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Double Bass Evah Pirazzi strings megathread part II
- Thread starter bonaventura
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My experience seems to jibe completely with Marcus'. The regulars sure do soften up over time. The arco "feel" is, indeed, a little spongier than the regulars (but not at all to the point of being a negative) and that makes sense. I still detect somewhat less power in the fundamental of the lowest notes for the weichs vs. the regular. That seems to make sense as well, given their slightly smaller diameter and decreased mass. With all that said, on balance, I like the overall sound and playability of the weichs better. Now, whether that will be true in a month from now... 
I guess I'll deal with the stiffness for now, putting off another string purchase at least a year. I'm still searching for the perfect string for the Kay. Obligatos sounded best but wore out . Mainly I'm looking to add punch, which is the only quality lacking in an otherwise awesome sounding bass. That's why I switched to my Wan Bernadel for big band gigs. The Kay needed more volume than appropriate to cut through, but by itself has a richer, complex pizz tone. Trying to have it all, of course, without spending a fortune on an exceptional old instrument.
Hmm. You liked Oblis on the Kay, need more punch, but it didn't like the regulars. The reduced tension of the weichs may be something the Kay likes. You'd have to try. I will say this. In general, if someone likes Oblis, is dissatisfied with how quickly they wear out, and wants a more durable string with more punch, then my first recommendation would be the Evah weichs.
The regular EPs showed little or no signs of wear after a year of moderate (3-4 gigs a week) use when they came off. They were playing fine, both arco and pizz.
Strictly true, because we have no long-term experience yet. Still, judging by how similar the weichs are to the regulars, I'm guessing they'll be as or nearly as durable. Time will tell.
I put some tracks up on my MySpace page (link below) so you can hear how they sound on my bass, with my fingers, etc. Go down to tracks 5-7. 5 and 6 are for comparison purposes - Very Early was recorded with a mixed set of strings: Evah G (regular gauge), really old spiro D and A, Jazzer E. I just got the Zoom and the level was too high so there's a bit of distortion. Doxy was recorded two weeks later at the same gig, with a full set of weichs. Both times the sound is mostly acoustic with a touch of amp (Realist, 40 watt Eden N8 toy practice amp - $140!) Take The Coltrane is in a different room, included so you can hear a more amped sound and how it fares with a quartet. The amp in this case being a WW MI-225 into a Wizzy 10.
The duo cuts are a little unbalanced towards the bass, but I that's due to the placement of the Zoom. I think you can hear the differences between the (mostly) steel set and the Evah weichs. The Evahs don't have any of the glassy high end that the spiros have but I think they have as much volume and sustain (for now). I think you can also hear how similar the weich and regular G sound - the difference is in the feel. If you listen carefully perhaps you can hear what I mean about the Evah weich D being a tad duller than both the A and G, but it's not as apparent on the recording as I thought it would be from my perspective as a player. Overall, I find the differences are not as drastic as I expected, but I like what I hear. I'm still learning how to play the strings, and the E is somewhat rattly, but they are supple enough that I might crank the adjusters up again.
The duo cuts are a little unbalanced towards the bass, but I that's due to the placement of the Zoom. I think you can hear the differences between the (mostly) steel set and the Evah weichs. The Evahs don't have any of the glassy high end that the spiros have but I think they have as much volume and sustain (for now). I think you can also hear how similar the weich and regular G sound - the difference is in the feel. If you listen carefully perhaps you can hear what I mean about the Evah weich D being a tad duller than both the A and G, but it's not as apparent on the recording as I thought it would be from my perspective as a player. Overall, I find the differences are not as drastic as I expected, but I like what I hear. I'm still learning how to play the strings, and the E is somewhat rattly, but they are supple enough that I might crank the adjusters up again.
I put the Evah weich D on the other day, it feels real nice. No real surprises, its a bit looser than the regular but sounds pretty much the same IMO. Perhaps the regular had a little more kick to the front of the note, but that might develop over time as someone said.
Right now it sets next to an oliv G, and regular Evah A and E. This is working real good and I will have my first gig unamped tonight with the weich D.
Right now it sets next to an oliv G, and regular Evah A and E. This is working real good and I will have my first gig unamped tonight with the weich D.
