Double Bass Evah Pirazzi strings megathread part II

[Ike Harris]

Do the Weichs amplify better than the regulars? I'm using an old Underwood and Clarus and they take some doing to get a decent pickup sound. The acoustic sound is great. I may go to a Full Circle in the future but would like to get the string thing cleared up first.

Ike

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Do the Weichs amplify better than the regulars?
Ike

I can't say from my experience with both that the weichs amplify better. They are both fine for me in that regard, Ike.

 

[drurb]

Do the Weichs amplify better than the regulars?

I've had really good results with both the weichs and the regulars using a Rev Solo, EA iamp200, and Wizzy 12. The regulars produced some of the best amplified sound I've gotten and the weichs are nearly the same.

 

[thesneakyjesus]

honestly, I have a hard time really being accurate about the amp thing.

I've owned like 10 amps in my life, all really really nice amps (svt 2 pro, acoutic image clarus, mesa boogie walk about, little mark 2).

I'm now borrowing the coda combo, last years model, from my buddy. For some reason, with these EPs, my full circle, and this amp,
it's the first time I've gotten any where near close to "my bass only louder".

I'm pretty sure that it's the cabs I've been using + the filter. The little cab on this combo sounds awesome. I can top it out a bit if I rock hard. I hear the bottom driver starting to struggle.

The sound is punchy and fresh.

I can say that I'm almost certain that sprio mittles, which would be a more traditional upright sound for jazz in the modern sense, would amplify better for a pizz punch. I think James Genus when I think of this sound.

The thing is,
I platy with the bow in a really really steady gig now (Link Removed) call the Jungle Beat.

I can actually play with the bow and just the full circle into this amp with these strings and it sounds pretty darn good!

I can't really believe it. The volume isn't all that different from pizz too!

I kind of want both. The sprio pizz and the EP arco. I just can't get it. The EP pizz is about 80-90% of the way there though, so it's the best string that I can get for now.

I think the only way I might do better is go back to Oliv top 2 and EP bottom.

This would be expensive. Hence.. EP for me for now.

 

[Barcza]

I just start using EP strings, they are fantastic strings. Only I find the E string better with Obligato ( on my bass ).

 

[thesneakyjesus]

first, I'm not sure if I should post here or the new thread. I'll keep here but feel free to move my posts!


UPDATE.
First rehearsal with the EPs and the AI amp. Trio. Guitar and Tenor. Loud beautiful tenor, pretty loud guitar. No way could I head myself acoustically.

Just figured the amps EQ our really well about 20 min after rehearsal. If you use the notch in the right place (for me at about 11 0 clock, or a little less than 60 hz) cut the bass a bit (7 o clock) cut the mid and high both (10 o clock) I get my bass tone. Some pitches are a little bit lost (only Db for me really.. but just a little) And some a a little bigger than other (F3). But other wise, it's amazing. I put the amp on a stool and hear myself clear as day, but still rich and old school.

The strings are amazing with the bow and pizz with this set up. I have them set pretty low, and with the amp I can use a lot less left hand and right hand stress to get that sound.

If spirocores are the holy grail jazz pizz sound, then I'd say that the EPs get 80% there.

If spirocores are 70% of the hold grail arco sound, then I'd say the EPs are a 90% there.

The big thing for me is the E string right now. Pizz, it's less than the other strings as far as jazz pizz punch. I think a used Spiro mittle E might be a really good fix, but would be less bowable. I really need the bowability of the E for now. If my teacher has a used one I'll give it a shot.

Best

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Or you can wait a bit. The Evah E strings, both the medium and the weich, opened up a lot on my bass over a short time. YMMV. I've found them to be the best balanced set of strings I've ever used.

 

[drurb]

If spirocores are the holy grail jazz pizz sound, then I'd say that the EPs get 80% there.

I agree! For me anyway, the standard "holy grail" is not what I want. For now, I prefer the sound of the EPs to Spiros. That's not surprising because, for years, I've preferred the sound of darker, punchier strings (e.g., Doms) to Spiros.

 

[bejoyous]

I can't quite figure out what the difference betwenn Ep's and EPW's.

Besides meaning "soft" do the EPW's have lower tension, more filiments so they are fatter or what? I'm getting ready to order some new strings and I'm hummin' and hawin' whether to get EP's or EPW's.

