Violin Strings

Here is a list of string names with the maker name, where they are from, what kind of sound do they produce, and any other characteristics of the string that is important to know. As I've been a violinist for many years, I've played with many of these strings and can tell you my recommendation. No matter what level of your violin playing ability, it's important to understand different strings and what's best for your instrument. Some strings are meant to be used by beginners and others for the more advanced players. Please be sure to leave a question or comment on that section of this web site, or contact me directly with any questions. 

Aricore

• Maker/Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: Dark and warm sound.
• Characteristics: These strings can stay in tune very well because they are not effected by humidity.

Astrea

• Maker / Country:
• Characteristics: They have a steel core and can stay in tune very well. Recommended for beginner violinists.

Chorda (Baroque)

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: Dark and warm sound which is typical of gut strings
• Characteristics: These are plain gut strings and are very responsive.

Corelli Alliance Vivace

• Maker / Country: Savarez / France
• Sound: Rich and clear sound and good balance of sound throughout the range of the violin.
• Characteristics: They have a fast and accurate response when using the bow. They are also responsive all the positions which gives the player comfort and reliability. There is an elasticity and stiffness which generates depth which gives the violin more volume. They make the transitions from string to string easier.

Corelli Crystal

• Maker / Country: Savarez / France
• Sound: These strings have a natural warm and rich tone. 
• Characteristics: The tone that they produce give the violin a higher quality. These strings can be combined with the Alliance Vivace strings to balance the tone better.

Dogal Blue Label

• Maker / Country: Dogal / Italy
• Sound: These have a variety of rich sounds.
• Characteristics: These are flexible chrome strings which are ideal for older instruments.

Dominant

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: These have the sound like a gut string but they don't have the disadvantages. They have a full and mellow sound. It takes a little bit of time to get the initial metallic sound.
• Characteristics:  These are considered to be the most popular strings. They have a good tuning ability. Be sure to use the correct string length to get the best sound out of the violin. They have a multi-strand nylon core.

Eudoxa

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a warm sound.
• Characteristics: For the cord of these strings, they use gut. They tend to have a slower response and can sound dull on newer violins. These strings are said to be the best on old German or Italian violins.

Eudoxa Aricore

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a dark and warm sound.
• Characteristics: Humidity doesn't effect the string.

Eudoxa Brilliant

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: Their sound is bright and powerful.
• Characteristics: These strings have a fast response.

Eudoxa Rigid

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: These have a rich, warm and full sound. 
• Characteristics: These strings are gut and have a slow response. They can sound dull on newer instruments. 

Evan Pirazzi

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: Their sound is intense and powerful. They have an easy response and good playability.
• Characteristics: These are available in gold steel or plain steel. They have a great response. Some believe that matching the instrument with this string is a challenge. They have a synthetic core.

Flexocore

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a warm and round sound.
• Characteristics: These have great projection and easy response.

Goldbrokat

• Maker / Country: Lezner / Germany
• Sound: They have a brilliant and soft sound.
• Characteristics: These strings have a flat-wound string which gives them a smooth feel. They make playing easy and they have a quick response. They do not have that mealic sound.

Gold Label

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: These have a beautiful warm sound.
• Characteristics:  These have a gut core. They have a lower tention.

Helicore

• Maker / Country: D'Addario /  USA
• Sound: These strings have a clear warm tone.
• Characteristics: They have a quick bow response. The pitch of these strings has stability. They also have longevity.

Hill E.

• Maker / Country: W.E. Hill & Sons / England
• Sound: They have a rich sound and good projection.

Infeld Blue

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: They have a free, full, and brilliant sound.
• Characteristics:  These strings are suitable for both old and new violins.

Infeld Red

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: They have a full sound.
• Characteristics: These strings are very responsive in all the positions. These are good for old and new instruments and good for soloists and chamber music.

Jargar

• Maker / Country: Jargar / Denmark
• Characteristics: These are fine steel strings.

Kaplan Gold-Plated

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / USA
• Sound: These strings have a traditional rich tone.

Kaplan Golden Spiral

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / USA
• Sound: These have a warm sound.
• Characteristics: These strings have a gut core.

 Kaplan Golden Spiral Solo

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / USA
• Sound: They have a rich and warm sound.
• Characteristics: These have a gut core. These are good for solo or ensemble playing.

