strings for a very bright new double bass

[gilshaked1]

Hi everyone
I have a curved new hungarian double bass with a set of obligato strings.
The bass have a loud, bright tone which suit me well while playing pizz.
However, after couple of months of playing i really don't like the arco sound as i'm looking for a dark, warm and smooth woody sound instead of the bright and "plastic" sound which i have now.
I play now mostly arco and was thinking a new strings will make the difference but which strings?
I know there's other things like "open" the bass (as we are talking about a new bass), sound post, bow, etc but still, what are the best strings to make a new bright bass to a warm dark one?

[Eric Hochberg]

Bel Cantos, Evah Pirazzi, Flexocore all are candidates. Read the string threads, it's all there!

[rdwhit]

i vote for bel cantos- i use them on my new bright sounding back-up bass

[gilshaked1]

I red bel canto are great but not that good with pizz.
are they darker then the pirazzi?

[ldekoning]

Belcantos ring a lot more than Evah Pirazzis. As a result they are quite beautiful with the bow - especially in the upper registers - but are quieter than Evahs. Their pizz is also quieter, and they don't have much 'mwah'.

The Evahs win hands down for darkness and bassiness. I have a fairly new Shen hybrid, which is also bright, and they make the bass sound like a cannon. The only drawback is that they seem to be higher tension than the Belcantos. But given time, you adjust!

[trevastation]

Evahs, i had an E and A on my eastman, and they were real dark, bowed well, but too quiet and soft on my bass so now i have two barely used ones sitting around. they might do well on yours though. i do a good bit of both pizz and arco, and i found the inexpensive helicore hybrids to be wonderful, especially on the upper end with a medium G. they bow well and are LOUD, at least on my bass. hope this helps!

[Marc Piane]

My bass is pretty bright (though getting darker by the day). I use Evah regulars. The best string I tried was the Eudoxa but they are about twice the price and carry all the quirkyness that gut core strings have. Evah's are a very close second for me.

[gilshaked1]

From what i red the Evahs are somehow simular to the obligato's. true?
I don't like the Obligatos arco and the A & E are don't start easy at all!

[Marton]

Originally Posted by trevastation

Evahs, i had an E and A on my eastman, and they were real dark, bowed well, but too quiet and soft on my bass so now i have two barely used ones sitting around. they might do well on yours though. i do a good bit of both pizz and arco, and i found the inexpensive helicore hybrids to be wonderful, especially on the upper end with a medium G. they bow well and are LOUD, at least on my bass. hope this helps!

Helicore hybrid have a really bright arco tone. Probably not what the OP is looking for.

[Marton]

In my experience Corelli bows well and have good pizz tone. But they're pretty quiet.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Originally Posted by gilshaked1

From what i red the Evahs are somehow simular to the obligato's. true?
I don't like the Obligatos arco and the A & E are don't start easy at all!

In my experience, the Evahs are darker and stiffer with little or none of the roll on the A and E. The Obligati sound thin and plasticy as they age but the Evahs hold that solid tone.

[daniariMD]

If you're trying to decide between Evah Pirazzi and Belcantos, I would base it off of what you do more. For orchestral stuff, Pirazzis are the way to go. They have powerful, warm low strings and a really nice pop to the pizz.

Belcantos are also quite warm, but they have a more singing high sound which is great for any solo playing. I'm not a fan of low Belcantos though... and the pizz leaves a little to be desired.

[gilshaked1]

OK, Thanks everyone. It's goning to be Evah Pirazzi.
Now just another little question?
standard set or weich?