Reddit mentions: The best violin strings
We found 29 Reddit comments discussing the best violin strings. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 12 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. JSI Special 4/4 Violin String Set: Gold Label Ball-End E & Dominant A, D, and G Strings - Medium Gauge
- Foldable Stand for Cello
- Country of Origin: China
Features:
Specs:
Height | 0.2 Inches |
Length | 5 Inches |
Weight | 0.02 Pounds |
Width | 4 Inches |
2. JSI Special 4/4 Violin String Set: Gold Label Loop-End E & Dominant A, D, and G Strings - Medium Gauge
- Full Set includes Pirastro Gold Label Plain Steel Loop-End E, Thomastik Dominant Aluminum Wound Perlon Core Ball-End A, Thomastik Dominant Aluminum Wound Perlon Core Ball-End D, Thomastik Dominant Silver Wound Perlon Core Ball-End G
- 4/4 Violin
- Medium Gauge
Features:
3. D’Addario Prelude Violin String Set, 4/4 Scale Medium Tension – Solid Steel Core, Warm Tone, Economical and Durable – Educator’s Choice for Student Strings – Sealed Pouch to Prevent Corrosion, 1 Set
EDUCATOR’S CHOICE – Designed with quick bow response and ease of use in mind, D’Addario’s Prelude violin strings are the educator’s preferred choice for student strings. Due to their unique blend of warm tone, affordability and durability, they are ideal for both new and experienced studen...
Specs:
Color | Warm Tone |
Height | 4.4 Inches |
Length | 4.3 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | November 2017 |
Size | 4/4 Scale |
Weight | 0.04 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
4. D'Addario Kaplan Non-Whistling Violin Aluminum Wound E String, 4/4 Scale
4/4 scale violin with a playing length of 13 inches (328mm)Medium tensionWound stranded steel coreUnique non-whistling E stringAll D'Addario strings are designed, engineered and manufactured in the USA to the most stringent quality controls in the industry
Specs:
Height | 4.5 Inches |
Length | 5.4 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 4/4 |
Weight | 0.02 Pounds |
Width | 2.6 Inches |
5. D'Addario Pro-Arte Violin String Set with Wound E, 4/4 Scale, Medium Tension
4/4 scale violin with a playing length of 13 inches (328mm)Medium tension set with an aluminum wound E stringSynthetic core produces a warm, mellow toneLess sensitive to humidity and temperature changes, and break in quicklyAll D'Addario strings are designed, engineered and manufactured in the USA t...
Specs:
Height | 4.4 Inches |
Length | 4.4 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.06 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
6. Thomastik Peter Infeld 4/4 Violin Strings Set with Platinum E
Peter InfieldViolinSynthetic CorePlatinum plated E, Aluminum Wound A, Silver Wound D & G
Specs:
Color | Nylon |
Height | 4.1 Inches |
Length | 4.2 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Weight | 0.13 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
7. Thomastik Dominant 4/4 Violin String Set - Medium Gauge - Steel Ball-End E
- Used by Students and Professionals around the world
- Made in Austria
- Genuine Thomastik-Infeld Product
Features:
Specs:
Height | 1 Inches |
Length | 1 Inches |
Size | 4/4 |
Weight | 0.04 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
8. Dr Thomastik 133 Dominant Nylon Core Violin G-String, Silver Wound, Medium Gauge, 4/4 Scale (1334/4)
- Made with a highly flexible, multi-strand synthetic core
- Provide the tonal warmth and feel of a gut string while being impervious to changes in humidity
- The sound is soft, clear with a stable intonation and they are rich in overtones
- Its radiance and ability to project sound without being metallic comes to the fore both in Arco and pizzicato passage
- Effortless response to intricate fingering and its tuning stability even under extreme atmospheric conditions
Features:
Specs:
Color | Single G |
Height | 4.5 Inches |
Length | 0.1 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2010 |
Size | 1/16, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 3/4, 4/4 |
Weight | 0.039 Pounds |
Width | 4.5 Inches |
9. Thomastik-Infeld 135 Dominant Violin Strings, Complete Set, 135, 4/4 Size, with Aluminum Wound Ball End E String
Used by students and professionals around the worldMade in AustriaGenuine Thomastik-Infeld Productstring material type: M-Steel
Specs:
Height | 1 Inches |
Length | 6 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2010 |
Size | 4/4 |
Weight | 0.0220462262 Pounds |
Width | 6 Inches |
10. Pirastro Violin Strings (412021)
- Strings to last: The violin strings' special synthetic core is made from the finest & most flexible single filaments along with high quality winding materials
- Superior sound: Great dependability, full and powerful volume, lively sound with a high degree of modulation
- Long lasting: These specially designed violin strings are made from nylon, which is resistant to heat and humidity changes
- Pirastro quality: Constructed using the latest manufacturing techniques, with strict quality control, which musicians around the world recommend
- Features: 1 x full set Pirastro Tonica 4/4 Violin String Set. Medium Gauge with stainless steel Ball End E string
Features:
Specs:
Weight | 0.09 Pounds |
11. Thomastik Dominant 4/4 Violin G String Medium Silver-Perlon
G String4/4 violinMedium guageSilver Winding - Perlon CoreBall end
Specs:
Height | 1 Inches |
Length | 4 Inches |
Weight | 0.01 Pounds |
Width | 4 Inches |
12. Fiddlerman Violin String Set, Synthetic Core w/Ball-End for both 4/4 and 3/4 size
- Full String Set Includes: G, D, A, E
- Synthetic Core (Perlon Core) String Set - No cheap Steel strings here!
- Professionals couldn't tell this set apart from Dominant Strings in a blind test!
