Anyone know about shelf life of fiddle strings?
I recently purchased 4 sets of Dominant strings at what
balanced out at about $16.00 per set from "MusicRus"
(2-$10.00 rebates, 3% discount after first order, lowest
price I could find on the net, and free shipping for over $20.00)
Thats all well and good said my fiddler "friends", but, strings have a shelf life and can go bad waiting to be installed. What is the collective wisdom on this issue? I've searched the strings threads and found lots of good info but, no reference to shelf life.
Len
Depends, I think. Here in Colorado (dry as a bone), I've kept strings in the packet for as long as two years and had them be just fine when I finally found them in my mess of a house again and put them on the fiddle. Some say they keep better if you stretch them out straight so they're not rolled. If there's high humidity, they'll deteriorate faster.
Classical musicians are much pickier than I about the state of my strings, though. However, I was given a set of Evah Pirazzi strings (at Will's instigation) for Christmas, and I may shortly be getting more fussy...they're great so far! Still haven't gotten my touch adjusted to them (they're far more responsive than the Dominants I've been using), but think they'll be a favorite from here on out.
Len, your stock of Dominants will last better if you uncoil them and keep 'em in a plastic tube, capped to keep out any extra humidity. You can buy such storage tubes just for strings, or make one easily enough out of 1-inch pvc plumbing pipe. Put a glue-on cap on one end and a screw-on cap on the other, and be sure to label the pipe clearly so no one tosses it in the trash. You might also want to label the individual strings so you don't confuse the A and D strings when you go to put them on the fiddle.
Strings stored this way should keep for a year or two with no ill effects, plenty of time to warrant going through them all if you're playing 5-7 times a week.
I know this has been discussed before, but while we're on the subject of dominants, I bought some a while ago and am not too impressed, I find they're not quite the sound I'm after, and the tuning tends to vary a bit depending on the bow pressure (especially E string).
Anyone know which strings are best for giving that mellow throaty growl sound (you know the one I mean), (and ok, I could buy a new fiddle too I guess!).
Hi Kenn.. Dominants were not great on my fiddle either but I'm very happy with the Infeld "Red" or "Blue" strings. The Reds are supposed to give you a "darker" tone and the Blues a "brighter" tone. I buy them by the half dozen sets which take me about a year to work through and find no degredation in tone although I live in BC Canada, a high humidity environment, and I leave the strings coiled in their packages.
Bob McIvor
I'm really liking these Evahs, Kenn -- I think they're going to become the normal string on my fiddle, and, yeah, they have that mellow growly sound I love. I love the elasticity and feel of them, although the extra high responsiveness is taking some adjustment to my bowing technique. I'm waiting to see how long they last before they need replacing. I've also been wanting to try the new D'addario Zyex strings, as I hear they're rather gutty feeling and darkish sounding -- Will has a set he's going to try out at some point, so I guess I'll wait til I hear what he has to say about them.
Zina - about those Evah Pirazzi strings, Are they any brighter than the dominants. If so - how much? I feel my violin is too bright at times and I usually won't risk making it more so. That's why I use the dominants. Is the E-string wound or do you have a choice? My fiddle is a natural squeeler on those solid metal e-strings.
As for Shelf life;
I have kept dominant strings in my case for as long as 18 months without any noticable degradation of the quality. By the same token, I run my strings a few months longer than I should. The A string will self destruct after a week of hard playing. The E-string goes half as often. The D and G strings get replaced before they have a chance fray or go too sour.
I've been using the Zyex strings for a few months now. They do indeed have a gut feel about them, because the tension is about 70% that of metal core strings, and, on my fiddle at any rate, are almost embarrassingly responsive. The tone on the G and D is a dark rich purr to die for, and the A has a bright powerful tone. I was slightly disappointed with the E (not bright enough for me), and after taking advice I've switched to a Pirastro Olive Gold E which gives a bright pure tone. A friend of mine tried out my Zyex-strung fiddle in a busy session a few weeks ago so that I could hear my fiddle as others hear it. Those Zyex strings could be heard above everything - other fiddles, whistles, flutes, box etc! But then my friend is a far better fiddle player than I am. Thanks Chris for that amazing demo! One further point - I found that my Zyex took several weeks to settle in and for the full tone to develop. This isn't unusual with some strings and isn't anything to worry about.
