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Double Bass Evah Pirazzi strings megathread part I
- Thread starter Francois Blais
- Start date
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I'm kind of in the same boat as Uncle Toad. I put the D and G on and am very please with how they match with my low jazzers, that I'm remiss to fool with them. Likely will at some point, but I've got a few gigs this week and would rather pick a time when they could settle in if they need to.
I'll be live with them for the first time tonight, so I'll report back. They sound good in my basement and feel good under the fingers.
-tk
I'll be live with them for the first time tonight, so I'll report back. They sound good in my basement and feel good under the fingers.
-tk
i would really like to try a G and D with the Spirocores on Bottom if anyone is done with their set and would like to throw it to me, i'd be more than happy to cover shipping and a little extra if needed thanks
Bear in mind that the EPs break in very quickly. At first, I thought the E was a bit weak. After a bit of playing, I found them to be well balanced with the rest of the set. Probably the most evenly balanced set of strings I've run across to date.... If there was a law passed against mixing string types, I'd pick these hands down.
Are you using the whole set Marcus? For some reason I thought you had Olivs on top.
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
He broke an Oliv top string, went to weichs, went to EP.
Dude, keep up with the soap opera. Gotta watch it everyday or you'll miss something.
"As The Stringwinder Turns".
Yep, all EPs... I'd intended to put Olivs on top again, but I wanted to see what $140 total sounded like first. Turns out it sounds pretty damn good.
Still love the Oliv G the best, but the EP is very, very close. If I heard a recording of my bass, I don't think I could tell the difference; of course the feel would give it away. EP is stiffer. I like the sound of the EP G string equally, and I actually prefer the D to the Oliv.
Yep, all EPs... I'd intended to put Olivs on top again, but I wanted to see what $140 total sounded like first. Turns out it sounds pretty damn good.
Still love the Oliv G the best, but the EP is very, very close. If I heard a recording of my bass, I don't think I could tell the difference; of course the feel would give it away. EP is stiffer. I like the sound of the EP G string equally, and I actually prefer the D to the Oliv.
Totally agree here. That is why I switched over to the Oliv G...the rest EP's. That combination is really working for me. I too love the EP G string but the "feel" was what I could not get used to.
Honestly, the EP D and Oliv D are sound so similiar...I kept the EP D on just for tuning stability! I switched over to the Oliv D for a second and the diffeence was so minute that I went right back to EP D. You can still "feel" difference...just not as great as the G strings.
The G felt TOTALLY stiff on my bass, definitely stiffer than the Spiro Mittel D next to it. I've got an EP D&G on now, and that helps alot. It also helps to break the string in a little. . .but the G is definitely on the stiff side!
Hmmm... different on different basses, I guess. They feel pretty creamy on my La Scala. But I like a bit stiffer string than some, too, so maybe I'm not a good judge of it.
I have had a set of Evah Pirazzi’s on the bass since Sepember 2 (Adrien Muller, Technical Director at Pirastro, graciously honored my request to try them), and after three weeks I continue to say, as I said the moment they were installed on the bass and I first played them, “I love these strings!!
Coming to them from an Oliv (G&D) and Weich (A&E) mix, they feel stiffer under the fingers, but not as stiff, say, as Spiro Orchs. Despite the stiffness, though, they feel great under the fingers (another TBer in this thread said something about the wonderful feel of “Pirastro steel.”
. And the sound, the sound…! It’s warm and big, with a lot of punch and respectable sustain. Overall, it’s darker rather than lighter. The A is the definition of what a bass ought to sound like, and the D somehow makes the wolf tone on my bass in the Ab-A region virtually inaudible. The E is strong, and the dark growl on F# and G goes for miles. The G is fantastic: warm, focused, not thin, and with no hint of the nasal quality that I found in the Obligato G.
There is a strong, clear focused fundamental in these strings, and the center of the note is always audible, even in a loud jazz mix. That center often got lost in the mix when I played with Obligatos, and with Spiros the overtones sometimes overshadowed the fundamental. Even with Oliv G & D (especially the D, which honked because of the wolf), the center of the fundamental was broader, less focused, than with the Evah’s. To my ears, Pirastro seems to have hit on the perfect balance between a note’s fundamental and it’s audible overtones.
The strings took about 3 days to settle in, and by the end of the first week needed very little tweaking to reach pitch. I play strings very hard (principally jazz pizz, with some arco practice), but after 3 weeks of beating these guys up at jam sessions they are still incredibly responsive. These strings can be pushed, but because they have a lot of power and are responsive it takes a lot overplay them. They seem to have darkened a bit, but the colors in the strings are still very audible. They play very evenly cross the set, and are very well balanced.
At this point I wouldn’t dream of making substitutions. I’m going to stick with this set of Evah’s for as long as they last. When I play them I’m happy and don’t want to stop, just as the slogan says. Congratulations, Pirastro!
Coming to them from an Oliv (G&D) and Weich (A&E) mix, they feel stiffer under the fingers, but not as stiff, say, as Spiro Orchs. Despite the stiffness, though, they feel great under the fingers (another TBer in this thread said something about the wonderful feel of “Pirastro steel.”
