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Double Bass Evah Pirazzi strings megathread part III

#181
Sam Dingle said:
Give them another try. I don't understand the mindset that the mediums are really hard. Yes they are higher tension than the weich. They feel the same on my bass as spiro mediums set at the same action (maybe 6mm off the fingerboard). unless you are using gut strings or Velvets I don't think taking strings on and off is such a bad thing.
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Perhaps it is bass-dependent. Evah regulars on my bass felt nothing like the Spiro mitts feel. For all their power, for me, the Evah regulars were like playing on bridge cables. That was with the E about 10 mm off the board. The Evah weichs were far more reasonable but even those caused far more right-hand fatigue. They actually seemed to stiffen with age, and effect others reported as well. In fact, it was while digging into the Evah weichs that I ripped the sagittal band in my right hand. I had fallen into the habit of two-finger play on the E string. Bad habit! After I recovered and was cleared to return to playing (with a brace), the bass was wearing Spiro mitts with the heights set low. I eventually tossed the brace and raised the strings back up. One day, I trialed the Evah weichs again. Beautiful, intoxicating fundamentals... but... quickly tired my right hand. Back to Spiro mitts and stayed that way for years right up to now. YMMV. :)
 
#183
drurb said:
Perhaps it is bass-dependent. Evah regulars on my bass felt nothing like the Spiro mitts feel. For all their power, for me, the Evah regulars were like playing on bridge cables. That was with the E about 10 mm off the board. The Evah weichs were far more reasonable but even those caused far more right-hand fatigue. They actually seemed to stiffen with age, and effect others reported as well. In fact, it was while digging into the Evah weichs that I ripped the sagittal band in my right hand. I had fallen into the habit of two-finger play on the E string. Bad habit! After I recovered and was cleared to return to playing (with a brace), the bass was wearing Spiro mitts with the heights set low. I eventually tossed the brace and raised the strings back up. One day, I trialed the Evah weichs again. Beautiful, intoxicating fundamentals... but... quickly tired my right hand. Back to Spiro mitts and stayed that way for years right up to now. YMMV. :)
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I've never been able to get my strings (spiros or Evahs) that high on the E string. Like I said though the Evahs were the same tension as the spiros. I keep my action high enough to dig in just enough. I had the Weich on with my old broken bridge that the adjusters were broken on, maybe if I raised the Weichs up they would give the necessary tension for the top to move. Who knows.
 
#184
Sam Dingle said:
I've never been able to get my strings (spiros or Evahs) that high on the E string. Like I said though the Evahs were the same tension as the spiros. I keep my action high enough to dig in just enough. I had the Weich on with my old broken bridge that the adjusters were broken on, maybe if I raised the Weichs up they would give the necessary tension for the top to move. Who knows.
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Tension and stiffness-- two different things. ;)
 
#186
Eric Hochberg said:
1/2 hour? I used them 5-6 nights a week for 6 months and was plum tuckered out!!!
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I truly do sympathize with that - I've been there!

Only meant that after changing to the Mediums, I am very happy with the sound and the projection of the bass. While I like certain attributes of the Weich gauge, for this particular bass anyway, the change from Weich to Medium was the right decision. For me, the sound & how the bass projects always comes first.

Bass, strings, gear, setup, technique, posture, etc. Everything comes into play. But I start with "what does it SOUND like?" How we hear is a personal thing and all conceptions are valid, but to my ears, the Regulars sound more like what BASS is supposed to sound like. I'll work around that.

On the other hand ... since the bass is such a physically challenging instrument ... whatever helps you make it though the night!
 
#191
Eric Hochberg said:
It's been 5 years, possibly the weichs or Compass 180 suits. Here's a link to a blog I wrote on strings.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
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Thanks, Eric. I think I did read this a while back. In any case, it was worth reading again. It's interesting and informative to read one player's experience with many different sets. It can be dizzying to have so many heads involved at the same time!
 
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#192
Selim said:
I truly do sympathize with that - I've been there!

Only meant that after changing to the Mediums, I am very happy with the sound and the projection of the bass. While I like certain attributes of the Weich gauge, for this particular bass anyway, the change from Weich to Medium was the right decision. For me, the sound & how the bass projects always comes first.

Bass, strings, gear, setup, technique, posture, etc. Everything comes into play. But I start with "what does it SOUND like?" How we hear is a personal thing and all conceptions are valid, but to my ears, the Regulars sound more like what BASS is supposed to sound like. I'll work around that.

On the other hand ... since the bass is such a physically challenging instrument ... whatever helps you make it though the night!
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The sound of the bass is paramount for me as well. Part of the sound is, of course, what the player can produce. I started with the EP mediums. They sounded wonderful! The point is that I could not keep making that sound because, at the string heights I like, they were tiring. So, in the end, my bass would make no sound. :) The EP weichs had a bit less power but I could play them for an extended period--- until I couldn't. How my bass sounds with a set of strings played for 30 seconds or a half-hour is not the sole criterion (but is an extremely important criterion) dictating which strings I chose. The "feel" and comfort of the strings plays a huge role in the music a player makes. If one cannot apply technique easily enough, then the desired "sound" and nuance cannot be achieved. So, in my case, Spiro mitts are a compromise, as is any string choice. I don't get the intoxicating fundamentals of the EP weichs but what I do get is a very nice classic jazz sound out of strings that I can play all night. It helps that my bass is rather dark and powerful to begin with. With EP weichs it rattled windows and caused small seismic disturbances that aggravated the local earthquake detecting equipment. :)
 
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#193
drurb said:
The sound of the bass is paramount for me as well. Part of the sound is, of course, what the player can produce. I started with the EP mediums. They sounded wonderful! The point is that I could not keep making that sound because, at the string heights I like, they were tiring. So, in the end, my bass would make no sound. :) The EP weichs had a bit less power but I could play them for an extended period--- until I couldn't. How my bass sounds with a set of strings played for 30 seconds or a half-hour is not the sole criterion (but is an extremely important criterion) dictating which strings I chose. The "feel" and comfort of the strings plays a huge role in the music a player makes. If one cannot apply technique easily enough, then the desired "sound" and nuance cannot be achieved. So, in my case, Spiro mitts are a compromise, as is any string choice. I don't get the intoxicating fundamentals of the EP weichs but what I do get is a very nice classic jazz sound out of strings that I can play all night. It helps that my bass is rather dark and powerful to begin with. With EP weichs it rattled windows and caused small seismic disturbances that aggravated the local earthquake detecting equipment. :)
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Truly a never ending quest. I may feel differently about the EP Regs after playing night after night on them. I am not a young whippersnapper anymore!

You have to have the tools to not only get you the night, but make music as well! If sound was the ONLY consideration ...
 
#194
I started with EP regs, went to the Weich because they were easier to play, experimented with mixed sets around the EPs (Spiro E/A, etc.), went back to the balanced Weich set. And now I am trying to circle back to Regs.

With the exception of going back the EP Regs, I read that a great many of us have taken that very same trip.
 
#195
FWIW, what I really liked about the Spiro mitts when I went back to them was that great Spiro "whine" in the upper register and growl in the lower. The EPs didn't have that complexity. Ah, but the best balance ever was the Dominants. If only they didn't keep breaking... Ok, I'll stop now. :)
 
#197
Maybe I'm just an old geezer, but before we had the current varieties of hybrid strings (Oblis, EPs, etc.), Superflexibles ("rope core" as we called them) were a viable hybrid. Where do they fit in this picture? Did improvements in string technology push them to the wayside?
 

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