Pirastro-Evah Pirazzi, Weichs and Regulars

[Ken Smith]

A couple of months ago I got called for a Big Band Jazz Gig and brought the Martini newly fitted for my Pickup earlier that same week. Sound wise I have no complaints at all. Feel wise is where I had a problem. As things got 'hot' and I started digging in, the Strings could not quite keep up forcing me to play harder as I would do naturally in that situation. Around the 2nd tune or so the Amp seemed to cut off for some reason. In those few moments I was playing quite hard. I felt the Bass shaking on the floor as I played (the Martini does that, it shakes the floor) but I couldn't hear the notes all that well with a screaming 18 piece band. Like in the old days when you mainly only felt the Bass. Well, a minute or less into this 'Amp-out' moment I realized that the Plug into the wall had been pulled out just enough to loose the signal. A little push and I was back in business.

However, the damage was done. I was pulling the strings so hard that I ended up with a blister on one of my fingers half way through the set.

For smaller venues and lighter playing these strings worked just wonderful. For light to medium Orchestra playing (depending on the tension of the individual bass) the strings were fine.

Playing hard core Orchestra Rep. with digging in with the Bow or just digging in hard playing Jazz, these Weichs were just to slow to respond tonally or with the Bow.

I had a few Orchestra players try the Martini while these strings were on and they all mentioned they would prefer something more traditional like a Flexicor or something similar.

So, I love these strings regardless of all that I went through as mentioned above. I just need the right venue for them to work. I have that set saved and ready to go on the next Bass with a C-Extension that comes out of restoration needing a slightly lighter tensioned string.

The Martini next got a new set of Flexocor Starks but after a few weeks I pulled them off as the felt too tight (having loved the Weichs so much) and tried to go back to the Weichs and give them a second chance. The Top Silk colors are the same and it was after midnight when I did it. After the Strings were on the Bass I turned and looks and said.. OOPS.. Those are Flexocor 92s.. Yikes.. I didn't even notice the green/black silk bottoms were missing. I was playing the bass feeling relieved I had put the Weichs back on only to realize I had put an old set of 92s on it that came of the Hart bass about 6 months earlier.

Before the Weichs I had Belcantos on the Martini for a few days and felt at that time that the Hart needed them more after putting the Weichs on the Hart which didn't work at all so I switched the two sets around, Hart/Bels, Martini/W.Evahs.

Today I put it all back. The same Bel's back on the Martini and the old 92s (2 yrs old) back on the Hart. The Evah Weichs waiting for a suitable instrument.

You guys following all this? Quiz on Monday!

[Joel Larsson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I have that set saved and ready to go on the next Bass with a C-Extension that comes out of restoration needing a slightly lighter tensioned string.

Well, how long do we have to wait?

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

You guys following all this? Quiz on Monday!

Can we play in teams?? I sure lost track of all the string switching...

A friend of mine has a c:a 100 years old Czech bass, fairly good, but it got a bit tight down in the low end, so I told him to get a set of the Weichs. He said that downwards, this was what the instrument needed—he simply had more BASS than with Perms, which in their turn worked better for him than Orig Flex. He complained, though, not being all finished with his studies, that they didn't answer the way he wanted up in thumb positions. Apparently got a bit weak, he couldn't dig into the string for those loud solo passages. He admitted that if he paid extra attention to the bow placement, speed, and weight, he could work around the problem—but there was still a problem. Otherwise, he really liked them, as a genuinely good, all round string.
A couple of days ago, I sent him my one year old set of Bels to try. After a boiling they should work just fine; they had actually stood the test of time fairly well, I realised when I put on a new set. Sure, there's a difference, but not a huge one... maybe he'll send me his Evahs so I can make a proper comarison myself.