I play mostly classical with the odd musical and jazz gig.

 

[drurb]

I can't quite figure out what the difference betwenn Ep's and EPW's.

Besides meaning "soft" do the EPW's have lower tension, more filiments so they are fatter or what? I'm getting ready to order some new strings and I'm hummin' and hawin' whether to get EP's or EPW's.

I play mostly classical with the odd musical and jazz gig.

I suggest EP weichs. Eric Roy once commented that he thinks the weichs are mis-named. He sees them more akin to mittels. I agree. The regular EPs are somewhat larger in diameter. I loved them but it was a bit like playing on bridge cables.

What I really wanted was essentially the same string with a slightly smaller diameter, a bit "softer," and a touch brighter. Then the weichs appeared! In my opinion, with the weichs, they got it just right!

 

[Monte]

I ordered the E-A-D to go with my new Oliv G I've had for awhile as my regular EP's/Oliv on there now are showing some definite wear on the windings, although they still sound good. I'm going to try putting them on tomorrow in advance of weekend gigs and see how they do.

Played a small "tour" of Oklahoma earlier this month, and I don't know if it was the difference in humidity or what but the tension on the regular EP's was almost more than I could take on the last gig Sunday. Sounded great but felt terrible.

 

[Monte]

Put these on tonight.

First impressions.....well, my old regular EP's and Oliv G must have been REALLY dead. Wow, what a difference.

They feel really nice, and match well with the new Oliv G. The E is a little weaker than the rest of the set, but that happened with the regular EP's as well and got better quickly.

One other thing that made a huge difference. I swapped out the G and D positions on the tuner because I have never liked the more severe break angle on the Oliv G, and the one I took off had a lot of wear at the nut. An unexpected bonus is that the D feels better, looser, better match feel wise for the Oliv.

If I can only remember not to try to turn the wrong tuner too far when I don't hear it changing.....

 

[Eric Hochberg]

I can't quite figure out what the difference betwenn Ep's and EPW's.

Besides meaning "soft" do the EPW's have lower tension, more filiments so they are fatter or what? I'm getting ready to order some new strings and I'm hummin' and hawin' whether to get EP's or EPW's.

I play mostly classical with the odd musical and jazz gig.

They are lighter in gauge, tension feel and amount of work it takes to play them.

 

[Troy Robey]

I've been playing Animas for the last year but want to give EP's a try... it seems like the consensus is the weichs are better than the regulars, but since I'm used to the larger diameter Animas, maybe the EP regulars are the way to go. I kind of like the feel of fatter strings. What would I be sacrificing choosing the regulars over the weichs, mostly string tension?

 

[Marcus Johnson]

What would I be sacrificing choosing the regulars over the weichs, mostly string tension?

They're stiffer, of course... and on my bass, they seemed a little more damped than the Weichs. They aren't as growly, and they sustain less.

 

[drurb]

What would I be sacrificing choosing the regulars over the weichs, mostly string tension?

Well, as I said:

The regular EPs are somewhat larger in diameter. I loved them but it was a bit like playing on bridge cables.

 

[Monte]

Did my first gig with the new Weich E, A, D and fresh Oliv last night. Unamplified, outside on a roof with a piano and drums. These babies have a lot of punch.....a low key kind of gig and I had to hold back to not overwhelm the piano.

I really think my cannon of a bass is even more so with these on. The E didn't take any time at all to come up to the volume level of the others.

Man, I wish I could afford to get a new Oliv every 3 months. I get 15-18 months out of them, but the first 3 months they are just special.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I have a borrowed Evah set that I'm trying out one string at a time on my office bass. So far I've got the G and D on, and they're nice. More later...

 

[Andy Allen]

Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I have a borrowed Evah set that I'm trying out one string at a time on my office bass. So far I've got the G and D on, and they're nice. More later...

I got to play my 'office bass' today for a few minutes and was reminded of how good it sounds with a full set of Evahs.

I don't get the opportunity to play it very often; that annoying working/teaching thing they expect me to do around here keeps getting in the way and I was thinking about putting a spare set of Spiros on it just for fun. But now I've played the Evahs I think I'll leave it just as it is.

Andy

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I don't get the opportunity to play it very often; that annoying working/teaching thing they expect me to do around here keeps getting in the way

Amen to that. Still, every once in a while, I can steal a few minutes, which is a few minutes better than no minutes.