My old Helicore strings are now my spares, and before putting them away I made sure I thoroughly cleaned them with isoprop to remove residual rosin and any other muck - an important point.
When comparing or recommending strings it is so important to remember that there are other factors involved that significantly affect the tone and volume. The fiddle itself - assuming it's not an absolute dog - is it correctly set up? The bow - its stick and hairs, likewise. Rosin - some people swear by various makes - I'm towards the other end of the spectrum, being somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to applying the stuff, both on fiddle and cello bows. And last but certainly not least, the fingers on the fingerboard and the fingers holding the bow!
Finally, when changing a set of strings I find it is a good idea to change them one at a time over a period of time, perhaps two days, so as to minimize stress changes in the instrument and to allow each new string to bed in and stabilize its pitch before the next one is changed.
Well, maybe it's just me, but I find the Dominants to be brighter, Mark. I love dark sounding strings, and so I love the Evahs. Although the E and A of my Evahs are brighter than I like; still, give it a wait since I've had them on a whole two days. Sos and Will say that they do mellow down a bit. But these strings are so responsive that I find them very loud...adjusting my bowing is going to take a while.
MArk, the Dominant A's are infamous for unwrapping--I too use to go through an A a week until I switched brands. Helicore lasted pretty well, but were too bright and high tension for my tastes. I've been tickled with the Evah Pirazzi's (by Pirastro) since I first tried them a year or more ago. I also like Pirastro's Obligato set--seemed to give that dark growly tone so many of us are looking for. The Pirazzi's are still my favorites so far, and they last forever--it's rare that I wear out a string these days, tho I still change them after 4-6 months just to refresh the tone.
The Zyex are next on my list to try, but I hear they're very similar to the Pirazzi's, and the cost is the same ($45 US a set), so I'm not sure what difference it will make.
After 20 years of doing this, all I can say for sure about strings is that I don't like the "Super Sensitive" brand, and I would never go back to Thomastik Dominants.
Zina, you might want to try a lighter rosin on those Pirazzi's, but a slight sound post adjustment might also help sweeten the treble end while fattening up the bass end as well. Sometimes new strings warrant a few tweaks on your setup, helping find the full potential of your fiddle.
Back to work...yet another in a string of non-productive days.....
I'm using a fairly light resin now -- although it's one of the goldflecked ones, so perhaps I'll try a bit of that light French resin I was using before this to see if it helps, Will. It's been a year or so since I've had the set up on my fiddle touched up, too, so hopefully Dale Morris will hit town again soon.
I've never had a fiddle string (or a viola string, for that matter, back when that was my instrument) unravel. Dunno, maybe I'm just not playing often enough. That's a good excuse to play some more, to see if it happens.
Productive days? Am i supposed to be having a productive day? Damn. Guess I'd better try to get something done, then, I suppose.
Thanks for the advice Zina and Will. I am going for Evah Pirazzi's. They cost more than the dominants at $45 a set but by the time I add in all those A's and E's and go though the frustrating stretching that the Strings often require, it sounds like I break even. I might be able to scrounge up a good discount anyway. Perhaps 2 sets for $50. Who knows?
Zina - I don't know why the winding on those strings comes undone so quickly. It could be that the wrap is so thin that my colloused fingers can tuck one wrap under the next when I slide a note. It's the beginning of the end at that point. I can can feel a slight amount of friction on a slide and I know the end is near. If the strings lasts another hour, I'm shocked. I usually just finish the set and change it.
If I forget to trim those finger nails - it's doomsday fast.
In other words - I practically chew on those poor strings when I play. My finger tips are black within 15 minutes. Whatever you are doing is right.
Hmm. Does your sweat eat through the armpits of your shirts, Mark? *grin* Maybe you're an acid based life form. Heh. And as for productive, well, I guess it depends on how you define "productive" -- I keep taking "breaks" and I've learned two tunes so far today...that's productive in my book, but probably not my clients' idea of the right stuff. But since I have dresses that have to be ready next month for Winterfeis, I suppose I'd better start on those soon...
