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Double Bass Evah Pirazzi medium
- Thread starter Leif Dering
- Start date
It's been a while, but I liked them fine. They're pretty stiff, and they have that synthetic core sound, which is what it is. But overall I found them a good hybrid string for someone leaning significantly to the arco side. I don't recall them wimping out anywhere on the fingerboard.
They can be stiff, and like other EP's, they have a strange "ceiling" beyond which they give no more. The problem is it doesn't stop the player from reaching for more, which can cause stress on the hands over time.
Very Stiff! Tremendous E string though.. thinking back ...
Years ago had Eudoxa G. Olive D, Eva Weich A, Eva regular E a powerful set, super Arco combination...
Years ago had Eudoxa G. Olive D, Eva Weich A, Eva regular E a powerful set, super Arco combination...
I’ve used both the regular and Weich sets as well as Weich G, D & A with a regular E.
I loved the acoustic sound. Possibly more than I do with my current set of Spirocores. Especially when playing by myself. But amplified and/or in a group context, they were very hit or miss. Tonally, they have a difficult time cutting through a mix. I frequently found myself “overplaying” which could lead to fatigue.
That being said, a lot of A-list players use them. So maybe I’m being too critical.
I loved the acoustic sound. Possibly more than I do with my current set of Spirocores. Especially when playing by myself. But amplified and/or in a group context, they were very hit or miss. Tonally, they have a difficult time cutting through a mix. I frequently found myself “overplaying” which could lead to fatigue.
That being said, a lot of A-list players use them. So maybe I’m being too critical.
Used them my last two years of college, as that was what they decided to put on the school's bass. Worked well, easy under the bow, although where the weichs may have been weak in thumb position, I wasn't the biggest fan of how the regular set sounded in thumb position either.
I was able to use them to drive the big band acoustically when the amplifier died a couple times, though, so that was fun.
I was able to use them to drive the big band acoustically when the amplifier died a couple times, though, so that was fun.
I used them a good bit in the late 2000's and early 2010's while studying and they served me very well playing jazz and symphonic music. I ended up moving to EP weich/Oliv combo because this particular bass had its scroll badly damaged twice and it also sounded restricted with higher tension strings (very brief installation of spiro starks). I certainly wouldn't mind using them again as they are a great all purpose string. The only negatives I experienced were that they died around 9 months to a year and what others mention about the dynamic ceiling being limited was very noticeable at this point.
For what it's worth, I am loving them. I don't find them stiff at all on the bass I am using them on.
They respond better to a light touch. Coming from raw gut they are very similar in how they respond. I love how they sound in thump position both pizz and arco. They aren't as loud as something like Spiro's. They have a mellow vibe. I guess this could cause someone to over play but I am not having that issue.
They respond better to a light touch. Coming from raw gut they are very similar in how they respond. I love how they sound in thump position both pizz and arco. They aren't as loud as something like Spiro's. They have a mellow vibe. I guess this could cause someone to over play but I am not having that issue.
Earl
Supporting Member
Where is thump position?
It's a secret. I'll be releasing a method book and video series later this year.
I usually play Obligatos as I play mostly jazz with some orchestral and show work. I am starting a show with a lot of arco, especially way down to low C extension. There is also a lot of non-jazz style pizz. For this I found the Obligatos just a little too bright so I have thrown on a set of EP mediums with the Extended E string. The heavy low string throws out a ton of sound. I do not find them too stiff personally and they sing just fine in the upper register and/or thumb position.
The reason I have this set on hand, is because I tried EP mediums for a number of purely jazz gigs and I could not get them to sing on fast jazz pizz solos in the middle register, they didn't have the slight edge or centered tone that the Obligatos have. So would not try EP's over Obligatos for jazz. Disclaimer: I've never played on weichs, only mediums of both sets.
The reason I have this set on hand, is because I tried EP mediums for a number of purely jazz gigs and I could not get them to sing on fast jazz pizz solos in the middle register, they didn't have the slight edge or centered tone that the Obligatos have. So would not try EP's over Obligatos for jazz. Disclaimer: I've never played on weichs, only mediums of both sets.
I can't speak to the arco piece. But pizz, definitely. With Spiros or Dominants, they will reward digging with more sound, or a more aggressive pop on the front of the note, or both. With the EP strings, it's like they have built in compression, and once they hit that ceiling, there's no point in wasting any more energy asking for more. For whatever reason, my body/brain just isn't wired that way and I didn't care for that aspect although they were very nice in other respects.
EP mediums are more of a heavy string. They can help to pull a lot of sound out of a bass but they are stiff. I enjoyed them more with the bow than pizz.
If I had a bass specifically set up for arco and orchestral playing, they’d be near the top of my list, but as a pizz or try-to-do-it all string, they don’t really work on my bass as well as I’d like.
If I had a bass specifically set up for arco and orchestral playing, they’d be near the top of my list, but as a pizz or try-to-do-it all string, they don’t really work on my bass as well as I’d like.
I've been bass hunting recently and most dealers seem to have EPs on most of their basses so I've played them on lots of instruments... I can't at all understand what anyone would like about them! The downsides of both spirocores and gut without the advantages of either
I've been using Evah Mittel's for a number of years. My bass came strung with Obligato's, and when they wore out I tried out a set of Spiro Mittel's. What's not to like about a string that lasts forever? I was still thumping my original set of Spiro's on my Kay after all.
I discovered that they were hurting my hands when playing pizz and digging in. And they were scratchy under the bow. At the time I was getting into arco soloing, and also doing a lot of arco practice at home. Of course "a poor workman blames his tools," but life is short. So I tried a set of Evah's. They seem like a good compromise between pizz and arco on my bass, my hands, my bow, etc.
This business of strings topping out at a certain level is weird. I can't think of a physics explanation, and haven't done any measurements. But I've learned to believe the seasoned players. I may have been experiencing it with the Spiro's, but those have a reputation of not having that problem. Also, my hands started hurting later on due to overplaying, so I have to acknowledge that part of the equation too. At this point I have to think about having just turned 60, and taking care of my body so I can keep playing. I've made a conscious effort to avoid even pushing hard enough to find out if they have a ceiling. The only real danger is in acoustic jam sessions with a lot of fiddlers.
I'm motivated to do some measurements, but not at the risk of my hands.
I discovered that they were hurting my hands when playing pizz and digging in. And they were scratchy under the bow. At the time I was getting into arco soloing, and also doing a lot of arco practice at home. Of course "a poor workman blames his tools," but life is short. So I tried a set of Evah's. They seem like a good compromise between pizz and arco on my bass, my hands, my bow, etc.
This business of strings topping out at a certain level is weird. I can't think of a physics explanation, and haven't done any measurements. But I've learned to believe the seasoned players. I may have been experiencing it with the Spiro's, but those have a reputation of not having that problem. Also, my hands started hurting later on due to overplaying, so I have to acknowledge that part of the equation too. At this point I have to think about having just turned 60, and taking care of my body so I can keep playing. I've made a conscious effort to avoid even pushing hard enough to find out if they have a ceiling. The only real danger is in acoustic jam sessions with a lot of fiddlers.
I'm motivated to do some measurements, but not at the risk of my hands.
