Pirastro-Evah Pirazzi

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

They're settling - good pizz sound. I just put my Belcanto set back on.

????
imho you should give the pirazzis some weeks to develop before judging

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

????
imho you should give the pirazzis some weeks to develop before judging

IMEMHO (in my even more humble opinion),
I'm sure you're right. I'll give them another run some time down the track. Right now I just want a nice bowing sound.

My daughter is staying and, while practising yesterday, I casually asked her,
"What do you think of the sound of the bass?" I'd just put the BCs on.
"It sounds like a bass." she replied.

Many years ago I wrote a tune for my daughter. I was practising it one winter morning when she got up and came and sat by the heater. I told her I'd written what I was playing for her.
She said,
"One of these mornings, if you don't shut up, someone's going to break that bass!"

I suspect that both strings would work fine for my daughter.

[Richard Prowse]

Just back from an old friend's place. He has a Christopher 600 (7/8) strung with EPs and I have a Christopher 500 (3/4) strung with BCs. Both basses seemed similar volume and sound wise, I suspect that the 600 (7/8) had a slightly bigger sound, but its action was higher and there really wasn't much in it. Both basses sounded good to us and we had a fun afternoon comparing notes about different strings we'd tried and gigs we'd done.
So, two very similar basses - which strings were better?
IMHO (in my humble opinion) the EPs had a bigger, very appealing sound and the BCs had a very beautiful 'lighter' singing sound. It was like comparing Beethoven and Mozart, a lovely sunset and a spectacular sunrise, a great lunch with friends and a wonderful night out, your best friend and your lover. Both strings were winners today.

[Richard Prowse]

I'm about to put my EPs back on - I'm missing their pizz sound. The BCs whine a bit much the way my bass is set... it's not set low, just medium.

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

I'm about to put my EPs back on - I'm missing their pizz sound. The BCs whine a bit much the way my bass is set... it's not set low, just medium.

Tonight I put the Weichs back on that came with the bass and they feel pretty damn good! The BCs were sweet, the EPs had a lovely strong pizz sound. The Weichs do it all!

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

Tonight I put the Weichs back on that came with the bass and they feel pretty damn good! The BCs were sweet, the EPs had a lovely strong pizz sound. The Weichs do it all!

The Weichs do it all? You mean they Bow as good as the EPs? Not in my experience and nor to they sound as fat or project as well either in my world.

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

The Weichs do it all? You mean they Bow as good as the EPs? Not in my experience and nor to they sound as fat or project as well either in my world.

I put the EPs on for a while and then I put the BCs back on. I went to a friend's place who had EPs on a similar bass (same maker) and we compared them. I thought that the BCs had a nicer bowing sound but the EPs have a nice big strong pizz sound. I don't like the BC pizz feel (a bit too gentle under the fingers) so I put the EPs back on. I gave them a good go for about three weeks. I found I had to use a lot of rosin to make them speak (well, more than I generally use, which is about four down bows every day or two - I practise for 1 to 2 hours per day on average... sometimes less). They're big fat strings and were harder to play at the top of the board. One day I picked up my old plywood that has Weichs on. Obviously this bass can't match the new bass for sound but it was a pleasure to bow the old Weichs. I put the Weichs, that were on the new bass when I got it, back on. It had been sitting in a shop for a while (about 5 years) and hadn't been played much but the Weichs had certainly settled quite a bit. The bass felt good and the sound seemed to match those of the EPs - I played it for a while with two EPs and two Weichs on. I eventually put the BC E back on so that I could have an easy bow on the lowest notes. I'm practising a lot of bowing and I'm enjoying the sound that the 3 Weichs are giving and, of course, their reliable pizz sound. I guess the EPs and the BCs haven't lived up to all the hype for me. I've listened hard to all these strings - I'm really fussy about how my bass sounds. I've been known to change my mind, but I think that the Weichs will be staying put. People often disagree with me about the bow-ability of Weichs. I went to a clinic once (in Palmerston North) and some yankee bassist called Tom Warrington (who was playing at the clinic) rubbished what I said, which was basically that Weichs were not hard to bow (I know you have to be careful not to make them scratchy). Well, I've bowed Weichs on quite a lot of different basses but no one wanted to listen to me at that clinic. It still bugs me a bit how no one would listen. All I can say is that I'd happily put my money where my mouth is and have a 'bow off' with anyone. Just bring your bass to Wainuiomata and face up to the Weich challenge.

[Calvin Marks]

Pirastro just sent me Evah Weichs and Orchestra's to try out for free. Does anyone know the gauge of the Weichs?

Thanks

[Richard Prowse]

I emailed Pirastro to ask how the Weichs would compare with Bel Canti.
They reply:
" What we can say is that the string tension of the double bass Evah Pirazzi "Weich" strings is a bit lower compared to the Belcanto strings."
Sounds too low for me, considering the Bel Canti on my bass have a little less tension that the Spiro Weichs. Think I'll stay with the Bel Canti.

