We've done bows and rosin today but we haven't done fiddle strings for ages! I tried medium Prims on one of my fiddles for the first time today, and, hey, I think I love them! They are so bright and responsive (immediately), and loud, to compete with all those pesky whistles and banjos. They seemed to be pleading with you to do lots of sliding notes and dirty droning discords - help! I'm turning into a bluegrass player! The *other* fiddle has recently been treated to a set of Evahs and, yes, they are lovely to play and have a more classically beautiful sound. But is the expense justified for this music? Perhaps it's better to use something like Prims for that direct, punchy sound. The fiddle that has the Prims previously had Helicores, but they had gone dead-sounding (they'd been on there under a year) I think I prefer the Prims.
I treated my fiddle to a set of Evahs, too and I absolutely love them. The sound of my fiddle improved tremendously and I even think it's easier to play now. I had also Helicores on my fiddle before and had the same problem with the sound. It's true that the Evahs are rather expensive but I don't regret buying them.
With the endorsements for Prims trickling in, I’m beginning to feel quite clever for my choice. Actually, the truth is that I’ve never used anything else, so how would I know?
Sunnybear kindly sent me a slightly used set of something different to try, but I’ve been distracted from fiddling for a good while and haven’t tried them yet. I think it’s about time, though. I can’t remember when I last replaced the strings , so they’re probably way past retirement age.
"BUT IS THE EXPENSE JUSTIFED FOR THIS MUSIC?",Really Richard,of what expense is our beloved diddley-dee not worthy?I have a friend who diddles on a Guiseppe Pedrazinni of Milano fiddle certified and valued at 25 K and I know of many trad fiddlers who have valuable instruments and who wouldn`t lose any sleep over forking out for a set of Evahs.
The fiddle that's got the Evahs is a big-bodied Maggini copy, and I think it really benefits from them. I'll stick with the Prims on the other one (which I think is a Stainer-type) so I've got two completely different options. I was surprised and delighted by the Prims though - it's not (just) that they're cheaper - it's getting the right sound from the fiddle that counts. Can I ask another question? I read recently that certain Russian classical violinists liked to use a Chromicor (metal) A string and Eudoxas for the D and G. I don't think ITM fiddlers would want the unpredictability of the Eudoxas although I'm sure the sound would be exquisite, but what about a metal A combined with synthetic D and G? People have complained a lot on these pages about synthetic A strings failing.
But the Evah A's don't unwrap, at least not near as readily as Dominants. I'd hesitate to put metal core on the treble strings simply because they tend to be brighter than synth core, and it's the bass end on a fiddle that usually needs brightening, not the treble.
My test run with Prims started out happily enough, but they soon lost their depth. I'm stuck on Evah's--not that expensive when you consider they hold their tone three times as long as most other strings.
Hey, I just am finishing up with that gold E Evah that I put on my fiddle in...what was that, March? It's only now deteriorating. The A is a bit gone, though, and has been for about a month or so, so this set of Evahs has done very well by me.
By the way, anybody got a feel for how much a string deteriorates on the fiddle without being played? Would a year unplayed be like, say, a month of playing every day?
As a matter of interest it is legend that Michael Coleman would only play with a plain unwound A string,as he believed that a proper bowing triplet could not be executed on a wound string.Might be worth getting a set of the old `Cathedrals`to get that beautiful wobbly Coleman triplet!
Evahs are the best for my fiddle. I was given a set of Evahs as a gift, and am totally hooked. I liked the sound with Tonicas, which is what i used to have, but Evahs make my humble fiddle sound like it's worth four times what I paid for it.
The Evah's went up in price recently. I used to pay $40 a set, then last year they went up to $45. Bought a set this spring and had to cough up $55. I trust my source and they said the manufacturer's wholesale price had jumped.
Bob, tuning, exposure to hand oils, and the friction of playing would all quicken a string's demise, I think, so unplayed strings are probably okay for a good long time. But just being strung up at tension will eventually lead to some structural aging, and at some point even unplayed strings will go dead. I've never left my fiddle unplayed for a year.
It is with great interest that I hear all these references to Evahs. I was recently thinking of getting some Obligatos. The website I'm looking at (Quinn Violins) describes them as similar, but the Evahs are said to have a more "soloistic" tone. Clarifications, anyone?
And what about D'Addario's composite offering, the Zyex strings. Anybody got an opinion on them.
