Evah Pirazzi Gold - Pirastro - Spotlight Review

(Transcript from video)
A few years ago Evah Pirazzi Gold was introduced and was a string that everyone wanted to try.  It was also one of the first sets of strings to break the $100 mark for a single violin set.  I version I tested had the silver G. A gold-wound G is also available which is said to offer a rounder and more full tone.  The regular Evah Pirazzi have been a staple in the violin community and is one of the most popular sets available and currently used by violinist Joshua Bell.  The biggest issue many people have had with it is that the Evah Pirazzi can feel a bit too high tension and bright for many players.  The Evah Pirazzi Gold seems to have set out to fix this.

Pirastro claims that these strings have an even shorter break in time that Evah Pirazzi and Obligato, have a “complex tone rich with overtones,” outstanding response, and outstanding tuning stability.

Before I go into the sound lets check out what everyone is interested in, how it looks!  The package is gorgeous.  The black with reflective gold is one of the nicest packages I have ever seen.  The strings are in the same paper envelopes as most strings. The peg end colors are the same as other Pirastro strings with the tail end having black and gold wrapping.

The string did settle in fairly fast.  It took a couple days for the strings to get pretty close to fully settled.  The strings stretch a lot and it is obvious that these are not the same high tension strings like the original Evah Pirazzi.  Under the fingers they are quite polished but not overly so.  Just enough to facility quiet shifts but still allow good grip from the bow.

Balance
Across the set they are not even.  The G is more brilliant than the rest of the set.  I am sure the gold wound G would fit more closely with the rest of the set.  the D and A are fairly similar and have a nice large, round, and full tone.  The E might be the loudest E-string I have ever had on my violin.  It is still pretty rich for an E string and reminds me of a Hill E-string on steroids.  Again it doesn’t blend with the rest of the set but as a soloist string it will allow for very nuanced but projecting solo passages.

Tone
These strings are very rich.  I wouldn’t say they are as lush as a set of gut strings or possibly even Obligato.  I do not feel that anyone would be at risk of the strings being too complex though.  They have a very nice balance in not being to extreme one way or another.

Overall
These are fantastic strings that would make most violinists happy.  My violin likes a very neutral string and I would almost call this Neutral-plus.  Every aspect of my violin whether it be projection, tone, richness, responsiveness is a hair above what I would expect from other synthetic strings and not going to an extreme to where I feel I would be out of place if I jumped from orchestra, to chamber, to solo playing.  They certainly do keep much of the good qualities of original Evah Pirazzi but giving more room to speak.

Warm (Tone)

Rich (Complexity)

Loud (Projection)