Re: Fiddle strings?
Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2013 7:49 pm
Speaking as a luthier, who sells strings, re-strings instruments daily, and has tried most strings on the market, I have a few suggestions. As with all things, string choice is personal and highly subjective, and what I (or anyone) likes may not be universal. **And to clarify, I am talking here about strings I'd recommend for someone doing fiddle style music, be it folk, Irish, bluegrass, etc.**
I recommend Thomastic Dominant strings or Thomastic Vision for a great mid-range price set (my shop sells them for about $60 a set). They don't 'stretch' as much as other strings, and are pretty stable. They provide a really nice, even tone with good projection, and respond well to complex bow strokes and articulations. They last a good long time (as far as strings go), and even after they start to go 'dull' they still provide decent tone. All in all: not too bright, not too dark, they hold tuning well, have a longer than average lifespan, and don't break the bank.
For something more expensive, I'd steer you towards Priastro Obligato strings. They're pricy (about $100 a set), but worth it in my opinion. Pirastro strings (in my experience) take longer to settle and stretch than many other brands, and will need to be fine tuned more than some brands, but it's a worth-it payoff, and learning to tune and fine tune is good for you Obligatos offer a nice big, round tone without being 'tinny' or obnoxious. They're refined in sound, and for fiddle style seem (to my ear) to replicate that nice old warm fiddle sound (not the 'swarm of bees' effect). If you're looking to splurge, give 'em a try.
The most inexpensive type I'd put my name behind are Pirastro Tonicas, at about $45 a set. I've currently got my favorite fiddle strung with these. Again, they take time to settle and don't hold tuning forever, but offer good ballance across the treble and bass. For fiddle music, I find it important to have a set of strings that doesn't sound whiney on the E and like farts on the G, but it ballanced across the range. This is especially true when recording, and in a session setting, your fellow players will enjoy this as well as yourself, as it's easier to hear the group and predict your own ballance within it. Great utilitarian strings with a really nice tone and longevity. I've had this set on my fiddle for 3 months, and play at least an hour a day (more sometimes, certainly more at gigs) and they are just now starting to lose some of their luster.
I'd steer away from anything Super-Sensitive brand, Chinese 'brand-x' mass=produced strings that come on a lot of outfits purchased from Amazon or Ebay or similar, and Helicores. Super-Sensitive has never produced a string I've liked playing, and although they have a decent life-span, I couldn't stand to have that sound coming from my fiddle for more than a few seconds anyway. Helicore strings are fine strings, but are very low tension, so they are very suceptible to humidity changes and even the slightest whisper across a fine-tuner on the tailpiece can make a jump in pitch of more than 10 cents as they age. They're nice for cello and viola (I used them on my viola in college) but not for fiddling.
One other thing to always keep in mind is the fiddle itself. If the pegs are creaky or improperly fitting, tuning is always going ot be a bear, no matter what strings you use. Similarly, fine tuners or no fine tuners tailpiece side can help tuning, but also dull the tone of a fiddle noticably, and are a hot bed of rattling noises if not installed well. The position of the soundpost is a huge factor in sound, one I could talk about for days, as is the position of the bridge relative to it and it's height, etc. If you're having troubles with your sound, it may not be the strings alone. Pop in to your local luthier, and they (should) be able to offer advice about how to tweak the sound of your instrument.
Anyway, that's just my $.02. I'd be happy to give my impressions about specific brands and labels if anyone's curious, or different adjustments.
I recommend Thomastic Dominant strings or Thomastic Vision for a great mid-range price set (my shop sells them for about $60 a set). They don't 'stretch' as much as other strings, and are pretty stable. They provide a really nice, even tone with good projection, and respond well to complex bow strokes and articulations. They last a good long time (as far as strings go), and even after they start to go 'dull' they still provide decent tone. All in all: not too bright, not too dark, they hold tuning well, have a longer than average lifespan, and don't break the bank.
For something more expensive, I'd steer you towards Priastro Obligato strings. They're pricy (about $100 a set), but worth it in my opinion. Pirastro strings (in my experience) take longer to settle and stretch than many other brands, and will need to be fine tuned more than some brands, but it's a worth-it payoff, and learning to tune and fine tune is good for you Obligatos offer a nice big, round tone without being 'tinny' or obnoxious. They're refined in sound, and for fiddle style seem (to my ear) to replicate that nice old warm fiddle sound (not the 'swarm of bees' effect). If you're looking to splurge, give 'em a try.
The most inexpensive type I'd put my name behind are Pirastro Tonicas, at about $45 a set. I've currently got my favorite fiddle strung with these. Again, they take time to settle and don't hold tuning forever, but offer good ballance across the treble and bass. For fiddle music, I find it important to have a set of strings that doesn't sound whiney on the E and like farts on the G, but it ballanced across the range. This is especially true when recording, and in a session setting, your fellow players will enjoy this as well as yourself, as it's easier to hear the group and predict your own ballance within it. Great utilitarian strings with a really nice tone and longevity. I've had this set on my fiddle for 3 months, and play at least an hour a day (more sometimes, certainly more at gigs) and they are just now starting to lose some of their luster.
I'd steer away from anything Super-Sensitive brand, Chinese 'brand-x' mass=produced strings that come on a lot of outfits purchased from Amazon or Ebay or similar, and Helicores. Super-Sensitive has never produced a string I've liked playing, and although they have a decent life-span, I couldn't stand to have that sound coming from my fiddle for more than a few seconds anyway. Helicore strings are fine strings, but are very low tension, so they are very suceptible to humidity changes and even the slightest whisper across a fine-tuner on the tailpiece can make a jump in pitch of more than 10 cents as they age. They're nice for cello and viola (I used them on my viola in college) but not for fiddling.
One other thing to always keep in mind is the fiddle itself. If the pegs are creaky or improperly fitting, tuning is always going ot be a bear, no matter what strings you use. Similarly, fine tuners or no fine tuners tailpiece side can help tuning, but also dull the tone of a fiddle noticably, and are a hot bed of rattling noises if not installed well. The position of the soundpost is a huge factor in sound, one I could talk about for days, as is the position of the bridge relative to it and it's height, etc. If you're having troubles with your sound, it may not be the strings alone. Pop in to your local luthier, and they (should) be able to offer advice about how to tweak the sound of your instrument.
Anyway, that's just my $.02. I'd be happy to give my impressions about specific brands and labels if anyone's curious, or different adjustments.