Evah Pirazzi Weichs (also good for jazz)

[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!

[Richard Prowse]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

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!

Very true.
That said, I think the pizz response is better that the spiro weichs, by a bit, for quick playing and much better than the BCs (yes, I know they're a bowing string). I actually like bowing the EP weichs more than the BCs.

[Bin Hire]

At the moment I'm sold on these strings too.
As we say back home اللي مايطول العنب ,حامض عنه يقول - "When someone doesn’t reach the grapes, that person says that they are sour".
In my humble opinion these are a very good and versatile string.

[Terry McDougal]

I liked that quote Bin.

[Bin Hire]

Thanks Terry.