Kaplan "non whistling"

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / Italy
• Sound: These strings have a sweet, warm and rich tone. These are made to eliminate the whistling sound on the E string.

Labella 630

• Maker / Country: United States
• Sound: These strings have a great tone with brilliance and projection.
• Characteristics: These strings have a steel core and are flatwound. The E strings are made of plain steel.

Larsen Strings

• Maker / Country: Larsen / Denmark
• Sound: They have rich undertones, good projection, and are responsive. These have less tension than other strings.

Lenzner

• Maker / Country: German
• Sound:
• Characteristics: There are three types of these strrings: Goldbrokat, Protos, Synflex. The Goldbrokat strings are wound with aluminum. They are cost effective. The E strings are very popular. The Protos strings are steel strings with fine nickle flatwire. They are easy to play and have a quick response. They have a brilliant and soft sound. The Synflex strings are nylon strings with wound metal wire. They are similar to gut strings. They have durability and tuning stability.

Obligato

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: These have a warm and rich tone with lots of volume.
• Characteristics: They have excellent uniformity across the strings. Changes in temperature and humidity don't effect the strings that much. The gold E string can whistle but they are good for instruments that have a naturally bright tone.

Old Fiddler

• Maker / Country: Super Sensitive / USA
• Sound: They have a crisp sound.
• Characteristics: These strings are recommended by Bluegrass and Country Western fiddle players. They have a steel string with nickel winding. They stay in tune and holds tune even when playing outdoors. It's only available in 4/4 thick gauge.

Oliv

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a brilliant, complex and rich sound with lots of volume.
• Characteristics: These strings have a quicker response than other gut strings.

Overture Premium Steel

• Maker / Country:
• Sound:
• Characteristics: These strings are great for students who would like a higher quality string but still want to be cost effective.

Overture Ultra

• Maker / Country:
• Sound: These strings have a warm, powerful, and complex sound. They ahve extra warmth with the silver wound G string. The solid E string has a clear bright sound and the wound E has a mellow softer sound.
• Characteristics: They have stability in changing humidity and temperatures. 

Passione

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: These have a full and colorful sound.
• Characteristics: These are gut strings. They have better stability than other strings.

Passione Solo

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a soloistic tone with strong power and brilliance.
• Characteristics: These strings have a good range of dynamics along with effortless response.

 Peter Infeld

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: These have a unique sound with a blend of power and elegance.
• Characteristics: They have a high dynamic range.

Peter Infeld Gold Plated

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound:

Piranito

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They havea brilliant and bright sound.
• Characteristics: These have a steel core and have great playability.

Pirastro No. 1 E

• Maker / Country: 
• Sound: They have a warm, sweet and brilliant sound.
• Characteristics: There is no whistling on the E-string. They have an easy response.These strings can be combined with other strings.

Prazision

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: These have a brilliant sound which gives the played confidence in the instrument.
• Characteristics: These strings are good for students, ensemble players and folk musicians.

Prelude

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / USA
• Sound: These have a warm sound.
• Characteristics: Temperature and humidity changes don't affect these strings. They have a good bow response. These are most recommended to students due to their blend of warm tone, economy and durability.

Prim

• Maker / Country: Prim / Sweden
• Sound: They have a bright and powerful sound.
• Characteristics: These have a quick response. These are for al students of all levels and are good for blue grass or folk music.

Pro-Arte

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / USA
• Sound: They have a warm and mellow tone.
• Characteristics: They have less sensitivity to humidity and temperature changes. These strings break in easily and have good bow response. They are good for small ensemble settings. These are best for bright, rough-sounding violins.

Series 50 Strings

• Maker / Country: The String Series / China
• Sound: These strings have a warm and powerful tone.

Special Program E-multi layer
Spirocore-Tungsten

•  Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: Their sound is full and has an even sound.
• Characteristics: These strings have a more flexible spiral steel core. They are more responsive to your fingers along with the bow responding well. They can keep it's tune and can be played on for a long time because of their durability.

Superflexible

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Sound: Their tone has the least amount of harshness.
• Characteristics: They are very responsive.

Super Sensitive Octava

• Maker / Country: Super Sensitive / USA
• Characteristics: These strings have the feel of a traditional gut string. They have a great bow response. They are a professional string at a low price.