Kate, I've only used the medium Evah's. They are very similar to Obligatos, but with a more focused tone (the Obligatos tended to go muffly on my fiddle, especially on the G and D strings).
I tried Zyex once and did not like them at all--among the least responsive strings I've ever played--but I know other fiddlers who've liked them a lot.
I just strung up my best fiddle with Evah's again after a few months with Prims, and the improvement was startling. I love my fiddle's sound again.
Thanks for the information, Will.
When I got this fiddle, it had Zyex strings on it. It had a rich dark tone, which I loved. Shortly, though, those strings went dead. I put on Helicores, my usual, and though it's fine, I think the tone is somwhat less rich than it was when the Zyex were responding properly.
I'm thinking this fiddle might sound better with synthetic or composite core strings instead of metal core. I confess I don't quite understand what material these new fancy strings like Evahs are made of that differentiates it from the older core materials, like in Dominants.
I got this fiddle from Ged Foley. (Am I in trouble with the name droppers now?) Do I recall your name on the list of his satisfied customers as well? I'm sure glad I got it while he was still in liquidating his stock, especially since he up and moved to Germany recently. When I went shopping,I didn't know I needed a different fiddle, but I did....it's giving me a real boost.
Obligato's are luscious sounding........for a day. They are rather soft (and expensive!) so they give you that dark 'oak door' sound, but fuzz out *really* fast. High expense for very short return. Evah Pirazzi's are the best for still a very nice deep sound, but excellent stability and length of use. I use mediums, with a gold A (sometimes a heavier A) and it's just great! I don't recommend mixing brands, even if you like the G string from one and the A from another - the physical location of the best tone production on each string is the same place (balanced) across a single name brand (or set) of strings, but will be different if you put a Dominant A and an Evah G.....hard to bow correctly by slithering sideways all the while. And yes, it's worth it (!!!!) - some of us have expensive (10K) fiddles and diddley sounds just wonderful on it! I actually worked hard for over a year to find 'The Sound' on a whole spectrum of fiddles before I came across this one and it just 'clicked'. She's much happier as a fiddle playing ITM than she ever was as a classical violin. Me too! By the way, some strings do degrade without playing, yes - especially left out to air, it oxidizes them and they lose resonance/elasticity. Inside a case it should be better, but none will last forever, played or not.
Dragonfiddle - that's very interesting info about the physical location for the best tone production being balanced on the same brand of string - I didn't think of that. Incidentally, I've been messing about with various fiddles and bows today, and comparing the Evahs with the steel core Prims using different bows is interesting. I've got a carbon fibre bow and a good pernambuco bow, and they both sound great on the Evahs, but on the Prims the carbon fibre bow sound significantly tinnier. Using the good bow you can still get a crisp and bright sound from the Prims which I find quite attractive. However, there's no argument that the Evahs are gorgeous and I'll be buying them again- but I had to pay the equivalent of $76.88 for them in the UK, and I shopped around. Means we've gotta starve for the last week in the month...
I agree with trying to keep to the same brand of string at any one time on the fiddle. The only exception I'd make would be to use an Olive Gold E, no matter what the other strings are. But I've been told that that particular string can sometimes be far too bright and powerful for some fiddle/bow combinations, so be careful.
BTW, don't listen to cellists' advice on mixing strings - they do it all the time. All the cellists I know invariabIy seem to have a mixture of string brands on their instruments. Selecting the right mix of strings for the job is largely trial and error, unless you've got an experienced luthier on hand to help. It's a peculiarity of the instrument.
I'm using Larsens at the moment, and I love them. I needed strings for my main fiddle, which is naturally loud, but has a very edgy, sharp tone. So I wanted to keep the volume and the brightness but take the edge off it, and the Larsens have done that brilliantly. They've also lasted longer than any other string I've tried - they've suffered the Willie Clancy week and another summer school, where I played at least 12 hours a day, and they haven't died throughout my normal playing at least 3 hours a day routine at home. Normally I can only make strings last a few weeks before they completely give out, but these have been on about two months now and they're still beautifully bright.
I also had a set of Spirocores on it for a while, purely because I got stuck in Dublin without a spare set and lost a couple of strings to retensioning after my pegs had slipped, and all the shop we found had were Spirocores - and they were actually quite nice, and relatively cheap! They lasted a fair time too - about two months. I now use them as my spares.
I've tried Helicores and Evahs and they were dull and lifeless.
.. and now from left field...
