Major-Minor Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 [quote name='geoffbassist' post='531967' date='Jul 3 2009, 08:09 PM']thanks for the tip off! i will soon be visiting string zone ;-) you are welcome to borrow mine if im not giging, if it falls on a night i have a bass guitar gig in then there would be no probs at all...[/quote] Many thanks Geoff - you are a star ! Hopefully I will have the bass back by then, but if not I'll be in touch. The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lownote-LA Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Major, I'm a little late to the party but have had experience with the strings you are talking about and am a happy user of Evah's, the original gauge. I'm primarily a jazzer and started out with Spiro's, but was playing with a mini big band doing 1930s music for many years and wanted a sound with a lot fatter fundamental, and less of the "zinginess" of the Spiro's. [list] [*]I first changed to a set of the original Velvet strings but found them too expensive, a bit on the soft side and too short lived. [*]I then sprung for Eudoxas which gave me the sound I was looking for in pizz, but were horribly expensive, didn't speak fast enough under the bow/were not suitable to blend in with a classical bass section all of whom were using metal strings, and were a bear to keep in tune. [*]I then tried the heaviest Corelli tungsten strings which were fine for pizz and also bowed easily, however, I found the G string particularly anemic and in general they were too light for me. [*] About this time, the Obligato hit the scene, and I thought I had died and gone to heaven--big fat fundamental like a gut string, with relatively quick decay, easy to bow and fairly affordable. However, their tendency to roll under your fingers as they settled in was frustrating. [/list]The Evah Pirazzi string was then released and I gave them a try. They are like Obligatos on steroids--much louder, heavier, same fat fundamental, incredible tuning stability once they settle in, easy to bow and a great pizz string. I'm currently using them on my main working jazz bass--an American Standard hybrid, had them on my expensive Hachez carved bass that I recently sold (a very sad day!!!) and my former teacher in Los Angeles uses them on his outrageously expensive 300+ year old Italian bass on which he plays exclusively classical music. These strings sound good on basses in all three quality ranges. I would recommend that you give them a try. Even if they turn out not to be just right for your instrument, the demand for these strings used is quite high and you would be able to get a lot of your money back if you sold them. Cheers, Erik Hansen Scotland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 [quote name='Lownote-LA' post='532346' date='Jul 4 2009, 11:36 AM']I would recommend that you give them a try. Even if they turn out not to be just right for your instrument, the demand for these strings used is quite high and you would be able to get a lot of your money back if you sold them. Cheers, Erik Hansen Scotland[/quote] Hmm.. your mention of a big fat fundamental is making me want try these guys out. Thanks Erik and nice to see you around here (not seen you before) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='Lownote-LA' post='532346' date='Jul 4 2009, 11:36 AM']I would recommend that you give them a try. Even if they turn out not to be just right for your instrument, the demand for these strings used is quite high and you would be able to get a lot of your money back if you sold them. Cheers, Erik Hansen Scotland[/quote] Hi Erik Thanks for this most comprehensive string critique. As you may have seen in my earlier post, I have actually purchased an Evah Pirazzi "soft" set, but am now having to have new tuners fitted to my "jazz" bass, the old ones being too knackered to take the extra pressure from the EPs. Can't wait to get it back and get going on these strings. I was thinking that, if I like them (and I'm convinced I will), I might get a set of medium EPs for my orchestral bass. Do you think that would be a good move ? The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrkelly Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 My good bass had a set of regular EPs on it when I first played it last year. They were really nice but I just didn't get on with the massive gauge. They're almost the size of guts but with the tension of steels (my bass has a 110cm stop though). I found them a bit too bright on my bass for orchestral stuff but then again I'm used to original flexocores. The C ext string was nice though, you could really hear the low notes. I'd imagine they'd work well on a big boomy bass in the orchestra. They're definitely great pizz strings though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endorka Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Interesting thread, I'll certainly be looking to try some of those suggestions when the time comes to change the strings on my double bass.... mind you, being Scottish, that could be many years from now :-) My experience of strings is fairly limited, I currently use Helicore Hybrid mediums which have settled in nicely, and have used Pirastro Flexocor, which I really liked, but sometimes found hard work for playing jazz on due to their shorter sustain. