A new Pirastro violin string!
Check it out... http://www.pirastro.com/homeset.html
Replies (35)
I'd be more impressed if it was a gut string that played just like Dominants, and only cost $25 a set.
Interesting that they come straight- I haven't seen straight strings since the early '80s or so. I'm curious to see if the bow slips on the gold winding the way it does on a gold plated E. Any idea on price?
I have emailed pirastro regarding the new strings. The description they give sounds exactly what I am looking for so I am very eager to try them. I inquired about price point, trial sets and when they would become available to places like Shar or Gostrings. They have not emailed back yet. I will update again when I hear something more.
I also called Shar and they rep talked to the person in charge of purchasing and she said that they would be one of the first to carry them. They didn't have any idea of when or a price range.
I'm excited!!
Jerry, what was their description?
It was just what Pirastro wrote about them on the homepage. They sound perfect.
Lisa wrote: "I'm curious to see if the bow slips on the gold winding the way it does on a gold plated E."
?? Which gold plated string(s) was that? I'm currently using the Olive gold E but had not noticed slippage OTOH I've not looked at it and have had some issues with fast bowing so off to the studio!! Which E do you use and also which rosin? (Andrea or Bernadrel here - the former with its better grip is definitely better, maybe thats why).
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Elise, sorry, but I don't remember which brand of gold E it was as it's been a few years. The sound was gorgeous, but it sometimes took a sec for the bow to grab when going from another string to the E. Not sure on the rosin, either, although I'd guess it was the Pirastro Goldflex. Currently I like the Kaplan wound E or Westminster. People either love or hate the Kaplan- no middle ground.
The words "Evah Pirazzi" and "Gold" put together on a new Pirastro string set don't bode well pricepoint-wise. As far as I know, the Gold-wound Oliv G, as beautiful as it may sound on many a violin, is perhaps the most expensive violin G string out there. And if it's designed to compete with the oh so expensive Infeld Pi set, we can expect it to be priced similarly. If it would be more on the EP/Obligato price range, I wouldn't mind them trying them out, but I am not expecting them to be as "affordable."
I am a BIG fan of Pirastro (using Stark Obligato, Stark Olive E at the moment, and have happily used so many others of their strings), though, so I am not taking a shot at them-it's just that if they are as expensive as Olives or Infeld Pis, they MIGHT not be not prove to be as exciting a new product for me (although who knows, they may sound so wonderful so as to change my mind on this issue.)
I'm also a big fan of Pirastro. Recently Thomastik has been going down in qualityn so I'm also a BIG FAN. I've tried possibly everything. From the Passione Solo's to The Violin. Except for their steel strings. I emailed them regarding the set and price, though they haven't emailed back.
Adalberto - I know what you mean about the price. I have an oliv D and G on at the moment and I remember when I bought them, I though "I Hope this is worth it" Evah Pirazzi are already expensive enough.
Pat - I also emailed them Wednesday evening and still havent heard anything - asked the same questions. Maybe they'll be nice and send us a "trial set!"
"The innovative material used in the E string of our Evah Pirazzi GOLD ..."
Is this just sales hype, or is this the non-steel E string some of us would like to see? If it's just another set of re-worked conventional synthetics, I won't be trying them.
Has anyone heard anything new? Pirastro still has not email me back. hmm.. they're probably swamped with them.
I got pretty much the same response, looks like they have decided not to give out sample sets for non-dealers to try anymore.
I got the same response Vitalis did. Bummer.
I did respond and said thanks and that I understand the situation. I asked what the tensions of the strings were and I they would have a flyer for the Evah Gold like they do for the regular Evah and Obligato with the tensions etc. on it and they replied with an attachment of the same exact thing thats on the homepage...
My question went completely overlooked.
Maybe they don't read english that well...ha.
I also got the same answer. They also didn't answer my question. Although they said that regarding I was given numerous samples they didn't have sample set for me. I think that's the only thing they answered, although I had only received one sample set from them.........
To be fair, I totally understand if they are not giving away samples as of yet. The tension info is indeed important, although I doubt they would make them any more tense than EP original. I could only use EP on medium tension, which for most practical purposes is most other strings stark/high tension. My current, thickest gauge Eudoxa Rigid are perhaps equally or even less tense in feel than medium Evah Pirazzi. The promo info sounds interesting, but not clear as to how these new windings and E string technology makes them sound "like gold". It's as if they were saying "these are better!" (and I surmise, more pricey as well) but don't tell you how. That said, in time shops will be full of them, so we just have to wait, and perhaps in a few months they will be more willing to give away a few free samples.