How long, generally, does it take for strings of various brands to 'bed' in, ie, stop streching, and stay tuned.
Also, is there any gizmo out there that would enable you to prestretch strings, so that in case of in performance twang, it is case of quick replacement, without continued retuning...
Some players keep a set of strings pre-stretched on a fiddle kept specially for the purpose. If you're busy in gigs I recommend you take along a spare fiddle ready tuned up - just in case.
Thomastic Spirocores (metal core) bed in very quickly; my experience is that they stabilise within an hour or so. Zyex, which have a composite core, also bed in quite quickly, and I find if I put them on in the morning they're ok by evening. At the other extreme, wound gut strings - not often used in folk music now, but still used by some classical specialists - notoriously take days to settle down, which is why those who use them professionally might like to keep them pretensioned.
It isn't just the stretching of the string between the nut and bridge or tailpiece that affects the settling-in period. You've got to be aware of how the string is wound on the peg. If you have too many windings on the peg, or they’re not wound evenly, then the tension of that part of the string on the peg will vary and it will take correspondingly longer for the string to settle as these variations in tension stabilise. On the other hand, a couple of windings may not be enough for the string to grip the peg. A good compromise I find is no more than 3 or 4 even windings - it doesn't matter if the loose end of string flaps around, as long as it doesn't get caught in the winding of another string.
The surface of the peg may be important. If the peg is too smooth and slippery, often from peg dope migrating when it shouldn't onto the part where the string goes, then you could have a problem.
I use Evahs on my symphony violin and Thomastik Dominants on my gig fiddle. I like the tone of Zyex, but they feel stiff to me when I play. Another string I really like the sound of is Thomastik Vision Titanium. Huge huge sound--the only problem is they like to be tuned to concert pitch. If you need to tune lower for any reason they get cranky.
Howdy all,
I am a new member to The Session. I play a 5-string fiddle and would like to know if anyone out there knows where I can purchase a set of great strings for it. I generally play Celtic music. I don't like to use the viola "C" as it is too long and floppy.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
Deb
I just paid $140 Australian for a set of strings fitted by the luthier - at his suggestion. I am so dumb, I don't know what I've got again - just left it to the luthier's judgement. It took a fortnight for the strings to settle in while I despaired of ever being able to tune them. Now they have settled, I love them. Goes to show, not surprisingly, that the luthier knows more about what suits my fiddle than I do.
Okay.... having read all of the wonderful endorsements for the differing string brands etc... WHERE do all of you PURCHASE these strings? Any recommendations as far as places to order them? IE: Web sites, names, addresses, phone numbers? Thank you for all of the advice... it is really nice to be able to connect with other fiddle players who speak the same language!
Deb
Deb, since you're in the USA have a look at http://www.ifshinviolins.com/. (They're also in the Links section of this website). Ifshin have an online store, so you should be able to get any strings you want. Their web page also has an extremely informative section about strings, their characteristics, and suitability for different kinds of playing.
One thing about the fiddle is that you're likely to be changing strings about every 6 months if you're a busy player, so this gives an excellent opportunity to try out different brands. Fortunately, a set of fiddle strings (even the best) isn't too expensive, so a mistake in selection isn't the end of the world. Unlike cello strings, which are on a different financial plane altogether
Fiddle strings!
Fiddle strings!
We've done bows and rosin today but we haven't done fiddle strings for ages! I tried medium Prims on one of my fiddles for the first time today, and, hey, I think I love them! They are so bright and responsive (immediately), and loud, to compete with all those pesky whistles and banjos. They seemed to be pleading with you to do lots of sliding notes and dirty droning discords - help! I'm turning into a bluegrass player! The *other* fiddle has recently been treated to a set of Evahs and, yes, they are lovely to play and have a more classically beautiful sound. But is the expense justified for this music? Perhaps it's better to use something like Prims for that direct, punchy sound. The fiddle that has the Prims previously had Helicores, but they had gone dead-sounding (they'd been on there under a year) I think I prefer the Prims.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by RichardB
Re: Fiddle strings!
I treated my fiddle to a set of Evahs, too and I absolutely love them. The sound of my fiddle improved tremendously and I even think it's easier to play now. I had also Helicores on my fiddle before and had the same problem with the sound. It's true that the Evahs are rather expensive but I don't regret buying them.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by fiddlinsue
Re: Fiddle strings!
With the endorsements for Prims trickling in, I’m beginning to feel quite clever for my choice. Actually, the truth is that I’ve never used anything else, so how would I know?