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 Well finally, after 8 weeks of frustrated waiting, I now have my "jazz" DB back from the repairer (Paul Ayers, Didsbury, Manchester). You may remember that the machine string winder for the D string finally wore out when putting on the new Evah Piazzi weich. I have had to have a whole new set of winders - and because the peg box on this bass is rather large, the standard winders that Paul first ordered from Germany were simply too small. He tried 2 different sets before realising that the only way forward was to have them custom made in the UK. Well they look the biz now ! Mind you the whole exercise has cost me well over £1000 !! So now I have the full set of EP Weichs on this bass. First impressions: Easy under the bow. Nice warm sound, quite dark if a little grainy. Two small caveats: The G on the D string is now a wolf note. The Ab is also a little wolfish. I might have to invest in a wolf-chaser. Also I notice that in the higher thumb positions on the G string, I'm not getting the singing quality I had with the Thomastic Spiro G. Maybe it will loosen up with playing. For pizz playing, I'm relieved that the growl I like for jazz is still evident, if slightly darker than with the Spiros. The strings feel fatter under the fingers and I guess I will have to work harder on them in a gig situation. I suspect I might find them more tiring .... but time will tell. I'm off on an orchestral tour tomorrow (to Italy - lucky me !) so won't be able to gig this bass for a few weeks yet. (Can you "gig" a bass ? or have I just made that up !). Anyway, I'm just so glad to have the bass back - I can't put it down ...... The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Major, yes I'm sure you can 'gig' a bass. I use the verb quite regularly. Interested to hear you views on the respective strings. I swore when I started on bass many moons ago that I was not going to get caught up on the strings issue and just go ahead and enjoy playing the thing. I've still managed to keep going on the trusty Spiro Mittels. I've just come back from the Bude Jazz Festival and it's amazing how many bass players are quite conservative in their choice of Spiros and Underwood pickups - like me - although the old GK150MBS is less ubiquitous than before. I have two interesting 'neighbours'. In the next village they make Headway amps and pickups. The guys in the States seem to be raving about the new Headway preamp as a great improvement on the Fishman Pro Plat, so I'm going to see if I can get one to try. More interestingly 18 miles away lives Thomas Martin, ace bass player and luthier. I visited him a few weeks ago and he is a charming man. He gave me a tour of his workshop and showed me all the wood he has is store for twenty years of basses. So I just had to have one and have been playing it for three weeks now. It is slightly smaller than my others and lighter. But what a sound! I am now 'gigging' it a lot and enjoying it very much. In addition to the Thomas Martin label inside, there is another one that reads ' comissioned by Roger Davis, July 2009' - isn't that nice! I hope to get some pics up on the forum very soon. Enjoy your trip to Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 [quote name='bassace' post='587551' date='Sep 2 2009, 02:59 PM']Major, yes I'm sure you can 'gig' a bass. I use the verb quite regularly. Interested to hear you views on the respective strings. I swore when I started on bass many moons ago that I was not going to get caught up on the strings issue and just go ahead and enjoy playing the thing. I've still managed to keep going on the trusty Spiro Mittels. I've just come back from the Bude Jazz Festival and it's amazing how many bass players are quite conservative in their choice of Spiros and Underwood pickups - like me - although the old GK150MBS is less ubiquitous than before. I have two interesting 'neighbours'. In the next village they make Headway amps and pickups. The guys in the States seem to be raving about the new Headway preamp as a great improvement on the Fishman Pro Plat, so I'm going to see if I can get one to try. More interestingly 18 miles away lives Thomas Martin, ace bass player and luthier. I visited him a few weeks ago and he is a charming man. He gave me a tour of his workshop and showed me all the wood he has is store for twenty years of basses. So I just had to have one and have been playing it for three weeks now. It is slightly smaller than my others and lighter. But what a sound! I am now 'gigging' it a lot and enjoying it very much. In addition to the Thomas Martin label inside, there is another one that reads ' comissioned by Roger Davis, July 2009' - isn't that nice! I hope to get some pics up on the forum very soon. Enjoy your trip to Italy.[/quote] Bassace - I have got to know Tom Martin fairly well over the last year - he has played Guest Principal with the BBC orch I play with on several occasions (he is coming again when we get back from Italy) and you are right - he is a charming fellow. He heard me practicing my bass guitar one lunchtime and said "Hey you are a great bass guitar player !" (certainly not true - but it made my day !). He has been known to play a bit of BG himself in his younger days. He is a truly astonishing DB player - his solo CDs display a remarkable technique and his intonation is superb. I keep meaning to have a go on his bass (he always offers it to anybody to try) and I will definitely make the effort to do so next week. If only I could afford to buy one ....... The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted September 20, 2009 Author Share Posted September 20, 2009 Well I finally got to do a jazz gig last friday with the EP's on my jazz bass. Unfortunately not a good experience. I was sweating heavily by the end of the first set due to the extra effort needed to make these strings work. For a slow ballad or or medium swing it was just about ok but as soon as the tempo was taken up, I simply found it too much. Don't get me wrong, these are wonderful sounding jazz strings, deep and rich, but the thicker gauge was just too much for me, and I am not too keen