eudoxa E & A

Paul Dwyer · #1 07-04-2006, 12:57 PM

Hi, has anyone here tried this set-up for jazz pizz & arco?

Thanks for any advice,

Paul

dfp · #2 07-08-2006, 12:05 AM

not all at the same time, but at one time or another... i think it could be ok for you, but the Chorda D would need to go... here's my breakdown:

Chorda G: bows ok. better than some guts, not as well as Spiro Weichs. pizz, pretty thick, but clear. very fun but maybe too thick for getting your jazz arco thing to really take off...

Chorda D: bows not as good, too thick a string. pizz, not as good, blurry undefined sound. doesn't match the set.

Eudoxa A: bows ok, not as good as i expected. not as good as Spiros, i recall. pizz was bland b/c of flat wrap. a fine round wrap on gut sounds better on low strings for pizz. A Spiro is a decent choice here.

Eudoxa E: see above.

my opinions of course, best wishes

jneuman · #3 07-08-2006, 06:03 AM

Here is a secret - One can mix and match ALL Pirastro premium strings with decent and sometimes great results. Experiment away.

Bobby King · #4 07-09-2006, 05:44 AM

If you're planning to bow on plain gut, you'd better know what you're getting into. It requires changes in technique and produces quite a different sound. If you're sure that's what you want, I'd suggest looking into custom makers like Larson and Dlugolecki that offer their gut in different gauges. Be prepared to drop a bundle.

The Pirastro Olive D&G (gut-core, flatwound) are very nice for pizz and arco. They can be mixed with a variety of lower strings. I haven't played on Eudoxa E&A in quite some time so I can't really comment on those.

There are real joys in playing on plain gut. Some people can use them with good results for arco, but I feel that they shine more for the old-school pizz sound. If you limit to pizz, you can get away with using some of the (relatively) less expensive brands.

I happen to love gut pizz but also play arco. My solution: two basses.

**Adrian Cho** · #5 07-17-2006, 10:42 PM

I did try that exact setup for a while but the Chorda D was useless - very dead sounding and a bitch to play so I swapped it for an Oliv D and played on that setup for a while. Three different Pirasto gut strings in the one setup - worked great. However now that I'm using the Gamut Lyon guts, I think the Chordas are quite inferior. I use the varnished Gamuts - much, much better for arco.

kwd · #6 07-18-2006, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Peeples

a fine round wrap on gut sounds better on low strings for pizz.

Since the Chorda E and A use a fine round wrap, I wonder how they might be for pizz -based on your post. Has anyone tried them?

I don't find too many posts where people are praising gut E or A strings, plain or uncovered. People seem to tolerate them, but never love them.

**Adrian Cho** · #7 07-18-2006, 04:03 PM

Using guts on the lower strings is really damn expensive and you don't get as much of the gut string from those strings as you do on G and D and in many cases the lack of definition on A and E gut can be a problem. Of course it's a matter of finding steel or other strings that will match with gut G and D. I use Permanents and I'm quite happy with them.

dfp · #8 07-20-2006, 01:45 PM

from my memory of sampling Chordas and Pirastro Pizzicato wrapped gut strings:

the Chorda A string was wonderful, at least for pizz. ( i liked its pizz sound much better than the Eudoxa A). very clear (for gut), more sustain than any of the Chorda set, had some nice grrrr to it, big sound, but being between the over-sized D and E, it was out of place. chorda E was just too big to deal with.

the Pizzicatos both A and E sounded great, similar to the Chorda A. i don't recall enjoying arco on any Chordas or Pizzicato strings...

i'm curious about the wrapped A and E strings used back in the old days, if they were round or flat or if both were popular, who used what, when... anyone done any research on "history of wrapped gut strings"?

gor-gy · #9 10-13-2006, 07:05 AM

the best gut string set for me : Pirastro chorda, big warm tone ! PC sound

. yes you can mix all pirastro gut so try it...there is a new pirastro set (98) : Pizzicato , light tension, small gauge, REAL flat silver/copper wound available on D and G too or only for this 2 string : nylon tape on gut , this is a great gut string for modern music. warm tone with a great modulation, long sustain ( like steel) , and stay in tune well

see at www.pirastro.com, you can find some link to gut string player like www.matthewrybickimusic.com ( chorda) ... for special gauge (more tension or less) ask to pirastro it's possible to make your own string gauge...let's swing baby