Super Sensitive Pinnacle

• Maker / Country: Super Sensitive / USA
• Sound: These strings have a bright, rich and full sound.
• Characteristics: They have a chromium alloy wound string on a multi -stranded rope core. These give the violinist the full range of dynamics. They have the flexibility of a gut string with the durability of a steel core string.

Super Sensitive Red Label

• Maker / Country: Super Sensitive / USA
• Sound: They have a good tone.
• Characteristics: These strings were made with the student in mind. They are recommended to be used by fiddlers.

Super Sensitive Sensicore

• Maker / Country: Super Sensitive / USA
• Sound: These strings have a warm and full sound.
• Characteristics: These strings have the feel of the traditional gut strings. They have stability under changes in temperature and humidity. The thin gauge is for vintage violins. The medium gauge is for modern violins. These are preferred by professional violinists and serious students. Only full size strings are available.

Super Sensitive Stellar

• Maker / Country: Super Sensitive / USA
• Sound: These strings have a brighter and full sound.
• Characteristics: These strings have a core steel string. They have more projection and a quick bow response. These strings are good for beginners and intermediate players.

Synoxa

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a clear and bright sound.
• Characteristics: They are not effected too much by humidity, so they stay in tune well.

Tonica

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a lively and round sound with projection and brilliance.
• Characteristics: These have a easy and fast response. These are recommended for those that like the Dominant strings.

Tzigane

• Maker / Country: Larsen / Denamrk
• Sound: These strings have a rich tone with a strong, dark resonance. They have a gypsy like sound.
• Characteristics: These strings have lots of character.

Violino

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: Their tone is smooth, warm and round sound.
• Characteristics: They have a soft and gentle touch and a fast response. They are also resistant to changes in temperature and humidity. These strings are great if your instrument has lots of power but doesn't have an interesting tone.

Vision

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Characteristics and Sound: These strings are designed to be for the advanced violinist. They have good durability compared to other synthetic core strings. There are three varieties of this type of string: regular, solo, and orchestra. The regular strings, which are non-titanium, have favorable reviews from violinists and can be matched with other strings. The solo strings are brilliant and powerful, but is said to have a ugly tone on some violins. The orchestra strings have a warmer sound but are made for the orchestra or chamber group setting.

Vision Titanium

• Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Characteristics: These strings are designed to be for the advanced violinist in an orchestra or chamber group setting. They have good durability compared to other synthetic core strings.

Vision Titanium Orchestra

•  Maker / Country: Thomastik Infeld Vienna / Italy
• Characteristics:  These strings are designed to be for the advanced violinist in an orchestra or chamber group setting. They have good durability compared to other synthetic core strings.

Warchal Ametyst

• Maker / Country: 
• Sound: These strings have lots of sounds and a sparkling upper register.
• Characteristics: They have a lower tension.

Warchal Brilliant

• Maker / Country:
• Sound: They have a rich and complex tone.
• Characteristics: These have concert hall projection. They are durable and very responsive.

Warchal Brilliant Vintage

• Maker / Country:
• Sound: They have a rich and complex tone.
• Characteristics: These have concert hall projection. They are durable. They have more playability and response for antique violins.

Warchal Karneol

• Maker / Country:
• Sound: They have a warm character. They have a brilliant sound and have lots of resonance.
• Characteristics: These strings make playing feel easy. They have great projection.

Warchal Nefrit

• Maker / Country:
• Characteristics: These strings are ideal for an electric violin. They have a superior quality for a modest price.

Warchal The Russian Style Violin A

• Maker / Country:
• Characteristics: These strings have a seamless switch from lower and higher registers. They have an excellent response with good durability.

Westminster

• Maker / Country: Westminster / USA
• Sound:
• Characteristics: These are a high quality string.These E strings have been around for a while and are considered one of the best.

Wondertone Solo E

• Maker / Country: Pirastro / Germany
• Sound: They have a warm sound when playing soft. They have outstanding volume and power. The E strings that come with the set have a whistle sound which is usually undesired by the violinist.
• Characteristics: They have a brilliance when playing in the higher positions. They have a fast response over the entire dynamic range. It's recommended to use the A. Hill E string with this set. These strings are best on newer instruments.

Zyex

• Maker / Country: D'Addario / USA
• Sound: They have a warm, rich, and bright sound. They have a warmer sound than most other synthetic strings.
• Characteristics: These have excellent projection.