HOW TO
CHOOSE THE PERFECT STRINGS FOR YOU!
Expert Opinions on
STEEL STRINGS,
SYNTHETIC STRINGS,
COVERED GUT STRINGS
The type of string that you use on your
Violin, Viola, Cello or Double bass is one of the most important
decisions you can make. It is the kind of string you use which
dictates, to a large degree, the kind of sound you can expect.
While using the best string in the world will not turn a £80
fiddle into a billion pound Stradivarius, using a good and well
chosen string will help you maximize your instrument’s
potential; tailor your sound to the genre of music you prefer;
and lift your playing onto a different level.
There is a bewildering array of makers,
materials and criteria to choose from and sometimes it seems
almost impossible to sort out the marketing blurb from accurate
feedback. This guide is intended to help you both sort out the
basic differences and attributes of each type of string; and
provide a professional and impartial appraisal of each string and
its performance. All information is based both on our own years
of experience with these strings, and the professional opinion of
many of the finest players. We also welcome any additional
feedback from the public, on any string, and will publish reviews
of these products on this website.
TYPES OF STRINGS
STEEL The steel string is suitable for the
following: traditional players; country,
folk and pop music; and for classical students. There
are many makes of steel string - some better than others. The
advantage of the steel string is its durability, volume and
brightness. The disadvantage is its hardness, lacking the warmth
of gut and synthetic strings. It is suitable for traditional and
folk, (for which neither gut nor synthetic would be recommended)
because it stands up to the repetitive first position playing of
these genres.
Steel strings have an immediacy, projecting brightly and loudly
into an intimate space around the player, suitable for sessions
and jams, for playing in a pub or room or for amplifying by pick-up
or microphone.
Classical students, up to (roughly) grade three or four also find
a good set of steel strings suitable, as they will extract volume
from smaller sized instruments, are a good value choice and stand
up to a lot of wear and tear, being easier to tune and less
temperamental than the other types available.
Some makes of steel string, (see below), are used even by
advanced or professional classical players, although synthetic /
gut strings are more popular.
Steel
stings are used with low bridge for an easy action, and four
adjusters on the tailpiece for tuning.
TYPES OF STEEL STRINGS
Astrea Steel Strings (beginners) The
Astrea string is a good choice for the very beginning student,
especially for use on 1/16-1/2 violins, or ½ size cellos. They
give a clear bright sound and are very hardwearing. They are
suitable for beginners-grade one and an affordable option for
student basses. (Violin/Cello/Bass)
Thomastik Steel Strings (beginners to
advanced)
Thomastik make a range of steel strings,
suitable for beginners to professionals and are among the most
popular and highly regarded strings in the world.
Their models include:
- Prazision……a well made
beginners’ string, clear bright sound and intonation.
(Violin)
- Superflexible ….. a warmer steel
string, suitable for grade one to four and a popular
choice with traditional students. (Violin & Cello)
- Spirocore……….One of the
most popular strings in the world, regarded as one of the
few steel strings suitable for even professional players,
and far and away the most popular choice among
traditional players. A little too warm for some country/rock
players, but still largely successful in that genre also.
Double Bass players have long sworn by
- Spirocore Weich for Bass, as the choice
of Jazz/Modern AND Classical players the world over. The
Cello Strings also offer a choice of Silvered G and C,
and Wolfram C and are extremely popular as an Orchestral
string. (Violin/Viola/Cello/Double Bass)
- The Belcanto Gold for Cello: an
extraordinary gold-coloured string for cello, a
professional level set that delivers a warm, bright,
cultured sound with a fabulous tone and depth; a new, but
increasingly popular string. (cello)
Pirastro Steel Strings 
Pirastro are perhaps best known for their
synthetic and gut models but their steel strings are also
extremely well made, popular with classical, intermediate
students and professional traditional/folk players:
LARSON 
In many ways a new player on the scene, larson
strings have taken off in a big way in the last two years.