Sunnybear kindly sent me a slightly used set of something different to try, but I’ve been distracted from fiddling for a good while and haven’t tried them yet. I think it’s about time, though. I can’t remember when I last replaced the strings , so they’re probably way past retirement age.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by Bob himself
Re: Fiddle strings!
"BUT IS THE EXPENSE JUSTIFED FOR THIS MUSIC?",Really Richard,of what expense is our beloved diddley-dee not worthy?I have a friend who diddles on a Guiseppe Pedrazinni of Milano fiddle certified and valued at 25 K and I know of many trad fiddlers who have valuable instruments and who wouldn`t lose any sleep over forking out for a set of Evahs.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by cos
Re: Fiddle strings!
The fiddle that's got the Evahs is a big-bodied Maggini copy, and I think it really benefits from them. I'll stick with the Prims on the other one (which I think is a Stainer-type) so I've got two completely different options. I was surprised and delighted by the Prims though - it's not (just) that they're cheaper - it's getting the right sound from the fiddle that counts. Can I ask another question? I read recently that certain Russian classical violinists liked to use a Chromicor (metal) A string and Eudoxas for the D and G. I don't think ITM fiddlers would want the unpredictability of the Eudoxas although I'm sure the sound would be exquisite, but what about a metal A combined with synthetic D and G? People have complained a lot on these pages about synthetic A strings failing.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by RichardB
Re: Fiddle strings!
But the Evah A's don't unwrap, at least not near as readily as Dominants. I'd hesitate to put metal core on the treble strings simply because they tend to be brighter than synth core, and it's the bass end on a fiddle that usually needs brightening, not the treble.
My test run with Prims started out happily enough, but they soon lost their depth. I'm stuck on Evah's--not that expensive when you consider they hold their tone three times as long as most other strings.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by Will Harmon
Re: Fiddle strings!
Hey, I just am finishing up with that gold E Evah that I put on my fiddle in...what was that, March? It's only now deteriorating. The A is a bit gone, though, and has been for about a month or so, so this set of Evahs has done very well by me.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Fiddle strings!
So, how much are y'uns paying for the Evahs?
By the way, anybody got a feel for how much a string deteriorates on the fiddle without being played? Would a year unplayed be like, say, a month of playing every day?
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by Bob himself
Re: Fiddle strings!
As a matter of interest it is legend that Michael Coleman would only play with a plain unwound A string,as he believed that a proper bowing triplet could not be executed on a wound string.Might be worth getting a set of the old `Cathedrals`to get that beautiful wobbly Coleman triplet!
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by cos
Re: Fiddle strings!
Evahs are the best for my fiddle. I was given a set of Evahs as a gift, and am totally hooked. I liked the sound with Tonicas, which is what i used to have, but Evahs make my humble fiddle sound like it's worth four times what I paid for it.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by sara g
Re: Fiddle strings!
The Evah's went up in price recently. I used to pay $40 a set, then last year they went up to $45. Bought a set this spring and had to cough up $55. I trust my source and they said the manufacturer's wholesale price had jumped.
Bob, tuning, exposure to hand oils, and the friction of playing would all quicken a string's demise, I think, so unplayed strings are probably okay for a good long time. But just being strung up at tension will eventually lead to some structural aging, and at some point even unplayed strings will go dead. I've never left my fiddle unplayed for a year.
# Posted on August 19th 2005 by Will Harmon
Re: Fiddle strings!
It is with great interest that I hear all these references to Evahs. I was recently thinking of getting some Obligatos. The website I'm looking at (Quinn Violins) describes them as similar, but the Evahs are said to have a more "soloistic" tone. Clarifications, anyone?
And what about D'Addario's composite offering, the Zyex strings. Anybody got an opinion on them.
Kate
# Posted on August 20th 2005 by bogeyman
Re: Fiddle strings!
Oh yeah, I meant to ask, what weight are y'all preferring in these Evah Pirazzi strings?
# Posted on August 20th 2005 by bogeyman
Re: Fiddle strings!
Kate, I've only used the medium Evah's. They are very similar to Obligatos, but with a more focused tone (the Obligatos tended to go muffly on my fiddle, especially on the G and D strings).
I tried Zyex once and did not like them at all--among the least responsive strings I've ever played--but I know other fiddlers who've liked them a lot.