I've used all sorts of strings, and like to change them fairly regularly. Expensive business! Came across Martin Blue Grass strings in my local store here in the UK. £12 ish. They are cheap, but responsive and make a nice mellow tone on my fiddle. Another good type I've found are Dougal. I think they're brass wound.
My Royal Academy trained friend now even uses Martin strings!!
Fiddle strings expensive! Try changing cello strings on a regular basis! A regular cello string change for me is a 3-year cycle, and I do a lot of playing. I'm just grateful I didn't ever take up the double bass ...
Might be worth repeating here that one possible cause of rapid wear on strings is if your fingerboard is worn and needs to be planed and dressed. The action of holding strings down eventually wears slight divots into the fingerboard, and the extra flex on the string can wear out the wrapping more quickly than on a smooth and even fingerboard. Seems like many of the fiddlers I meet don't realize that they need this taken care of every couple of years.
Any reputable fiddle repair person can plane and dress the fingerboard, and it's not all that difficult or (usually) expensive. It's worth having checked every year or two, depending on how often you play. If the divots are big enough to see from straight above, you're past due. Instead, periodically sight down the length of the fingerboard by holding the tailpiece end up toward a light source and looking past the scroll on the same plane as the fingerboard itself. You should see some "rise" to the wood as it nears the bridge--this is normal. But you don't want to see hills and valleys.....
Thanks for the feedback on string shelf life, also for the storage suggestions.
Thanks also for all the other helpful info by contributors on thesessions site. (contributors sounds too formal, maybe "friends", if thats not being too presumptive)
Strings Shelf Life
Strings Shelf Life
Anyone know about shelf life of fiddle strings?
I recently purchased 4 sets of Dominant strings at what
balanced out at about $16.00 per set from "MusicRus"
(2-$10.00 rebates, 3% discount after first order, lowest
price I could find on the net, and free shipping for over $20.00)
Thats all well and good said my fiddler "friends", but, strings have a shelf life and can go bad waiting to be installed. What is the collective wisdom on this issue? I've searched the strings threads and found lots of good info but, no reference to shelf life.
Len
# Posted on January 1st 2003 by fiddllen
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Depends, I think. Here in Colorado (dry as a bone), I've kept strings in the packet for as long as two years and had them be just fine when I finally found them in my mess of a house again and put them on the fiddle. Some say they keep better if you stretch them out straight so they're not rolled. If there's high humidity, they'll deteriorate faster.
Classical musicians are much pickier than I about the state of my strings, though. However, I was given a set of Evah Pirazzi strings (at Will's instigation) for Christmas, and I may shortly be getting more fussy...they're great so far! Still haven't gotten my touch adjusted to them (they're far more responsive than the Dominants I've been using), but think they'll be a favorite from here on out.
Zina
# Posted on January 1st 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Len, your stock of Dominants will last better if you uncoil them and keep 'em in a plastic tube, capped to keep out any extra humidity. You can buy such storage tubes just for strings, or make one easily enough out of 1-inch pvc plumbing pipe. Put a glue-on cap on one end and a screw-on cap on the other, and be sure to label the pipe clearly so no one tosses it in the trash. You might also want to label the individual strings so you don't confuse the A and D strings when you go to put them on the fiddle.
Strings stored this way should keep for a year or two with no ill effects, plenty of time to warrant going through them all if you're playing 5-7 times a week.
# Posted on January 1st 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Strings Shelf Life
I know this has been discussed before, but while we're on the subject of dominants, I bought some a while ago and am not too impressed, I find they're not quite the sound I'm after, and the tuning tends to vary a bit depending on the bow pressure (especially E string).
Anyone know which strings are best for giving that mellow throaty growl sound (you know the one I mean), (and ok, I could buy a new fiddle too I guess!).
# Posted on January 1st 2003 by Kenn
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Hi Kenn.. Dominants were not great on my fiddle either but I'm very happy with the Infeld "Red" or "Blue" strings. The Reds are supposed to give you a "darker" tone and the Blues a "brighter" tone. I buy them by the half dozen sets which take me about a year to work through and find no degredation in tone although I live in BC Canada, a high humidity environment, and I leave the strings coiled in their packages.
