Evah Pirazzi Gold Viola Set

March 9, 2014 at 03:18 PM · Just wanted to keep this alive and under people's noses for a bit, hence this irrelevant comment :)

March 10, 2014 at 12:23 PM · I cannot speak for viola, but for my violin (if they have the same kind of quality as the viola strings) I've put today a new set of Pirazzi gold (with silver D)having changed from a set of standard pirazzis and I think the sound so far of the standard pirazzis are a bit clearer and more brilliant than the gold. I'll wait until they settle in completely and post again.

I hope this helps as there are no violists commenting.

March 10, 2014 at 01:44 PM · I'm eager to try these for viola too!

March 10, 2014 at 05:24 PM · I found the standard Pirazzis too harsh on my viola: I'll try the Gold when next month's pension arrives!

March 10, 2014 at 05:38 PM · I received tension figures from Pirastro (in kp):

Gold vs. Original (med. gauge)

A 8.50 vs. 8.70

D 6.5 vs. 6

G 5.7 vs. 5.4

C 5.6 vs. 5.9

March 12, 2014 at 05:17 PM · Thanks Adrian, that's useful to know. I don't like standard Evah Pirazzi strings on viola really, but it appears that the EP Gold set has a better tension balance across the set than the regular EP.

Interestingly Pirastro have also developed an EP Gold CELLO set! It seems that they really want to emphasise this as their premium string line, now.

April 5, 2014 at 01:24 PM · If you check out the american viola society blog, I just wrote a pretty detailed review of every viola string on the market (tried em all)...and was shocked to see these available for us!

My viola flat-out rejects ep strings, won't respond, chokes the instrument, rapid passages just feel taught. Been using passione...how do these compare?

My go-to is passione or oliv stiff, these new evahs are lower in tension than regulars though right? Very very curious to buy them..:

April 5, 2014 at 02:06 PM · Nother violinist kibitzing in your topic :) I put the gold set (with gold G) on my 93 Italian last November - and still have the same set on! They are a bit muffled now but the A and E are still pretty good. They are increadibly stable - I can go a week without retuning, even with carrying the violin out in the cold. I started to wonder if they had a built in tuner ::D

I took the instrument to our local violin shop to try out some alternatives but everyone there was so impressed with the gold on this fiddle they advised me to stick with them! So I guess I will. Yes they are awfully expensive - but if you can keep them on for 6 months (and I play 2-3 hrs a day) its not expensive.

The only thing wrong is the name. Pirazzi gold are NOTHING like pirazzi standard - except of course being synthetic. The latter are notorious for loosing their gloss rapidly and being bright solo strings. The gold are more lush, a little darker - but (IMO) still solo strings - a bit powerful for the quartet (but I'm not switching).

Look forward to the viola experience. Do they come in a gold too? I can imagine that a gold C would be a truly amazing string - might be worth buying a viola to find out..... (just kidding..)_

April 5, 2014 at 05:33 PM · Ryan, it looks like some of the strings are lower in tension, and others are higher

April 5, 2014 at 07:54 PM · when in doubt, go back to gut strings.... pure gut.

"All That is Gold Does Not Glitter"

April 5, 2014 at 10:38 PM · Rocky: "Aufgewärmter Kohl war niemals gut"

"Warmed cabbage was never good."

:-\ its the best I could do...

April 13, 2014 at 03:23 AM · I tried these on a few violas at Mondomusica today.

The a's were extremely warm, yet still had the crispness of most other steel viola a's. The rest of the strings felt about as tense as regular Evah Pirazzi mediums, but sounded a bit less brilliant and more mellow. My initial thought is that those who like the regular Evah Pirazzi strings would probably like these too. Their tension and power seem similar - just a bit more mellowness instead of silvery brightness.

July 16, 2014 at 02:08 AM · I've had mine on for a day now (with a Larsen A), and am very worried.

They hit the 'breaking point' almost as easily as medium gauge dominants. Resonant, and respond-ish, but are more finnicky than the Passione/Spirocore combo I'm used to believe it or not.

Sound doesnt surpass the passione's, nor does the clarity. The C is also like a 70%-as-good Sprio tungsten.

Beautiful D string i must say, but so very incredibly bright. Favorite is the G as it has the best balance of clarity, power, and resistance.

I would describe them like this: Feel very very similar to Doms/Vision solo in the bow arm, have the same limitations to attacks as doms, sound WAY better than EP's, same category of sound as passiones, but a little less intriguing and a little too bright.

Hold pitch well, but what did you expect.

fast F passages (don juan or "Rasch" from Marchenbilder) require you to hold back in order to cater to the strings.

Didn't blow me away, made me mad about the absurd price-tag they bore. I'm sticking with my Passiones. But i'm stuck with these for 1 month haha...

~Ryan

July 16, 2014 at 02:44 PM · I love love love these strings on my viola. Too bad they are so expensive.

August 2, 2014 at 02:42 AM · The D string is one of few that is able to sound like i'm not playing on a damp cardboard box (Jargar and Eudoxa were the only other two that I've tried and liked). The G is alright too, but I think I'll put another Tonica on later since I'm not hearing any striking differences despite the added price.