I just strung up my best fiddle with Evah's again after a few months with Prims, and the improvement was startling. I love my fiddle's sound again.
# Posted on August 20th 2005 by Will Harmon
Re: Fiddle strings!
Thanks for the information, Will.
When I got this fiddle, it had Zyex strings on it. It had a rich dark tone, which I loved. Shortly, though, those strings went dead. I put on Helicores, my usual, and though it's fine, I think the tone is somwhat less rich than it was when the Zyex were responding properly.
I'm thinking this fiddle might sound better with synthetic or composite core strings instead of metal core. I confess I don't quite understand what material these new fancy strings like Evahs are made of that differentiates it from the older core materials, like in Dominants.
I got this fiddle from Ged Foley. (Am I in trouble with the name droppers now?) Do I recall your name on the list of his satisfied customers as well? I'm sure glad I got it while he was still in liquidating his stock, especially since he up and moved to Germany recently. When I went shopping,I didn't know I needed a different fiddle, but I did....it's giving me a real boost.
# Posted on August 20th 2005 by bogeyman
Re: Fiddle strings!
Obligato's are luscious sounding........for a day. They are rather soft (and expensive!) so they give you that dark 'oak door' sound, but fuzz out *really* fast. High expense for very short return. Evah Pirazzi's are the best for still a very nice deep sound, but excellent stability and length of use. I use mediums, with a gold A (sometimes a heavier A) and it's just great! I don't recommend mixing brands, even if you like the G string from one and the A from another - the physical location of the best tone production on each string is the same place (balanced) across a single name brand (or set) of strings, but will be different if you put a Dominant A and an Evah G.....hard to bow correctly by slithering sideways all the while. And yes, it's worth it (!!!!) - some of us have expensive (10K) fiddles and diddley sounds just wonderful on it! I actually worked hard for over a year to find 'The Sound' on a whole spectrum of fiddles before I came across this one and it just 'clicked'. She's much happier as a fiddle playing ITM than she ever was as a classical violin. Me too!
By the way, some strings do degrade without playing, yes - especially left out to air, it oxidizes them and they lose resonance/elasticity. Inside a case it should be better, but none will last forever, played or not.
# Posted on August 20th 2005 by dragonfiddle
Re: Fiddle strings!
Dragonfiddle - that's very interesting info about the physical location for the best tone production being balanced on the same brand of string - I didn't think of that. Incidentally, I've been messing about with various fiddles and bows today, and comparing the Evahs with the steel core Prims using different bows is interesting. I've got a carbon fibre bow and a good pernambuco bow, and they both sound great on the Evahs, but on the Prims the carbon fibre bow sound significantly tinnier. Using the good bow you can still get a crisp and bright sound from the Prims which I find quite attractive. However, there's no argument that the Evahs are gorgeous and I'll be buying them again- but I had to pay the equivalent of $76.88 for them in the UK, and I shopped around. Means we've gotta starve for the last week in the month...
# Posted on August 20th 2005 by RichardB
Re: Fiddle strings!
I agree with trying to keep to the same brand of string at any one time on the fiddle. The only exception I'd make would be to use an Olive Gold E, no matter what the other strings are. But I've been told that that particular string can sometimes be far too bright and powerful for some fiddle/bow combinations, so be careful.
BTW, don't listen to cellists' advice on mixing strings - they do it all the time. All the cellists I know invariabIy seem to have a mixture of string brands on their instruments. Selecting the right mix of strings for the job is largely trial and error, unless you've got an experienced luthier on hand to help. It's a peculiarity of the instrument.
Trevor
# Posted on August 21st 2005 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Fiddle strings!
I'm using Larsens at the moment, and I love them. I needed strings for my main fiddle, which is naturally loud, but has a very edgy, sharp tone. So I wanted to keep the volume and the brightness but take the edge off it, and the Larsens have done that brilliantly. They've also lasted longer than any other string I've tried - they've suffered the Willie Clancy week and another summer school, where I played at least 12 hours a day, and they haven't died throughout my normal playing at least 3 hours a day routine at home. Normally I can only make strings last a few weeks before they completely give out, but these have been on about two months now and they're still beautifully bright.
I also had a set of Spirocores on it for a while, purely because I got stuck in Dublin without a spare set and lost a couple of strings to retensioning after my pegs had slipped, and all the shop we found had were Spirocores - and they were actually quite nice, and relatively cheap! They lasted a fair time too - about two months. I now use them as my spares.