Well, the recordings have sold me! Now i just need to scrape together enough money. My bass is naturally bright (sounds Jaco-esque) with Spiro Weichs on right now, and I'm aiming more for a Ray Brown- mixed Paul Chambers-kinda sound - granted I probably can't capture their feel!
got the weich's from bob g really quickly, but had to wait till sunday afternoon to put them on. although they have only been on for a couple days i'll have to say i like these even more than the regulars. i play pizz only so i cant comment on arco.
the playability of these are much easier on the hands. i can get around with my left hand alot easier and they dont fatigue my right hand at all. the regulars are way more cable like than these. my bass really seems to like the tension alot better also. my bass was originally set up to have obligatoes on it and these are closer to that tension than that of the ep regulars.
my bass sounds really "woody" (if thats a word), all the strings sound better to me than the regulars. i think the regulars may have had my bass choked. the e and a string sound way more open and i like the weich g better than the regular. i had to raise the adjusters on my bridge a bit because i was getting some buzz at the 5th position on the d and a string.
although i thought my string search had ended with the ep regulars, i'm really glad i decided to try these. now my string search can end.
the playability of these are much easier on the hands. i can get around with my left hand alot easier and they dont fatigue my right hand at all. the regulars are way more cable like than these. my bass really seems to like the tension alot better also. my bass was originally set up to have obligatoes on it and these are closer to that tension than that of the ep regulars.
my bass sounds really "woody" (if thats a word), all the strings sound better to me than the regulars. i think the regulars may have had my bass choked. the e and a string sound way more open and i like the weich g better than the regular. i had to raise the adjusters on my bridge a bit because i was getting some buzz at the 5th position on the d and a string.
although i thought my string search had ended with the ep regulars, i'm really glad i decided to try these. now my string search can end.
- May 6, 2003
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- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
I'm liking the weichs on my (recently acquired from Arnold S.) Shen Rogeri. They produce a lot of sound and are easy on the hands. Arco is good too, as near as I can tell with my meager chops.
now i have to decide Weichs or Solo...im doing a classical course so the solo would be great, but also only have one bass and would need to do jazz/orchestra with solo tuned down a tone...
Anyone had a chance to pay both? or any comments on the solos?
Anyone had a chance to pay both? or any comments on the solos?
The regulars definitely had my bass choked and were hard on me physically, which in fairness to them is not that hard to be. I'm intrigued if the weichs have reversed that occurance.
I had a second problem with regulars too, and it may be the same as having my table choked down, but they didn't have that much clarity. With the warmth and woodiness, came a vagueness that when I listen to recordings now and even when I listen to Herve's tracks I can hear. What are your sonic impressions of the contrast between the two?
I don't expect them to be spirocores and I'm really loving spirocores right now, so it may not be in the cards for me either way, but I'm also not quite settled into a setup at the moment either.
Ah Dan. Sweet, innocent Dan. Dan...Dan...Dan... Don't ever loose that misguided optimism.
Bingo! I had exactly the same experience. The weichs are a step toward Spiros along that dimension. Just a step. They still retain the dark Evah character but with a bit more articulation and clarity. As I've stated before, in my experience the weichs don't have all the power of the regulars and that makes sense from the standpoint of physics. Still, they're plenty powerful. For now, I prefer the weichs.
That's it for me exactly, drurb. Well stated. The originals, as good as they are,drove me back to Spiros for a brief time in search of more clarity. When Pirastro introduced the Weichs... bingo, as you said. They sit right in the middle of the two, which for me is as close to ideal as I can expect.
I don't think that the originals choked my bass to any great degree... but now, with the Weichs, the bass seems to have come back to life. The whole damn thing's just shaking again... yet in a very controlled sense. To me, the bass actually seems louder now, although I can't prove that it is. I'm definitely having more fun each night.
I don't think that the originals choked my bass to any great degree... but now, with the Weichs, the bass seems to have come back to life. The whole damn thing's just shaking again... yet in a very controlled sense. To me, the bass actually seems louder now, although I can't prove that it is. I'm definitely having more fun each night.
"Woody" an infectious term.
What I'm reading throughout this thread is that these Evah Weichs are a string set that should have been available when the originals were released. Too bad it wasn't possible, for whatever reason.
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