What kind of strings do you use?

This is in the violin section, but any string player could submit an answer. This is my first attempt at a poll, so we'll see if I do it right.

Not sure 10 choices is enough with all the string makers out there It will be interesting to see what we get back. I've combined some strings to collapse the poll questions somewhat, though it still ends up looking like "what sort of Pirastro or Thomastik strings do you use?"

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Oops...I can't type... That should be "Dominant", not "Domanint"...

__________________
It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius. - Joseph Haydn

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -
Douglas Adams

I have a violin also and I just put Zyex mediums on it.

Corelli Tungsten Forte on my Pollman bass, and Corelli Crystal Forte on my Juseck viola. They both really play well. Too long since I bought violin strings.


Eat out thy heart, O Cello proud,
and violin go don thy shroud.
Pray Saint Cecilia’s mercy mild,
forgive thy up and down bows wild.

For she in sacred restitution,
blessed VIOLA’S contribution,
Paying IT the compliment
of genius’ favoured instrument.

Ralph Aldrich


-- David Teague, cs.wcu.edu/~dbt -- Advocating Free Software and Double Bass tuned in fifths -- Classical Bass www.dennismasuzzo.com; www.silviodallatorre.com; www.joelquarrington.com -- Jazz Upright Bass Red Mitchell, home.teleport.com/~mimuma/; www.larryholloway.com/;

Hey David, welcome to the forum! Thanks for your response. I've been on a quest since I started playing the violin to see what strings I like best. Just like motorcycling, I can't just like it "stock" .

So, I'm curious to see if we can gather enough responses (I would hope >20) to get meaningful data.

__________________
It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius. - Joseph Haydn

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -
Douglas Adams

My recommendation if you're just starting out, is to go with the Dominants.

Ack! That's where I started! When they wore out, moved to Evah Pirrazi, didn't like the tension on those and the 'solo' sound, so moved to Thomastik Vision. Actually like them quite a bit. When they wear out, I'll probably try Pirastro Obligato. Who knows, may move full circle and go back to Dominants again. For me, it's interesting just to test them out.

I think I like the Vision strings more than the Dominants on my particular violin. If I moved back to Dominants, I'd probably use a different E string.

http://www.violinsetc.com/violinset...%5Fid=Romanov01

That's my violin, btw. I have no name for it yet, though . (My motorcycle is "Tenacious V", so the violin will get a name some day)

I just realized that I didn't leave any option for plain gut strings on the poll! If there are any early-music specialists out there, I apologize

__________________
It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius. - Joseph Haydn

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -
Douglas Adams

A lot of Violinists use Dominants with a different E string like a Jargar or a Larson.

Yeah, my Southwest Strings catalog was showing some violins fitted with Dominants with a Pirastro goldplated E. Anyone else order from them? They seem to have really good prices on strings, and I've placed two orders with them that have arrived promptly.

So, I had my user name changed, btw. Hence the random "AustinViolin" user name showing up.

__________________
It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius. - Joseph Haydn

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -
Douglas Adams

I got the best price for my Zyex Viola strings at Gostrings.com