So, just to 100 percent clarify Drurb,
(I read about 60 pages of the megathread about a month or so ago)
1. The Weichs play easier than the regulars.
2. You stopped playing them because they were Too stiff.
How did you feel about the stiffness of the regulars?
How would you compare the stiffness to a set of say, Helicore Pizz? Is there a comparison?
I can't afford to buy both sets, as i had said above im a big guy, and i dont have problem generating power with my pizz. I did see on ebay you can get a extended E in weichs, but i still am concerned about bowing them as it is a major part of my playing.
So also to anyone out there who has done a direct comparison lately, what do you think? I only have experience with helicores. If you can relate how the feel different then Heli's, let us know?
Yes to both 1 and 2. I'll reiterate my history briefly for you. Many here have read this a few times. Anyway, I went from a set of Doms to the Evah regulars. HUGE, HUGE, powerful sound on my bass, which tends to sound powerful with just about anything on it but it was unbelievable! As others had experienced, playing on them caused the first joint of my right index finger to ache. That faded after a couple of weeks. Still, I found the regulars a bit much. What I gained in power, I gave up in articulation. Given my string heights at the time (about 10 mm at the E, about 7.5 mm at the G), they were a bear.
I switched to the Evah weichs. As others have also noted, the EP weichs are really more typical of a "mittel" or "regular" string, while the EP regulars are more like a stark. The naming is quite misleading. I found the weichs to be easier to play, still producing gut-punching power and low-end (a bit less than the regulars). One characteristic, also noted by many others here, is that they (like the regulars) have a certain front-end stiffness right at the attack of a pizz. note. It seems to be part and parcel of their punchy sound. That stiffness actually seems to increase as they age. Others have found that as well. All was well, until... at the end of a gig, I ripped open the sagittal band holding the tendon on my right middle finger.
When I was allowed to return to playing after surgery, I put on a set of Spiro mitts and dialed down the string height. They were a breeze to play compared to the weichs. Later, I raised the string height back up to about 9+ mm at the E, ~7 mm at the G. After a time, I put the EP weichs back on. I immediately noticed that the intoxicating thundering fundamentals were back. An open E would go down through the floor, up into my body, and loosen fillings in my teeth.
I also noticed immediately that the front-end stiffness put far, far more strain on my hand than did the Spiro mitts.
The experiment lasted a day or two. The Spiro mitts went back on. Basically, I traded the dark, powerful EP sound for the "whine" and growl and classic sound of Spiros
and the safety of my hand. Perhaps I could handle the EP weichs with lower string heights. I really have no desire to find out because, frankly, I'm really happy with that classic Spiro sound. It's hard to beat!
Finally, if ever YMMV holds, it's here. Some players find the EP weichs easier to play than the Spiros. On my bass, to my hands, it's WAY in the opposite direction. I don't have an explanation for the disparity-- it just is. Despite all the agreement about the characteristics of EPs and Spiros, you just never know until they're on your bass.
I really don't have any specific experience with the Helicore pizz. to make the comparison. Hope this all helps.
...so just to recap, generally speaking, the consesus is that on the same bass, weichs are easier to play and feel less stiff than the regs?
Indeed. I'm not aware that anyone here has found the difference to be in the opposite direction when both were tried on the same bass. It also makes sense.
