I've been living with EP's on my bass for about 2.5 months now. I tried them out slowly, putting on an EP 'G' for about a month, and then adding an EP 'D' for a few weeks, then going to an entire set.
My problem amplifying the strings was not apparent until I went to a complete set. It was the most frustrating thing ever to struggle through playing that set and not hear what I was accustomed to. I play mostly jazz, but also classical music. I also like to solo, and play with a certain amount of 'chops'. I need to get around on the instrument a little. After about 1 week of trying to play amplified gigs on the EP set, I relented and took the whole set off and put my Spiro Mittels back on. I basically gave up on the strings and was content with what worked previously for me. What happened next was weird.
I had a nonet gig 2 days after and a pretty long rehearsal in a concert hall that night. With Spiros back on my bass, I went to the rehearsal and plugged in. My beautiful 7/8ths, 60-year old, German bass sounded like CRAP. There was 'mwah' and sustain for days, and it was easier to play, but sounded SO small compared to what I had been hearing from my instrument. It was embarassing, to say the least. It was also interesting to play Spiros again. I forgot how you can coax different sounds out by, well, pulling harder. But it really felt like the bottom was pulled out from under me.
I went back home and immediately put the EP's back on. They stretched (again), and sounded really great AT HOME. I decided to make playing them a little easy on myself, so I lowered the action to around 6mm on the G and 8mm on the E. I also kept reminding myself not to yank the note out of the string. To get that 'head' on the note, Spiros really need a heavier touch, where EPs seem to have that punch with little effort (IMO). I got to my gig the next day and started with a totally FLAT eq on my GK MB150 amp. I bumped down the bass to about 11:00, ditto on the low-mid and treble, and bumped up the high-mid to around 1:00. Playing in what was basically a gymnasium with a nonet (that's 9-piece) was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I had to be heard, and I was. Walking was great, and soloing is getting much better. The sound is starting to happen, and I'm figuring out that it can't be approached the same way as with steel strings.
I'm not talking about playing unamplified, first of all. I play a pretty wide variety of gigs, and sometimes I have to really be loud (i.e. I have to match loud drummers, etc). When I'm not playing with a drummer, these strings are outstanding. They're so freaking loud acoustically that you really only need a little bump from the amp, if you're going to use an amp at all. It's when I was really turning up that I started to hear things that I didn't want to hear.
First of all, I've found the treble response of these strings (through an amp) to kinda suck. The treble sound these strings put out is harsh and somewhat loud. I have to cut treble to start out. These strings are a bit mid-heavy as well, especially in comparison to, say, Spiros. With all of the Spiro overtones, there's a 'scooped' sound there where there are mid frequencies being cut. That comes out as a 'smooth' sound through the amp. The EP's put out all kind of mids, and they can be especially harsh. I have to cut the low mids and boost the high ones a little. That being said, I have to be judicious with the high mids. Too little and my note is mud, too much and the sound becomes way too 'honky' and harsh for my taste. I started out cutting the lows on my amp with this string, but they've come up a little. Bottom is one of the things that makes these strings really great. There's substantial bottom-end that speaks (on my bass) way better than Spiros ever did. I'm not shying away from it on the amp, but not cutting as much as I used to. Still cutting some, tho.
I have a gig tomorrow where I plan on trying out my AI Contra amp with the bass. It's in a really crappy room with guitar and drums, so if anyone's interested, I'll give a report on that. For now, this is what's been working for me, my hands, and my bass. Among other things, I've also tried 2 different pickups on the instrument with the EP's, and both had their place--Underwood and Full Circle. The Full Circle seems to agree a little more.
It's worked for me, and I only expect it to get better. These strings haven't been UNPLAYABLE when amplified. On the contrary, I'm finding that it might take about an hour to really start feeling comfortable playing (esp. soloing) on a gig with these strings. My ears and my hands are adjusting. The other musicians I play with seem to love the way my bass sounds with these strings on the gig. They're just very different than what we're accustomed to.
Go figure!!