Best known for their cello strings, which are available in
standard or Tungsten, the larson sting is also available for
Violin and Viola, and new ranges include the GOLD E sting for
Violin. Strong Cello A's are also available.
These strings have a warm, powerful sound with great depth of
tone and are extremely popular as both orchestral and soloist
strings.
D’addario Steel Strings
The most useful of the D’addario Steel
strings is the Helicore set, a very popular choice with classical
intermediate students. They are also used by some traditional
players, and combine a warm and clear sound, with a bright,
carrying tone.
The Helicore for Cello is an excellent steel cello string, and
increasingly popular for advanced students and orchestral use.
The Helicore Double Bass set is used by classical students,
orchestras and jazz players alike and is available in solist
tuning as well as standard.
(Violins/Cellos/Double Bass)
Jargar Steel Strings
Jargar make a very reliable, pleasant string, suitable for
intermediate classical violin and viola students and their Cello
strings are very popular for orchestral cello. Their Double bass
strings are a very popular intermediate level choice for
orchestral playing. The Jargar range are hard to beat for a well-priced
string, their cello range being perhaps their most popular.
(Violin/Viola/Cello/Double Bass)
Prim Steel strings
The Prim violin string is also a very reliable steel string,
suitable for the intermediate level player and their cello set is
sought after as a well- balanced pleasant student string. (Violin/Cello)
TYPES OF
SYNTHETIC STRINGS
A synthetic string is a wound string
over a manufactured core; it combines the sound quality of gut
with the durability of steel, and are usually priced between the
two. It is therefore a good option for intermediate
to advanced students who need the tone and sound but can’t
afford the delicate, expensive gut strings. They are also popular
with professional players seeking reliability alongside tone;
this is especially true of the new generation strings, with
special materials and new manufacturing techniques helping to
improve their performance. Many can be used either with adjusters
or without, and are therefore comparatively easy to tune
Thomastik Synthetic String
There are several excellent sets of
synthetic strings from Thomastik; like their steel strings, they
are world famous.
Pirastro Synthetic Strings
Pirastro do several ranges of synthetic
strings, all of them very well regarded and many used as mixes
with the covered gut range. They include:
AricoreThe
Aricore range includes two types of A string; the Aricore
A and the Eudoxa Aricore A; the first for use with the
main set and the second a very good alternative to the
delicate Eudoxa A. This set of synthetic strings has a
particularly nice tone and is very reliable.
Evah
Pirrazi Easily one of the best strings ever
made by Pirastro, this newcomer has a depth and range not
to mention a fabulous tone, that could rival gut. We have
yet to hear a really critical remark about these strings,
which look set to become an instant favorite. They are an
excellent choice for a player wanting a little more
strength and verve than the gut, without moving away from
that level of quality.
Tonica
Another very good synthetic string by Pirastro, Tonica is
available for both Violin and Viola, and has a very
robust and engaging sound; another for the player who
demands quality alongside strength. The Viola set is a
particularly popular choice, a welcome alternative to the
standard soft/dolce sets. 
Obligato: perhaps the
best of all Pirastro synthetic strings, a wonderful
classical sound, combined with tone, projection and
depth, make this newer pirastro model a very impressive
choice for classical players; often used in a combination
with eudoxa/olive covered gut. (Violin)
Corelli Synthetic Strings a popular
synthetic string, not in the league of the Pirastro synthetic but
a reasonably good version from the makers of Savarez.....these
are popular mainly with intermediate level students rather than
professionals as they can be slightly weak or thin in sound,
lacking the rounded upper register of the Pirastro or the dark/bright
highlights of the Thomastik Infeld.
COVERED GUT STRINGS
Covered gut Strings are the province of
the classical professional, along
with some of the sets above. The Pirastro Eudoxa Covered
Gut and Olive Covered Gut sets are the
two most famous and well-liked sets. The Eudoxa set is a
favourite of both advanced students, and professionals; while the
Olive set, is used by professional players mainly.