If these achieve a "better" tone than Pirazzi at a lesser tension and better durability (!), then indeed they would be gold! But at what cost?! And will these strings indeed fill a void not already covered by any of their other (and many other brands as well) strings? Hopefully this set will prove a better value somehow than the current EP set.
"Hopefully this set will prove a better value somehow than the current EP set."
With the word "gold" in the name? Not a chance.
Here's my prediction: $89 set.
Mr. Cole,
Those were my thoughts as well, and they could be even more expensive. However, if they manage to improve on the average Evah Pirazzi set longevity, they would be a "better value" of sorts, although I am not betting on that either!
I talked to a rep at Shar today. She said they would be available for sale by mid April at the lastest.
She also filled me in on the price
$82 for the set with the Silver G and $105 with the Gold G.
They will be sending out an email when they are available.
It is as I feared-the gold windings on the G are (to me) overpriced both on this set and on the Oliv G string (I mean no offense-I use Pirastro most of the time.) They must be hard/expensive to manufacture, but considering the price difference, it just doesn't make sense unless one is very well off. The tonal difference, in my humble opinion, doesn't warrant the huge price bump in either of these strings (if it was my choice, I would probably go for "focus" over "round tone" considering the price difference!)
I wonder what will the tonal difference be on the other strings, namely the D and A, compared to the original Evah Pirazzi, and how tense these will be. And if the "new technology" E is something to be considered on its own, to mix with other sets. Probably they won't be that much different, but who knows?
I am proud and excited that I have very important news.
We can all hear what the new string sounds like!
Rencently someone had a video of a show in Germany demonstrating the new Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Gold! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpIGqnSakyc
At 2:30 you can hear the strings! Although I can't understand German, I'll stick with a Z'yex String after hearing all of this nonsense.
It is impossible to determine how the EP Gold really sound from the snippet, though (thanks for sharing anyway!) Perhaps somebody here can translate for us. I found it funny how they spoke at much more length about the Tonica set, rather than about the new EP Gold. I still wish to listen to these strings in person (as well as knowing how tense they are), because youtube can only do so much.
ya you cant possibly make a judgement on something you havent played. I think they might be something worth trying.
I'm sure pirastro has listened to customers comments on tension and durability. I think Pirazzi's came out in 2004 so between then and now I'm hopeful they've worked out those factors which people dont like.
They have also figured out that people are willing to shell out over a hundred bucks for a set of strings and hate to see Infeld corner that market. I'll be curious to see what people think of them.
For all the griping about $100+ strings, I'm not that perturbed (that doesn't mean I'll switch to Evah Golds, however). In Japan a set of original Evahs can cost over $200.
They are already available in Shar and Gostrings, anyone tried them?
I am curious whether the E is "special", or just another of their Es with different tailpiece colors, and priced for a tad more.
As for the G, my only gripe would be that at that price, if the tone is no better than the Rigid Oliv G, I don't see the appeal. Sadly, my violin would probably be best served by this expensive G, as it usually prefers chocolate warm, rich strings over very brilliant ones. Perhaps it has some special properties somewhere, but it's certainly an expensive string to manufacture, and I would hope the difference is worth it to some players at least.
It was only a matter of time before a gold wound synthetic hit the market and frankly, I'm surprised it took this long. So, after people have proven willing to cough up $100+ on gold wound strings, what precious metal is next? Platinum (yes, I'm aware of TI's platinum E)? Iridium? Palladium? Beryllium? Ruthenium? Rhodium? Osmium? String makers gotta stay competitive, you know!
Since gold has a higher mass than silver, is the gold G actually thinner than its silver counterpart? I suppose that'd allow for quicker response in such a case, but a dense silver G is already a thin string to begin with, and most are far from sluggish.
I guess I just don't see the point of a gold G for anything other than its pretty looks, but far be it from me to denigrate anyone for their string choices. Now that I think about it, I should look up harp strings put some red gut on my violin. How about an EP Gold G, a red gut D and A, and a gold E! Ooooh, purty!
Just kidding. Or am I? ^_^
I am trying the D and A with a Passione G and a Jargar Forte E. They are very fine, with a nice sound that seems to be a good compromise between brightness and warmth. I feel they are less bright than the regular Evah. The tension could be lower, through it´s hard to say so for sure.
No comparisons between the regular or/and solo passione with pirazzi Gold?
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March 22, 2012 at 12:55 AM · oooh. I'll add it to my list, after I finish testing my PI, then onto Larsen Tzigane, Zyex, and now Pirazzi Gold