Double Bass string tension

[NoahOnTheBass]

I’m looking to replace my bass strings with some Evah Pirazzis, I’ve had my current strings on for about 5 years. I’m learning a piece at the moment that has me spending a significant amount of time very high up the fingerboard and I’m finding it very taxing having to press down so hard as my strings are quite tense. I’ve seen that I can get low tension strings however I mostly play orchestral and jazz so not sure about how that will be with low tension strings and I can’t afford to get two sets to try. 
 

Anyone got any experiences with low vs medium tension strings and how they are in orchestral and jazz contexts, and even if it will solve my problem when playing very high?

 

Thanks! 

[JoeEvans]

I use Spirocore Weich for jazz-type music and they're perfect for me. But I don't bow a lot. Switching to them helped a bit with high up fingering but I'd say it made more difference in the middle of the fingerboard.

[alexpea]

If they're Evah Mittel you could switch to the lower tension Weich. I made the same switch and didn't notice too much of a volume drop off when playing orchestral music. 

 

If you want even lower tension you could try Solos tuned down but I noticed a significant reduction in volume when i tried it with some Kaplan solos, they did have a nice arco tone though

 

 

[philparker]

Evah Pirazzis Weich will probably be suitable, there is only a little bit of difference between the Weichs and the regulars, but enough to make a difference to feel and tension. They are the best I've used as a hybrid for arco and pizz and I have tried at least a dozen different sets.

 

It may also be worth checking to see if you can lower your action just a little bit. My action is quite low anyway, especially on my bass that is used mostly for orchestral (I have one set up for Jazz and one set up for Orchestral) and on a recent service and check up by Martin Penning, where he used my bass as a demo model for two prospective buyers (for a new model, not mine) he managed to lower it slightly more again without having any issues.

[Beedster]

1 minute ago, philparker said:

It may also be worth checking to see if you can lower your action just a little bit. My action is quite low anyway, especially on my bass that is used mostly for orchestral (I have one set up for Jazz and one set up for Orchestral) and on a recent service and check up by Martin Penning, where he used my bass as a demo model for two prospective buyers (for a new model, not mine) he managed to lower it slightly more again without having any issues.

 

This is good advice. There's a lot you can do on a DB to reduce tension (well, a lot a decent tech can do if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself). Absolute and relative positioning and length or bridge, after-length, tailpiece and tail-wire can all affect perceived tension and action. Crtainly loighter gauge strings will help but may introduce a new set of problems around tone, volume feel etc 👍

[NickA]

I was advised to use regular Eva's rather than weichs on my 4/4 bass on the basis I would use them for Arco as well as pizz. I don't know the reasoning behind that advice, but with the bridge cranked up they do sound great and I don't find the tension too high.

 

But I do drop the adjustable bridge down for jazz, part for a muzzier tone, part for an easier time for my left hand.

 

The lower tension Eva's are better for both pizz and Arco than the helicore hybrids I had before. The bass does sound a bit better for pizz ( louder, more sustain) with full strength spiros on, but not enough to make it worth swapping around for jazz gigs.

 

Evidently there's more to a good tone and ease of playing than just string tension.  Go Eva's, you won't regret it!