by Adam Oleksa, instrument and bow restorer
Welcome to another part of our ongoing series on strings for your instrument! This newsletter’s installment features less expensive violin strings.
To start with, a general note: there are *a lot* of violin string sets on the market. Over the next few issues, we’ll be splitting things up into a few different sections, sorted by price. We’re also confining these reviews to the most popular string sets which we carry here at Mount Airy Violins & Bows. If you don’t see a particular brand/line of strings mentioned, but want to know our opinion, feel free to give us a call — we’ve probably heard of the strings you’re curious about and can give you some guidance.
PRELUDE – Long-lasting; inexpensive. Middle-of-the-road sound; not too bright, not too warm. We use Preludes on all of our student-level rentals. Preludes are a useful entry-level string, especially for beginners, since they lack the harshness that many other entry-level string sets tend to have — important for beginning players who may not have learned how to generate a pleasing and clean tone.
ALPHAYUE – One of the newer entries to this arena, Alphayues tend to offer a substantial power/projection upgrade over Preludes, at the cost of being a bit more harsh. We use Alphayue on many of our mid-level rentals. A good string if you want to stand out in an ensemble, but don’t want to break the bank.
TONICA – Nylon core. I’ve heard Tonicas referred to as ‘budget Dominants’, and this comparison is fairly apt. Neutral sound, with good balance between the strings. Less projection, with perhaps a bit of a hollow core to the sound.
PRIMS – One of the strings of choice for fiddlers, particularly Old-Time musicians. They are very stable and easy to tune into different tunings. Prims are one of the few steel-core strings on the market, and have the same sort of twang-y sound that this tends to create — hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it. Steel-core strings also tend to have a very quick response, and usually last longer than many of the synthetic-core offerings on the market.
HELICORE – The other steel-core string set we carry. Helicores lack the twanginess of Prims, with a sound more like most of the synthetic-core sets on the market. They have a unique feel under the fingers — a bit softer, with less tension. They also are thinner strings than the other entries on this list, which can take a bit of getting used to.
PRO-ARTE – The warmest sound of any of these entry-level string sets. Pro-Arte strings are great for toning down a ‘screamer’ of an instrument. They’re great for blending into an ensemble. A friendly, intimate sound without much harshness. We use Pro-Artes on some of our mid-level rentals.