Evah Pirazzi Weichs (also good for jazz)

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

Shiney came around yesterday and I played his EP Weichs. Love the sound, especially in the upper register (arco)! I've got some on order and they're going straight onto my main bass.
He commented that the SpiroWeichs (on my bass at present) sounded like a violin and the EP Weichs sounded like a cello. The EPs were certainly fun to play!

Violin? Cello? Which strings will make your Bass sound like a Bass? Is there a Viola sounding set you failed to mention?

[Richard Prowse]

It was just a comparison thing. I was playing in thumb position and the spiros were brighter, but the evahs had this nice dark sound. Okay, they both sounded like a bass but it's like when you try a nice Merlot Cabernet and you describe the bouquet as tasting of blackcurrent and cherry flavours. We humans are big on comparison, hence the popularity of similes and metaphors in our language. Life is more fun when it is colourful.
I used to play a bit of viola when I lived in Tauranga (about about fifteen years ago) - there was a desperate shortage of viola players in the area, so I resurrected some old violin playing skills for a while. I've always thought that, if I wasn't a double bass player, the viola would be a great instrument to put one's time into. So, which strings sound like a viola? I'm definitely going to go with Bel Canti.

[Richard Prowse]

Evah Pirazzi Weichs on.

[Richard Prowse]

Evah Pirazzi Weich strings- I like them very very much. In fact, I suspect that they are my favourite string of all time - for both arco and pizz.
But how do they amplify? I did a gig with my brother a little while ago and it was the first time I'd amplified these strings.. the first time I'd played them through my amp. They had a lot more bottom end (than the Spiros and BCs), which threw me a little, but they did the job fine.
Today I played amplified in a venue in Wellington that is known to be boomy. The EPs had a great fundamental and handled the gig well. These are great strings and I love them.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

Evah Pirazzi Weich strings- I like them very very much. In fact, I suspect that they are my favourite string of all time - for both arco and pizz.
But how do they amplify? I did a gig with my brother a little while ago and it was the first time I'd amplified these strings.. the first time I'd played them through my amp. They had a lot more bottom end (than the Spiros and BCs), which threw me a little, but they did the job fine.
Today I played amplified in a venue in Wellington that is known to be boomy. The EPs had a great fundamental and handled the gig well. These are great strings and I love them.

I used them twice with an amp over a year ago on two different basses, my Martini with a big band and the Mougenot (before restoration) with an Orchestra Pops concert doing some Ellington and Gershwin playing in the rhythm section. I generally use a Shadow brand pickup that looks like an Underwood copy. I think pickup type might matter here as well for how they amplify.

They seems to have a wider type sound response almost like with gut strings but being that the were on bigger, deeper type basses than the typcal 3/4 German carved bass used by so many in Jazz, I ended up playing harder on the strings at times resulting in getting a blister from chasing the attack of the string. If the bass is loser feeling with these Weichs, they you can't play them too hard. Right now, I have another new set on the Mougenot post-restoration, put on at a request of a customer trying out the bass a month or so ago. They sound good now as they did before but for bowing, I would prefer a full bowing metal string like Belcantos, Jargars, Flexocors, Passiones or Orig FlatChromes which all seem to grab the bow faster and cleaner sounding as well.

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I used them twice with an amp over a year ago on two different basses, my Martini with a big band and the Mougenot (before restoration) with an Orchestra Pops concert doing some Ellington and Gershwin playing in the rhythm section. I generally use a Shadow brand pickup that looks like an Underwood copy. I think pickup type might matter here as well for how they amplify.

They seems to have a wider type sound response almost like with gut strings but being that the were on bigger, deeper type basses than the typcal 3/4 German carved bass used by so many in Jazz, I ended up playing harder on the strings at times resulting in getting a blister from chasing the attack of the string. If the bass is loser feeling with these Weichs, they you can't play them too hard. Right now, I have another new set on the Mougenot post-restoration, put on at a request of a customer trying out the bass a month or so ago. They sound good now as they did before but for bowing, I would prefer a full bowing metal string like Belcantos, Jargars, Flexocors, Passiones or Orig FlatChromes which all seem to grab the bow faster and cleaner sounding as well.

I don't find that they have a looser feeling than, say, spiro weichs. I'm very pleased with the feel and sound from pizz. The bowing sound is fantastic all over my bass. Interesting what you say Ken.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Richard Prowse

I don't find that they have a looser feeling than, say, spiro weichs. I'm very pleased with the feel and sound from pizz. The bowing sound is fantastic all over my bass. Interesting what you say Ken.

Spiro weichs are light strings too. I would have some of the same problems with them on the tension if they were too loose for the bass they are on. Tighter strings have a quicker response. Lighter strings need to be played lighter or otherwise, you will be over playing them and waiting for the string to bounce back for the next note in pizz. This kind of overplaying is not good for the fingers, or the music!