Bob McIvor
# Posted on January 1st 2003 by bmcivor
Re: Strings Shelf Life
I'm really liking these Evahs, Kenn -- I think they're going to become the normal string on my fiddle, and, yeah, they have that mellow growly sound I love. I love the elasticity and feel of them, although the extra high responsiveness is taking some adjustment to my bowing technique. I'm waiting to see how long they last before they need replacing. I've also been wanting to try the new D'addario Zyex strings, as I hear they're rather gutty feeling and darkish sounding -- Will has a set he's going to try out at some point, so I guess I'll wait til I hear what he has to say about them.
Zina
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Zina - about those Evah Pirazzi strings, Are they any brighter than the dominants. If so - how much? I feel my violin is too bright at times and I usually won't risk making it more so. That's why I use the dominants. Is the E-string wound or do you have a choice? My fiddle is a natural squeeler on those solid metal e-strings.
As for Shelf life;
I have kept dominant strings in my case for as long as 18 months without any noticable degradation of the quality. By the same token, I run my strings a few months longer than I should. The A string will self destruct after a week of hard playing. The E-string goes half as often. The D and G strings get replaced before they have a chance fray or go too sour.
Mark
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Mark Cordova
Re: Strings Shelf Life
I've been using the Zyex strings for a few months now. They do indeed have a gut feel about them, because the tension is about 70% that of metal core strings, and, on my fiddle at any rate, are almost embarrassingly responsive. The tone on the G and D is a dark rich purr to die for, and the A has a bright powerful tone. I was slightly disappointed with the E (not bright enough for me), and after taking advice I've switched to a Pirastro Olive Gold E which gives a bright pure tone. A friend of mine tried out my Zyex-strung fiddle in a busy session a few weeks ago so that I could hear my fiddle as others hear it. Those Zyex strings could be heard above everything - other fiddles, whistles, flutes, box etc! But then my friend is a far better fiddle player than I am. Thanks Chris for that amazing demo! One further point - I found that my Zyex took several weeks to settle in and for the full tone to develop. This isn't unusual with some strings and isn't anything to worry about.
My old Helicore strings are now my spares, and before putting them away I made sure I thoroughly cleaned them with isoprop to remove residual rosin and any other muck - an important point.
When comparing or recommending strings it is so important to remember that there are other factors involved that significantly affect the tone and volume. The fiddle itself - assuming it's not an absolute dog - is it correctly set up? The bow - its stick and hairs, likewise. Rosin - some people swear by various makes - I'm towards the other end of the spectrum, being somewhat of a minimalist when it comes to applying the stuff, both on fiddle and cello bows. And last but certainly not least, the fingers on the fingerboard and the fingers holding the bow!
Finally, when changing a set of strings I find it is a good idea to change them one at a time over a period of time, perhaps two days, so as to minimize stress changes in the instrument and to allow each new string to bed in and stabilize its pitch before the next one is changed.
trevor
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Well, maybe it's just me, but I find the Dominants to be brighter, Mark. I love dark sounding strings, and so I love the Evahs. Although the E and A of my Evahs are brighter than I like; still, give it a wait since I've had them on a whole two days. Sos and Will say that they do mellow down a bit. But these strings are so responsive that I find them very loud...adjusting my bowing is going to take a while.
zls
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Strings Shelf Life
MArk, the Dominant A's are infamous for unwrapping--I too use to go through an A a week until I switched brands. Helicore lasted pretty well, but were too bright and high tension for my tastes. I've been tickled with the Evah Pirazzi's (by Pirastro) since I first tried them a year or more ago. I also like Pirastro's Obligato set--seemed to give that dark growly tone so many of us are looking for. The Pirazzi's are still my favorites so far, and they last forever--it's rare that I wear out a string these days, tho I still change them after 4-6 months just to refresh the tone.
The Zyex are next on my list to try, but I hear they're very similar to the Pirazzi's, and the cost is the same ($45 US a set), so I'm not sure what difference it will make.
After 20 years of doing this, all I can say for sure about strings is that I don't like the "Super Sensitive" brand, and I would never go back to Thomastik Dominants.
Zina, you might want to try a lighter rosin on those Pirazzi's, but a slight sound post adjustment might also help sweeten the treble end while fattening up the bass end as well. Sometimes new strings warrant a few tweaks on your setup, helping find the full potential of your fiddle.