I've tried Helicores and Evahs and they were dull and lifeless.
# Posted on August 21st 2005 by tbag
Re: Fiddle strings!
.. and now from left field...
How long, generally, does it take for strings of various brands to 'bed' in, ie, stop streching, and stay tuned.
Also, is there any gizmo out there that would enable you to prestretch strings, so that in case of in performance twang, it is case of quick replacement, without continued retuning...
# Posted on August 21st 2005 by philmoz
Re: Fiddle strings!
Some players keep a set of strings pre-stretched on a fiddle kept specially for the purpose. If you're busy in gigs I recommend you take along a spare fiddle ready tuned up - just in case.
Thomastic Spirocores (metal core) bed in very quickly; my experience is that they stabilise within an hour or so. Zyex, which have a composite core, also bed in quite quickly, and I find if I put them on in the morning they're ok by evening. At the other extreme, wound gut strings - not often used in folk music now, but still used by some classical specialists - notoriously take days to settle down, which is why those who use them professionally might like to keep them pretensioned.
It isn't just the stretching of the string between the nut and bridge or tailpiece that affects the settling-in period. You've got to be aware of how the string is wound on the peg. If you have too many windings on the peg, or they’re not wound evenly, then the tension of that part of the string on the peg will vary and it will take correspondingly longer for the string to settle as these variations in tension stabilise. On the other hand, a couple of windings may not be enough for the string to grip the peg. A good compromise I find is no more than 3 or 4 even windings - it doesn't matter if the loose end of string flaps around, as long as it doesn't get caught in the winding of another string.
The surface of the peg may be important. If the peg is too smooth and slippery, often from peg dope migrating when it shouldn't onto the part where the string goes, then you could have a problem.
Trevor
# Posted on August 21st 2005 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Fiddle strings!
I use Evahs on my symphony violin and Thomastik Dominants on my gig fiddle. I like the tone of Zyex, but they feel stiff to me when I play. Another string I really like the sound of is Thomastik Vision Titanium. Huge huge sound--the only problem is they like to be tuned to concert pitch. If you need to tune lower for any reason they get cranky.
# Posted on August 21st 2005 by dmarie
Re: Fiddle strings!
Howdy all,
I am a new member to The Session. I play a 5-string fiddle and would like to know if anyone out there knows where I can purchase a set of great strings for it. I generally play Celtic music. I don't like to use the viola "C" as it is too long and floppy.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
Deb
# Posted on August 22nd 2005 by debzone
Re: Fiddle strings!
You can get viola "Cs" in different lengths, because violas come in different sizes. If you ask for one for a small viola that should be about right.
Trevor
# Posted on August 22nd 2005 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Fiddle strings!
I just paid $140 Australian for a set of strings fitted by the luthier - at his suggestion. I am so dumb, I don't know what I've got again - just left it to the luthier's judgement. It took a fortnight for the strings to settle in while I despaired of ever being able to tune them. Now they have settled, I love them. Goes to show, not surprisingly, that the luthier knows more about what suits my fiddle than I do.
# Posted on August 23rd 2005 by Clear Drops
Re: Fiddle strings!
Okay.... having read all of the wonderful endorsements for the differing string brands etc... WHERE do all of you PURCHASE these strings? Any recommendations as far as places to order them? IE: Web sites, names, addresses, phone numbers? Thank you for all of the advice... it is really nice to be able to connect with other fiddle players who speak the same language!
Deb
# Posted on August 28th 2005 by debzone
Re: Fiddle strings!
I get my strings from the music store downtown that I got my bow from. I usually ask for advice, like Jan M.
I guess that only works if you live in an urban area, though. *shrugs*
# Posted on August 28th 2005 by Toresica
Re: Fiddle strings!
Deb, since you're in the USA have a look at http://www.ifshinviolins.com/. (They're also in the Links section of this website). Ifshin have an online store, so you should be able to get any strings you want. Their web page also has an extremely informative section about strings, their characteristics, and suitability for different kinds of playing.
Trevor
# Posted on August 28th 2005 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Fiddle strings!
One thing about the fiddle is that you're likely to be changing strings about every 6 months if you're a busy player, so this gives an excellent opportunity to try out different brands. Fortunately, a set of fiddle strings (even the best) isn't too expensive, so a mistake in selection isn't the end of the world. Unlike cello strings, which are on a different financial plane altogether
Trevor
# Posted on August 28th 2005 by Trevor Jennings