October 31, 2014 at 05:22 PM · Hi Carlos, old boy!

I still fondly remember the years, when we were desk partners in Saarbrücken. Your are right with your D string observations. Most of them are simply too thin to have enough body in the sound and fail.

I have tried these Pirazzi Gold viola strings several times, never on my own violas, but at violin maker shops. Their instruments happened to be strung with Pirazzi Gold.

They seem to me far more convincing than normal Pirazzis. (which as a matter of fact I strongly dislike) These strings are completely different, round, not strident and not in the slightest 'glassy' sounding.

They are well balanced and sustain their medium dark colour very evenly across the 4 string. They also seem to speak exceptionally easily. Half a year later they still sound good, which is for me an important point. (I don't want to waste my money on strings with a short live span such as Larssen).

I will try them next time I buy strings for my Guicciardi viola.

November 2, 2014 at 09:57 AM · Hi Aditya. Not a viola player ... just a would be violinist. I agree I love Pirastro period. Have Evah Paratzzi Gold on my electric accoustic and I ahve the Gold with a Gold G on my Electric. I find that they are wonderful strings. I have a friend in the Arizona Philharmonic who swears by the Evag Priazzi Gold and she uses a Gold E. What sould are you trying to achieve? I've used the Pirastro Passione Solo's with great effect and I have now switch my 100 year old instrument To Pirastro Olives with Olive Stiffs on the G & D. Really beautiful strings. Yes a tad tempermental being gut but well worth it.

November 6, 2014 at 09:05 AM · On my 15-3/4 inch viola, with a slightly nasal tone, I went from Aricores to Obligatos (but keeping the sweet, singing Aricore A): same warmth, but a richer timbre. To be bought just after my pension arrives!

If I need more "punch", for a solo, or to match my colleages instruments, I will try EP Gold, as my viola will take the higher overall tension. (In pre-perlon days, I alternated Eudoxa with Spirocore depending on the music.)

November 6, 2014 at 07:15 PM · My brief exposure to EP gold on viola prompted me to order a set of Lenzner Supersolo. First impression of Lenzner is consistent with my experience on violin - they are great strings at affordable price.

Although EP gold provide some benefits to modern players, I found them too tense, something I least desire when playing viola.

I am biased and will type this again: there is nothing quite like gut strings.

November 11, 2014 at 04:25 PM · I just purchased a set of Evah Pirazzi Gold strings for my new 15-inch Tertis viola. My viola originally came with Dominants, but they sounded a bit dull and lifeless. I've only had the Evah Pirazzi Golds on for a few days, but I already love them. They've given some much-needed clarity to my viola, without making it sound overly bright, and the response is much better than the Dominants I was using. The strings are still settling in, but my first impression of them is that they’re fairly loud and powerful, but have a warm, bell-like tone. I especially like the C string. They’re pretty expensive, but for me, they were definitely worth the money.

November 15, 2014 at 04:53 PM · These strings made a real difference to my 16" William Whedbee viola. I had a hard time finding a great C string. I use a Larsen A with Evah Pirazzi Gold C,G, and D. They seem to be a great balance between Evahs and Obligatos. They are very even and work well with the Larsen A. I have heard that the EPG A string is very good as well, but I have not tried it. I did notice that the silk winding at the tail piece end is kind of close to the Larsen. I would add that I would give them at least a couple of weeks to break in before you decide.

March 10, 2015 at 10:37 AM · Just tried the Golds in one of my violas. I think it is a mixture between Evah Pirazzis and Obligatos. It made my viola less "soloistic".

Again, string choice depends on the instrument and the players technique and personal taste.

March 10, 2015 at 11:14 PM · I just got a new viola and they are strung with these strings. The G and D are good (Larson A), the C is a bit much. I'm wondering if the Spirocore Tungsten C would work with these. Thoughts?

I've tried all kinds of strings to the point of annoying my husband for how much I spend but I always seem to end up with Helicores with a Larson A. I love the way they feel under your fingers and they are very consistent.

Lisa

May 5, 2015 at 08:43 AM · Does anyone know how long these strings usually last on the viola and if they go with the jargar forte a string?

May 5, 2015 at 10:04 AM · I gave the Evah Gold a try for my D and A. I didn't particularly like them much.

I think the issue is that they only come in medium gauge, and my 17" Viola has a 390mm string length. I had poor response and they sounded a bit shrill on my instrument.

For my big Viola, the long scale Warchal Brilliants have worked the best. Resonant and rich sounding.

I would imagine my experience with the golds is not a problem with the strings themselves, but simply that they were not the proper gauge for an instrument of that size.

May 5, 2015 at 05:38 PM · Hi,

we have tried Evah Pirazzi gold on three violas and found the sound quite a bit better than Evah Pirazzi standard: more brilliance and clarity and less metallic than Pirazzi standard may sound on some instruments.

We can recommend these strings

Regards,

Corilon violins

May 8, 2015 at 09:16 AM · Is the ep gold a good?

May 12, 2015 at 06:51 AM · EPG are ok strings but a bit over rated, the C is the worst of them. A spirocore tungsten C works really well, but I think I will go back to obligatos.