Back to work...yet another in a string of non-productive days.....
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Strings Shelf Life
I'm using a fairly light resin now -- although it's one of the goldflecked ones, so perhaps I'll try a bit of that light French resin I was using before this to see if it helps, Will. It's been a year or so since I've had the set up on my fiddle touched up, too, so hopefully Dale Morris will hit town again soon.
I've never had a fiddle string (or a viola string, for that matter, back when that was my instrument) unravel. Dunno, maybe I'm just not playing often enough. That's a good excuse to play some more, to see if it happens.
Productive days? Am i supposed to be having a productive day? Damn. Guess I'd better try to get something done, then, I suppose.
Zina
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Thanks for the advice Zina and Will. I am going for Evah Pirazzi's. They cost more than the dominants at $45 a set but by the time I add in all those A's and E's and go though the frustrating stretching that the Strings often require, it sounds like I break even. I might be able to scrounge up a good discount anyway. Perhaps 2 sets for $50. Who knows?
Zina - I don't know why the winding on those strings comes undone so quickly. It could be that the wrap is so thin that my colloused fingers can tuck one wrap under the next when I slide a note. It's the beginning of the end at that point. I can can feel a slight amount of friction on a slide and I know the end is near. If the strings lasts another hour, I'm shocked. I usually just finish the set and change it.
If I forget to trim those finger nails - it's doomsday fast.
In other words - I practically chew on those poor strings when I play. My finger tips are black within 15 minutes. Whatever you are doing is right.
NOW GET PRODUCTIVE!!!
Yeah..... right......
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Mark Cordova
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Hmm. Does your sweat eat through the armpits of your shirts, Mark? *grin* Maybe you're an acid based life form. Heh. And as for productive, well, I guess it depends on how you define "productive" -- I keep taking "breaks" and I've learned two tunes so far today...that's productive in my book, but probably not my clients' idea of the right stuff.
But since I have dresses that have to be ready next month for Winterfeis, I suppose I'd better start on those soon...
Zina
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Zina Lee
P.S.
If you can find Evahs for 2 sets at $50, I AM SO THERE. Where are you finding that, for cat's sake?
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Strings Shelf Life
I second the "I don't like the "Super Sensitive" brand, and would never go back to Thomastik Dominants."
Prim, and Helicore and D'Addario fiddler are good.
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by dogmageek
Re: Strings Shelf Life
I've used all sorts of strings, and like to change them fairly regularly. Expensive business! Came across Martin Blue Grass strings in my local store here in the UK. £12 ish. They are cheap, but responsive and make a nice mellow tone on my fiddle. Another good type I've found are Dougal. I think they're brass wound.
My Royal Academy trained friend now even uses Martin strings!!
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Susie-Lee
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Fiddle strings expensive! Try changing cello strings on a regular basis! A regular cello string change for me is a 3-year cycle, and I do a lot of playing. I'm just grateful I didn't ever take up the double bass ...
trevor
# Posted on January 2nd 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Might be worth repeating here that one possible cause of rapid wear on strings is if your fingerboard is worn and needs to be planed and dressed. The action of holding strings down eventually wears slight divots into the fingerboard, and the extra flex on the string can wear out the wrapping more quickly than on a smooth and even fingerboard. Seems like many of the fiddlers I meet don't realize that they need this taken care of every couple of years.
Any reputable fiddle repair person can plane and dress the fingerboard, and it's not all that difficult or (usually) expensive. It's worth having checked every year or two, depending on how often you play. If the divots are big enough to see from straight above, you're past due. Instead, periodically sight down the length of the fingerboard by holding the tailpiece end up toward a light source and looking past the scroll on the same plane as the fingerboard itself. You should see some "rise" to the wood as it nears the bridge--this is normal. But you don't want to see hills and valleys.....
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Strings Shelf Life
Thanks for the feedback on string shelf life, also for the storage suggestions.
Thanks also for all the other helpful info by contributors on thesessions site. (contributors sounds too formal, maybe "friends", if thats not being too presumptive)
Len
# Posted on January 3rd 2003 by fiddllen
Re: Strings Shelf Life
As far as I'm concerned, we're all friends here (until someone proves themselves to be un-friendly.)
# Posted on January 4th 2003 by Andee