Double Bass Evah Pirazzi strings megathread part II

[Jeremy Allen]

...a good friend has a set of Evah's on one of his basses, but he's an arco guy and they're set way too low to tell what they'd really sound like when you can get under them and start chopping wood. Are they the kind of string that seem like it wouldn't hurt 'em to crank 'em up and then down again? Sounds like a picky question, I know, but I'd hate to crank 'em up for a test drive and then have them unravel, especially when he's so fussy about his setup!

The Evah's won't unravel; they are an absolutely robust string with none of the milquetoast construction qualities you run into with Obligatos (and Dominants, in some people's experience but not really mine). I had a set that came on and off, up and down, many many times over the course of about 18 months, and they only sounded better and better (as many have reported, the sound and feel changes gradually over time, for the better).

You can crank these up and chop wood all you want. When I first got a new set, I took off the Dominants and put the Evahs on and in the middle of the first tune that night I pulled a Gob Bluth ("I've made a huge mistake"). But I lowered the...action...a bit and was very happy. I guess my conclusion was that you could play Evahs lower than you would Spirocores or Dominants and still get that fat, dark sound.

 

[TroyK]

I can't believe that no one has asked the really important question yet (unless I missed it)...

What color are the silks?

I'd need to be sure that they don't clash with my band unitard.

I loved and at the same time, sadly didn't like the regular gauge Evahs. I think that the stiffness/tension was the biggest problem. I did also find them to be a little unfocused, but it sounds like perhaps this version of these strings may have addressed both of those issues.

I'll be lurking, my Spirocores are safe for now...

 

[Marcus Johnson]

What color are the silks?

The bottoms are green with a black stripe.

Tops;
E-Black
A-Red
D-Green
G-Brown

On the tops, there is also about an inch of light purple,almost lilac, silk that extends out from under the outer wraps. If you have a unitard that can match that, I wanna see pics.

So far, I feel that the tension is lower and the overall focus is a little better than the originals for my purposes.

 

[jmpiwonka]

The Weich-ness in this case is in the string's tension, not in the diameter. They are a bit thinner than the original EPs, but you would never mistake them for Spiro Weichs based on how big they feel.

They seem very similar in character to the originals. I'd say that they seem just a bit brighter and growlier; not like a Spiro growl, but a more organic, "wider" growl. And yes, they're much easier for me to get around up in thumb position.

well that pretty much settles it.
the two things i wanted from the originals, a little less tension and just a little bit brighter...i guess i'll open up my wallet...

 

[drurb]

well that pretty much settles it.
the two things i wanted from the originals, a little less tension and just a little bit brighter...i guess i'll open up my wallet...

Ditto!

 

[Uncletoad]

Marcus, have you ever been a Dominant guy? I forget. If so, any comparisons?

To what? You as the passive receiver?

Only in combat boots.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

To what? You as the passive receiver?

Only in combat boots.

Somehow, I knew that if somebody was gonna go there, it would be either you or PULL WORNBOLOGNA. What do I win?

Never mind, I don't wanna know, and don't want to have to edit the reply later anyway.

Seriously, promise me that if you ever pony up for a set of these strings and throw 'em on either of yer basses, you'll tell me and I can come up and visit. I'll promise you the same. They sound promising. I'm still young/healthy enough to play jacked up dominants for now, but that won't always be the case. These sounds like a good "other side of the hill" alternative, or a backup in case I have some sort of injury that precludes the use of the doms.

 

[bonaventura]

Marcus, have you ever been a Dominant guy?

To what? You as the passive receiver?

Only in combat boots.

Now there you go again, Toadster, posing as Marcus...

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Hey, I'm the man in my house, and I have my wife's permission to say so.

 

[Mark Gollihur]

Were these strings packaged as "weichs" or are we using the term based on prior usage? I just got a new set to try on my bass, but they were packaged as "Solo" (not "light" or "weich") strings and I'm trying to figure out if we're talking about the same thing or something different...

 

[Uncletoad]

Seriously, promise me that if you ever pony up for a set of these strings and throw 'em on either of yer basses, you'll tell me and I can come up and visit. I'll promise you the same. They sound promising.

Of course, always.

I'm trying really hard not to go there.

It is my hope that spiro mitts will be where I live for many many many more minutes.

 

[drurb]

Were these strings packaged as "weichs" or are we using the term based on prior usage? I just got a new set to try on my bass, but they were packaged as "Solo" (not "light" or "weich") strings and I'm trying to figure out if we're talking about the same thing or something different...

As I understand it, the Weichs haven't been released yet. According to the Pirastro website, the Evah solos are a different animal.

 

[drurb]

I'm still young/healthy enough to play jacked up dominants for now, but that won't always be the case. These sounds like a good "other side of the hill" alternative, or a backup in case I have some sort of injury that precludes the use of the doms.

Chris-- did you ever get an answer about how the Evah Weichs compare to Doms? Seems you consider them to be less of a physical challenge than the Doms.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Were these strings packaged as "weichs" or are we using the term based on prior usage? I just got a new set to try on my bass, but they were packaged as "Solo" (not "light" or "weich") strings and I'm trying to figure out if we're talking about the same thing or something different...

Hey Mark.... the package I got is marked "weich". I think they should be available for sale soon. Adrian Mueller very kindly sent me a test set awhile ago, but I waited a bit to install them, until after I finished a series of concerts on the Spiros. In retrospect, I could have just put them on right away, as they were very stable right off the bat.

I should probably forward this thread to Adrian... it appears that there's some interest.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Chris-- did you ever get an answer about how the Evah Weichs compare to Doms? Seems you consider them to be less of a physical challenge than the Doms.

I think Marcus gave me a decent answer. I love the Doms and will keep using them as long as I am strong enough to do so. But at the height I keep my strings, I find the Doms to be up there just behind Spiro Starks in terms of tension because of their stiffness. I'll find a way to test the Weichs when they come out for the future, though.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

I'm still young/healthy enough to play jacked up dominants for now, but that won't always be the case. These sounds like a good "other side of the hill" alternative, or a backup in case I have some sort of injury that precludes the use of the doms.

I haven't spent any length of time playing the Doms, so I can't really help. But I can say that these EP Weichs are very comfortable and supple, without being flabby. I get nice tactile feedback from them, and I can nail them pretty hard without bottoming them out. Three gigs now, I'm diggin' 'em.

C'mon out, DURRL, and try them on my bass. Business-related tax writeoff.

 

[Uncletoad]

C'mon out, DURRL, and try them ... Business-related tax writeoff.

No ****. You haven't changed your strings since Jimmy Carter was in the Whitehouse.

 

[Marcus Johnson]

I don't know if I'd change anything...DURRL's bass sounded pretty good on the Bach clips.

 

[drurb]

I think Marcus gave me a decent answer. I love the Doms and will keep using them as long as I am strong enough to do so.

Hmm-- Marcus' post following yours says he can't really compare them.

 

[Mark Gollihur]

Hey Mark.... the package I got is marked "weich". I think they should be available for sale soon.

Gotcha. I just got a set of the Solos to try, I'm putting them on my bass (tuned to standard tuning - I've no use for solo tuning) to see how they work out as a "light" string. Clearly not the same thing, but so far they sound pretty decent. I put them on late last night, so couldn't really play too much (wife was sleeping.)