These strings should not be used with adjusters; and require a
higher bridge: on the one hand they are delicate and require the
instrument to be extremely well set up, and should be stored and
used at a stable room temperature; on the other hand, they are
the epitome of classical sound, and few synthetic varieties can
really compare to this.
They are designed to project sound in a wider radius than the
steel; newcomers to covered gut strings sometimes complain that
they are ‘quieter’ or have less power than their steel
or synthetic counterparts. This is largely an illusion. The steel
string player will sound very powerful to their own ears and to
the audience surrounding them but the classical covered gut user
will project sound and tone to the back of a large concert hall.
The above strings are by no means the only options available but
are generally considered the best in their price range and class.
How to choose………STRINGS
FOR GUITAR, MANDOLIN, MANDOLA, BOUZOUKI, and UKULELE
There are a great many choices available
in strings for guitars, mandolins, mandola, bouzoukis, and
ukuleles. Listed below is merely a sampling of the most popular
and well-known ranges.
Guitar players can choose between an almost bewildering array;
Darco……a cheap but useful brand, reliable and clear
toned for steel and classical
Dean Markley…..a warm country sound, steel string and a
bright toned classical string
Martin………..the single most popular medium-price
range steel string available, extra light to medium gauge. The
Martin SP’s are an up-graded version of the standard Martin
set; they give a good warm sound, with good tone, although this
effect isn’t long lasting enough for professional use. The
Martin range also includes Silk & Steel, a very popular folk
guitar (steel) set and their 12-string brand, a very reliable
choice.
Ernie ball Slinkies……a great electro acoustic steel
string, with a vibrant tone.
D’addario…….Steel and classical strings – a
very well regarded range with excellent tone and volume. The
classical strings are the most popular in the medium price range.
Their 12-string set in phosphorus bronze is extremely popular.
Thomastik…….The classic N Thomastik ranges, while very
competitively priced are a very popular set with a classic tone
and good projection The Fiametta Jazz String is a world-wide
favorite, one of the best available, and perennially popular The
Spectrum is the round wound steel set, a professional level, warm
and lively sound with great tonal depth and projection. The
Plectrum is the renowned flat wound steel string, the
professionals’ favorite; with an easy to play quality
unrivalled by any other make, the plectrum flat-wound string has
been top of the league for many, many years. Its long lasting
clarity of tone and intonation married to its quality sound, will
ensure its popularity for years to come
Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki and
Ukulele sets include:
Martin , Darco, D’addario and Dean
Markley Mandolin sets- all very reliable and well-liked medium
price range sets, the most popular being the Martin and D’addario
ranges
Thomastik Mandolin sets (Ball and Loop end) are the most popular
professional level set, and are famous for both their tonal
quality and the fact that they retain their quality of sound for
a long time. Jimmy Moon custom made Mandolin sets are also
popular with professionals. Both makes are equally well liked for
their Bouzouki and Mandola sets.
Daddario Bouzouki sets are a good quality alternative to the
Jimmy Moon sets (above) and are popular as a hardwearing but
pleasant string.
Both Mari and Roma (German) Ukulele strings combine a very good
value price with a clear and pleasant sound, the Roma having more
depth and warmth of tone.
Pricelist for Strings
Sales Information
Dominant: The most
well known and well regarded of their ranges, the
dominant string has long been a favourite of classical
violin students and professional cello players. The
Dominant strings give something of the quality of sound
of gut, but with a lot more durability and strength; they
have a good depth of tone and projection, and respond
well. They are available in silvered G & C for
cellists; the violin strings can be used with other sets
and makes when mixing strings. (Violin/Cello/Viola)
Infeld: a
new and intriguing range of strings, one of the new
generation of modified strings, using new technology and
materials. These strings are available in Blue (bright)
and Red (warm) and can be used in any mixture to suit
even the most exacting or unbalanced instrument. Try red/blue
mixes until you find the correct balance for your violin;
then watch as playing on these strings activates them to
gel seamlessly together both enhancing and correcting the
sound. These are a very durable but undeniably high
quality string (Violin )