Double Bass Pirastro Oliv/Eudoxa Strings ... ARE SO MUCH FUN!

[JBarz]

This is the title correct format for enjoying strings threads, correct? (forgive me...)

I've been a plain gut D/G guy for years. I really like the Pirastro wound gut for A/E, but have settled on Spiros because they last longer than a freakin' year. Never tried a D/G, but I recently bit the bullet to get a set of Oliv D/G on top of Eudoxa E/A for arco stuff. They've stretched out quite a bit in the first week, but holy moly (!) these are obviously "the best" (and most expensive?) strings ever created - at least on my '61 American Standard, for jazz stuff. Pardon my inability to articulate my meaning, but what I like about them is that they feel so effortless for the amount of fat tone they get. They play/feel like a set of plain gut and a set of spirocores weich had a beautiful hybrid lovechild... I am going to try all the things to help with longevity of this new set, I'm hoping for 5 solid years (fat chance!).



Anyway, my hand is too sore to play anymore right now, so I thought I'd start a love thread about it. I'm curious if anyone has tried these out on their fixed neck EUBs?

 

[AGCurry]

I'm curious if anyone has tried these out on their fixed neck EUBs?

Wouldn't work very well (if at all) with a magnetic pickup.

 

[AGCurry]

I recently bit the bullet to get a set of Oliv D/G on top of Eudoxa E/A for arco stuff.

What do you think of the bow weight that the lower strings need? I find that the lowers need a lot more weight than plain gut.

 

[AGCurry]

Eudoxas are a lot of fun ... until the winding starts to fail.

 

[mittenwald]

so much funds...

 

[JBarz]

The A string is awesome - doesn't require extra bow weight... but now that you mention it, I do miss the stable beef of my Spiro Mit E string. Jury is still out on the Eudoxa E, though - I'm not fully stretched out yet, methinks. Who's got the secret life-extension trick for these things? Keep humidity and temperature stable, no slappy poppy playin', clean regularly, etc... It does feel like I'm playing a very expensive hot potato in a certain sense - I'm hoping that feeling diminishes in time, but I'll be keeping a set of Spiros in the gig bag just in case...

 

[MrSidecar]

zootsaxes,

that is the exact same set I've been playing since my top two Eudoxa strings fell victim to me being not too focused on keeping humidity above a certain minimum (that happened around march 2020, actually I changed to Oliv D/G in september). Which would be my first recommendation- stable humidity a little on the humid side of things.
I don't wipe my strings, except for when they Eudoxas get that old-silver-cutlery coating. Then a dry cloth works fine. I don't detune them unless they tune themselves up. I can't slap, but I play both arco and pizz and am hopelessly in love with the sound.

Best
Sidecar

 

[AGCurry]

Who's got the secret life-extension trick for these things? Keep humidity and temperature stable, no slappy poppy playin', clean regularly, etc... It does feel like I'm playing a very expensive hot potato in a certain sense - I'm hoping that feeling diminishes in time, but I'll be keeping a set of Spiros in the gig bag just in case...

No secret, really. The bridge and nut slots should be very smooth, smoother than a baby's behind, and lubed with graphite or a hard soap. In my case, the silver wrap simply broke (E and A). Avoid drastic humidity and temperature changes. I don't know about cleaning, but don't get 'em wet and don't use any abrasive harder than silver. Gentle wipes with a Scotchbrite cloth should be fine.

 

[mittenwald]

Who's got the secret life-extension trick for these things?

I think it is important not to change Eudoxa strings once they are on, I have succumbed to doing this before and inevitably the windings will be broken once re-installed.

 

[David Barootian]

Good timing. Herve at Stringmatrix posted this video a couple of days ago.

 

[MrSidecar]

Good timing. Herve at Stringmatrix posted this video a couple of days ago.