. And the sound, the sound…! It’s warm and big, with a lot of punch and respectable sustain. Overall, it’s darker rather than lighter. The A is the definition of what a bass ought to sound like, and the D somehow makes the wolf tone on my bass in the Ab-A region virtually inaudible. The E is strong, and the dark growl on F# and G goes for miles. The G is fantastic: warm, focused, not thin, and with no hint of the nasal quality that I found in the Obligato G. There is a strong, clear focused fundamental in these strings, and the center of the note is always audible, even in a loud jazz mix. That center often got lost in the mix when I played with Obligatos, and with Spiros the overtones sometimes overshadowed the fundamental. Even with Oliv G & D (especially the D, which honked because of the wolf), the center of the fundamental was broader, less focused, than with the Evah’s. To my ears, Pirastro seems to have hit on the perfect balance between a note’s fundamental and it’s audible overtones.
The strings took about 3 days to settle in, and by the end of the first week needed very little tweaking to reach pitch. I play strings very hard (principally jazz pizz, with some arco practice), but after 3 weeks of beating these guys up at jam sessions they are still incredibly responsive. These strings can be pushed, but because they have a lot of power and are responsive it takes a lot overplay them. They seem to have darkened a bit, but the colors in the strings are still very audible. They play very evenly cross the set, and are very well balanced.
At this point I wouldn’t dream of making substitutions. I’m going to stick with this set of Evah’s for as long as they last. When I play them I’m happy and don’t want to stop, just as the slogan says. Congratulations, Pirastro!
- Mar 1, 2002
- 4,237
- 52
- 74
- Disclosures
- Owner: Ken Smith Basses, Ltd.
I have a set on my treasured Gilkes Bass right now. I have tried many many types of sets and gauges on that Bass and other Basses of mine as well and I must say that overall, this is the best string combo ever. I have had better Pizz strings or better bowing strings but for a string that works well for everything, this is the best thus far. Besides that, my Bass sounds deeper and louder than ever before. Kind of an added bonus I must admit.
I've been cautious about reviewing, but I've got a few gigs with them now. I still have Jazzers on E and A, because I just like them so much, but I'm going to swith to all EPs this week.
I'm getting used to the feel, but the sound is what I've always wanted. It may sound strange to say they sound "Big", but they do. I don't think that necessarily means "loud", there is probably some psycoacoustic explanation for what I mean, but "big". They definitely give off that old school "bounce" to the tone (pizz) that defines where the beat is. They are certainly dark, but somehow (due to the aforementioned bigness) they don't seem to get lost in the mix.
I like them. I slid the G string off the fingerboard a few times on Saturday. I'm not sure why. That's not normal for me and they do seem to take a little extra effort to play than I am used to, but I'm going to try to adjust, because I love the sound.
I haven't done much with the bow yet, but they certainly seem to like each other.
Match almost seemlessly with Jazzers on E and A, by the way. Just in case we care some day. Of course those particular strings are 14 or 15 months old, so they may have some edge off.
Play on! Let's keep our fingers crossed for durability.
I'm getting used to the feel, but the sound is what I've always wanted. It may sound strange to say they sound "Big", but they do. I don't think that necessarily means "loud", there is probably some psycoacoustic explanation for what I mean, but "big". They definitely give off that old school "bounce" to the tone (pizz) that defines where the beat is. They are certainly dark, but somehow (due to the aforementioned bigness) they don't seem to get lost in the mix.
I like them. I slid the G string off the fingerboard a few times on Saturday. I'm not sure why. That's not normal for me and they do seem to take a little extra effort to play than I am used to, but I'm going to try to adjust, because I love the sound.
I haven't done much with the bow yet, but they certainly seem to like each other.
Match almost seemlessly with Jazzers on E and A, by the way. Just in case we care some day. Of course those particular strings are 14 or 15 months old, so they may have some edge off.
Play on! Let's keep our fingers crossed for durability.
- Mar 1, 2002
- 4,237
- 52
- 74
- Disclosures
- Owner: Ken Smith Basses, Ltd.
On my Bass they feel about the softest I can remember. The E and A need a little umph to Bow as compared to Flexocors but nothing too demanding.
The EPs have a bigger diameter than most other strings. If you have not compared the diameter of each string to that of the slots in your Nut and Bridge then they may be sitting ON the notch rather than seated IN the slot.
I tweaked my Nut and Bridge for each string while installing them. It was just a slight adjustment from the width that was cut for the Flexocor Starks.
I don't know anything about the Jazzers and have never tried them so I can't comment what might need to be done BUT if the EPs seem hard to play, I would check the slots out first. Also, if the Jazzers are softer tension then maybe it's a set-up tweak you need to make these feel comfy.
Just a thought...
Ok so are they available to buy yet? Anywhere? Besides "X has three sets hidden under a trapdoor in the basement, act now!?"
Pirastro are marketing geniuses--apparently the only way to get a set is to write and ask for a free set to try!
Pirastro are marketing geniuses--apparently the only way to get a set is to write and ask for a free set to try!
Actually, I tried that after reading that SO many people got free sets that way. They're not giving out any sets right now. . . or I'm just not that important.
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