[Ken Smith]

So, what are these Evah Weichs really like as a Hybrid String? For me, Hybrid means I can play full Orchestra or full Jazz with the same set of strings on the same Bass. Add to that using the same set-up as well including string height being the same either way. One exception might be using a Pickup & Amp for Jazz.

Well, I put them first on my Big English Bass (aka Gamba Supreme or 'Big Ben' as it's known to a few, lol) and did just one Orchestra rehearsal with it. This was not the fault of the String. The Neck was too thick and the Heel to high, post-restoration. The Bass was slated for a C-Ext. anyway so I removed the Strings to try on another Bass because the Weichs don't have an E/C currently.

I put them next on my Mougenot which has quite a bit of Camber in the Neck and Fingerboard which will get corrected once it goes into restoration in the future. Why did I put them on a bass that needs work done? Well, one of my Gigs is a Show with a small B'way type Orchestra (25-30 pcs?), no Amp and we have about 10-12 services to perform. I needed a fairly big Bass to cut thru and this one fits the bill. The other reason is that the Weichs have lower tension and with the Camber of this Neck/Fingerboard being way more than 'my' personal norm, the string itself makes it possible to use the Bass. I also had a Combo Gig with Amp to use this set-up on and it worked out just fine. I have a Symphony Gig this week but doing some Ellington & Gershwin. I have all the Jazz parts to play being principal but some of them are Orchestral. I am using an Amp on most of the Concert.

They Pizz great on this Bass with or without an Amp and Jazz pizz or Orchestral pizz. They also Bow fine as well with or without the Amp as it's called for in the venue.

The Mougenot being in some state of disrepair as well as having Neck issues actually works quite well with these Evah Weichs despite its condition.

These Strings actually made me like the Bass better which before I would not even take it out. Now I feel that the Bass could easily be my Hybrid Instrument down the road as it sure has proven itself these past few weeks and gave me confidence to use it for all of this months work.

The Evah Weichs in my book are a great string. I think I like them better then the regular Evah's. The only way to really know is to try them both on the same exact bass. Calvin?

[Calvin Marks]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

The Evah Weichs in my book are a great string. I think I like them better then the regular Evah's. The only way to really know is to try them both on the same exact bass. Calvin?

Ken, do you know the gauge for Evah Weichs?


Thanks
-Calvin

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Calvin Marks

Ken, do you know the gauge for Evah Weichs?

Thanks
-Calvin

You said you had a set there, no? Measure them. That's what I will have to do so just get a caliper and measure them. Simple enough.

The gauge is 'nice'. They feel fine under the fingers so I've had no need to mic them.

If there is a problem of something seems off then maybe I would check the gauges but.. what am I looking for? What good will that do? Only if I felt there was a problem would I bother to measure them. Currently they are on a bass that has gone into repair so I can't get to them to mic them.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

The Evah Weichs in my book are a great string. I think I like them better then the regular Evah's. The only way to really know is to try them both on the same exact bass.

Ken, I had the Regular, and then the Weichs Evahs on my bass in succession. I really liked the Regulars a lot... but the Weichs have just been better for my purposes in every respect. They have more sustain on my bass, and the sound just seems more open. They feel just great... the regulars used to tire me out a bit on long days of playing, but I can go 24-7 on the Weichs. I feel that they are my "default" string now... I really can't ask for anything more, especially at the price.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Ken, I had the Regular, and then the Weichs Evahs on my bass in succession. I really liked the Regulars a lot... but the Weichs have just been better for my purposes in every respect. They have more sustain on my bass, and the sound just seems more open. They feel just great... the regulars used to tire me out a bit on long days of playing, but I can go 24-7 on the Weichs. I feel that they are my "default" string now... I really can't ask for anything more, especially at the price.

In my opinion, the difference is mainly the tension. I think the Bass is effected the most which in return effects the player. Each bass has it's own 'sweet spot' and that's why we string them differently. Brand, gauge, material, etc. The Bass is happy when it's happy. No one string is best for all basses or all players.

I love the soft feel of the regular Evah's on my big Gamba as much as I did the Weichs. The regular Evah's felt heavier on my Gilkes (Jilkes), the exact same set. Now that they are on the Big Gamba, I can't see much difference either way from the Weichs that were on there before the Extension was made. The Top is very strong and the bass very responsive. At the time, the bass did not have an extension so I put the Weichs on. Now they make a Weich E/C but I already have the regulars on so that's how it will stay for now.

Maybe now that the bass has been played a bit and the Weichs have an E/C, next time I buy strings for it I will try the Weichs again. That's if I still have the bass. It was the 'hot one' at the ISB.