Way back when the string matrix was audio-only, Oliv and Eudoxa were among the initial collection of compared strings - but this comparison is a lot more detailed.

best
Sidecar

 

[JBarz]

Right on - cool video. I got annoyed with these strings for the first time last night. It wasn't a tone thing at all, but a feel thing. The strings are stretching out and while I'm practicing my Edger Meyer esque slides and scoops the feel of the winding is quite unpleasant. ........ Now, I might REALLY regret this later, but I had such success filling the cracks in my Spirocores on my other bass with 100% beeswax, that I had to try it on the expensive Pirastros. I rubbed the strings with a beeswax candle only the length of the fingerboard (avoiding the area where the bow makes contact), massaged the stuff in a bit, then wiped off all the excess with a soft cloth. They feel the same and they sound the same, except I don't feel the winding under my fingers anymore - and I am grateful! Time will tell if this'll shorten or lengthen the life (I'm betting on the former, honestly, but I'm 50/50).

 

[Matt Ides]

I think it is important not to change Eudoxa strings once they are on, I have succumbed to doing this before and inevitably the windings will be broken once re-installed.

Yep. I have had brand new string unwind after one string change.

 

[Reiska]

Poor player`s Eudoxa aka Evah weich doesn`t like taking on and off either. I quess it`s about core / winding material other than steel / steel, gut + metal wrapping beeing the most hazard, synthetic coming next.

 

[mittenwald]

I quess it`s about core / winding material other than steel / steel, gut + metal wrapping beeing the most hazard, synthetic coming next.

I had the same issue with Eudoxas on my cello too. I think the problem is that Olivs and Eudoxas are flat-wound gut strings, which are more prone to breaking. I can change silver round-wound Gamut or Chorda gut strings many times, with no issues.

 

[JBarz]

Golly, these strings sure do take a long time to settle. I'm almost there with this set, but I'll be honest - as much as I love the G, D, and especially the A - I don't know how much longer I can hang with this E string. There's no improving a Spiro Mitt E for me, pizz or arco. I am going to give it a full 6 months - I'm sure this string takes the longest to stretch since there is the most gut - but right now, I can't help but feeling that Spiro E would really make this bass sail...

 

[eerbrev]

Golly, these strings sure do take a long time to settle. I'm almost there with this set, but I'll be honest - as much as I love the G, D, and especially the A - I don't know how much longer I can hang with this E string. There's no improving a Spiro Mitt E for me, pizz or arco. I am going to give it a full 6 months - I'm sure this string takes the longest to stretch since there is the most gut - but right now, I can't help but feeling that Spiro E would really make this bass sail...

Four out of Five Cellists Agree - best low strings on the market.

And I personally think they sound great with guts - especially modern ones.

 

[JBarz]

I was very fortunate and was able to acquire a La Scala hybrid this weekend. It's setup with Spiro Mitt and sounds delightful pizz, but I'm going to need to put something more bow friendly on at least the D/G. I am wondering -- would it be totally dumb to try to transfer the OLIV/EUDOXA set that has just finished stretching out (a month and half in) on my ply AmStd bass to this new carved top bass? Would it be a death sentence for the strings, or is there a way I can do it where it won't hurt the strings as badly? Maybe if I reduce tension over the course of several days instead of all at once while being super mindful for snags, etc? Thanks for your help as always, gang.

 

[lurk]

I wouldn't do it. I aquired a very lightly used Oliv G and after a couple of months the winding began separating around 2nd position - not at my carefully lubed and checked for rough spots bridge or nut. I think there's a chance you'd be looking at an expensive experiment. FWIW my current set, which I like Arco and pizz is Spiro Weich E, Evah Weich A and D, Oliv G. I liked that short lived G enough to spring for a new one. So far so good.

 

[AGCurry]

-- would it be totally dumb to try to transfer the OLIV/EUDOXA set that has just finished stretching out (a month and half in) on my ply AmStd bass to this new carved top bass? Would it be a death sentence for the strings, or is there a way I can do it where it won't hurt the strings as badly?

I've several Olivs that have been on and off multiple times without damage. Eudoxas? A different story; their windings seem to break if you breathe on them wrong.