on the arco sound, being used to good ol' Pirastro Flexicor on my orch bass. So next morning off they came. A colleague from another Manchester Orchestra has given me some Pirastro "Jazzer" strings to try so I put the G on and, although nice and easy to play on (just like the Spiros) it sounded too metallic for my taste. So I've put my old Spiros back on, which feel nice and comfortable (like an old pair of slippers) for jazz playing but still really horrible with the bow. So now I'm back to square one, over a £1000 worse off, and wondering what to do next. I played a few notes on a bass fitted with Obligatos the other day and didn't think they are what I am looking for. Great with the bow but not a jazz sound. Maybe I'll try Belcantos. Any ideas guys and gals ? The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 hey pete, ive just taken off the belcantos/spios mittels after fighting them on the alan barnes gig last wed. It was a real roast and ive decided to go back to the evahs. i still think that spiro weichs are better for jazz but for now im going to stick to the evahs, but the regulars are massive so i am still on a quest for the weichs! Really enjoyed meeting you the other day, you have 2 amazing basses! cheers geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 i also think that if you dont like the weichs then the obligatos will not cut it, although i do like them for jazz. Why not keep the spiros and stick on the evahs in the event of an ocasional show that needs a hybrid string, i know its a hassle but those amazing new tuners can take it :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 [quote name='geoffbassist' post='604084' date='Sep 20 2009, 10:44 PM']i also think that if you dont like the weichs then the obligatos will not cut it, although i do like them for jazz. Why not keep the spiros and stick on the evahs in the event of an ocasional show that needs a hybrid string, i know its a hassle but those amazing new tuners can take it :-)[/quote] Actually that is just what I've been thinking - putting the Evahs on just for the odd gig that requires arco. But such a hassle ! In the meantime, would you like to try this set of Evahs ? Great to meet you the other day by the way ! The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Latest update: I decided to try again with the Evahs ! But I've just put the G on for now, keeping the Spiro Weichs for D A and E. The G is noticeably heavier and thicker in feel than the other strings, but sounds great, really warm and jazzy, great sustain and character. I don't think it sticks out sonically as being different from the other strings, despite it feeling very different under the fingers. I'll do a few gigs with the strings like this, and will let you know how I get on. The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted December 6, 2009 Author Share Posted December 6, 2009 Another latest update ! I decided to take the plunge and order some Evah P orchestral (medium) strings to try on my main orchestra bass which up to now has always had Pirastro Flexocore strings. Well, I put them on yesterday, and I have to say WOW - what a difference ! A clean, clear, immediate response under the bow even when playing spiccato, lovely big fat round sound, great dynamic width, and a healthy sustain when playing pizz (although not as good as the "weich" version of the EP's). They are substantially thicker in feel than the Flexocore, and I am comfortable with this. However, time will tell whether I find them more tiring to play on for long periods. I'm playing a couple of short solos at a chamber concert next weekend, plus a busy week of orchestral CD recordings, so I'll let you know after that how I get on with these new strings. The Major ☛ 𝄢♬♬♬♬ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major-Minor Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Well, after a week of playing on these EP mediums on my orch bass, the jury is still out ! I find I can get a lovely smooth and creamy arco sound, very even all over the bass. But, despite the immediate sound appearing to be very full and rich, I have found that when I really lay into them, say in an ff passage, it almost feels like someone has turned on a compressor. They just don't fully respond to that extra weight I'm putting into them. And the pizz sound is similarly disappointingly weak. Again, it has that choked feeling when I play deep into the string. But I quite like the jazzier sustain. I'm slowly getting used to the fatter feel of the strings under my fingers. In fact I rather like this aspect, although I'm getting a numb feeling, hopefully temporary, in my 1st finger, presumably due to the extra width of the strings. As I'm now getting more confident with the physical nature of the EPs, I decided this morning to put the remaining EP weichs on my jazz bass. I'm doing some shows in jan and feb with some well known TV dancers (I'm "strictly" forbidden to tell you who !), and I'm required to play BG and rhythm style DB, but also sometimes with the bow (its a big band line-up with a small string section). When I did the same concerts last year, I struggled with arco on the Spiros (the sound engineer dived for the EQ every time I picked up the bow !), so this time I'm hoping to get a better arco sound with these EPs. By the way: I recently bought one of those winders for changing strings on the DB. What a difference that makes ! So much quicker and easier. Should have got one years ago. Stupidly expensive for what they are - but what the heck - if it makes life easier, its worth it ! [url="http://www.contrabass.co.uk/stringwinder.htm"]http://www.contrabass.co.uk/stringwinder.htm[/url] The Major Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.