- German made Quality Violin String Set for Full Sized Violins (4/4 and 3/4)
- Medium Gauge - Ball-end E (can be removed)
Features:
Specs:
Weight | 0.01 Pounds |
🎓 Reddit experts on violin strings
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where violin strings are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
PICKING OUT A VIOLIN?
The set of Dominants with Pirastro E is standard, but you want to pay careful attention. You want one of these two:
https://www.amazon.com/JSI-Special-Violin-String-Set/dp/B000V6E01I/ref=sr_1_7?crid=ZT52RD2Z3UFF&keywords=dominant+violin+strings+4+4+set&qid=1564428453&s=gateway&sprefix=dominant%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-7
https://www.amazon.com/JSI-Special-Violin-String-Set/dp/B000V6FY8Q/ref=sr_1_3?crid=ZT52RD2Z3UFF&keywords=dominant+violin+strings+4+4+set&qid=1564428453&s=gateway&sprefix=dominant%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-3
But which one you pick is going to depend on whether your E-string is a ball end or loop end. You should be able to easily tell by looking at how the E-string hooks into the fine tuner. Like people are saying, by the time an A-string breaks, it's long past time to change strings anyway.
Be careful taking the advice of people who like more premium strings. That's a question only you can answer after trying many different setups (some of which can cost up to double the ones linked above).
Unfortunately, the cost is still higher than purchasing a perfectly capable cheap student violin off of Amazon. Regardless, I used Inland PLA, which is $14.99 for a 2.2lb spool. Here's the total breakdown:
ADM® 4/4 Full Size Basic Professional Triangular Shape Super Light Suspension Violin Case (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J1UXIPY) = $36.99
Total Cost = $136.82
I used a MendelMax 1.0 with an E3D V6 hot end and Bowden extruder setup.
/u/pramit57, I read your responses and it seems clear to me that the strings are causing the problem. Entirely. Without question. This problem will not go away until you take those strings off. Possibly until they're out of the house, in the dump, far far away from your violin. Maybe perform a cleansing ritual over your instrument before putting the next set on.
I mean, I looked them up to get an idea of price range you were looking at, and how far off you really were from Dominants. Turns out, these things are about $3 a set. I mean. I'm shocked you got anything more sophisticated than different thicknesses of wire, honestly.
So, yes, it seems that Dominants are out of the question. (Also, WOW Dominants are marked up in India. 8800??? That's about $130, for my US peeps. That's approximately what I pay for Evah Gold viola strings.) But in this case, you really should look into some of those brands in the $ price range on that string chart. This might even be a situation where Red Labels are an improvement. I have no idea how many of those options are available in India, but I would bet some are. For instance, there's a set of D'Addario Pro Arte strings for 4099, which, I know, is a lot more, but at least they're synthetic core and from a reputable company. There's also D'Addario Preludes, which looks like a comparable level to Red Labels, for 2250. They're still steel core, but at least they're wound, not plated like yours. Just a disclaimer, I've never tried either of these, but D'Addario is legit and they've got to be better than what you have.
I am somewhat confused as to how you could already be a college sophomore and have never bought new strings -- idk, maybe your teacher always bought them? It's just a bit unusual -- but that's a question for some other time :)
For my entire life I've been using Dominants for G, D, and A, with a Pirastro Gold E.
Most violins' tailpieces, including mine, are set up to take ball-end E strings: https://www.amazon.com/JSI-Special-Violin-String-Set/dp/B000V6E01I/
But if yours is set up for a loop-end E string, they also make those: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V6FY8Q
The G, D, and A strings are always ball-end so you don't have to worry about those, if for whatever reason you move to buying strings separately rather than as a set. The Dominants+Gold E set is sold that way because many professionals use that combination, but many others have their own individual taste, sometimes even by mixing and matching strings form different makers.
To know which type of E string your tailpiece is set up to accept, this article could help: http://blog.sharmusic.com/blog/bid/81287/Do-You-Need-a-Loop-or-a-Ball-End-for-Your-E-string
Peter Infeld strings are the most vibrant strings I’ve ever played on. First time I put them on my violin I was just stunned at how easily it was to project sound.
https://www.amazon.com/Thomastik-Infeld-Violin-Strings-Platinum/dp/B003JEAHES/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=peter+infeld+violin+strings&qid=1564407077&s=gateway&sprefix=peter+infeld+vi&sr=8-1
I've always had problems with whistling E strings, especially on certain passages where I wasn't able to change my bowing technique to prevent it. Last year there was a song I was playing regularly with a certain note that would *always* whistle when I crossed over from the A string, so I vowed to go on a hunt for an E string that prevented whistling.
​
I can thankfully say that I found it in this string, which has some sort of special connector which reduces whistling. It's been working flawlessly so far. :-)
https://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Kaplan-Non-Whistling-Violin-Aluminum/dp/B000P61P30
For sake of simplicity, buy them a set of Dominants (yeah there are other great strings out there, but you can't go wrong with Dominants) https://www.amazon.com/Thomastik-Dominant-Violin-String-Set/dp/B000E1TJDE and head to any of the shops people have listed below--my recommendation would be Bischofberger.
It is a Kaplan Ball End Adapter for use on single hook style fine tuners. That's what it says on the product page here, anyway.
User /u/bazzage gave more input over at /r/violinist :
>With many ball-end strings, it is possible to pop out the ball, or crack it in pieces which may be picked out of the loop without |damaging it. That may not be possible with the special construction of the Kaplan wound E, so the adaptor becomes necessary.
Maybe mark this as solved /u/BestN00b
I completely disagree. I have a surprisingly well made cheap violin (~200 $) that sounded pretty shit with some random cheap strings. I switched to dominant strings and Pirastro gold label E and it completely changed the tone and playability of my violin. The difference between good and bad strings is clear on any violin regardless of its quality.
Thank you for the info.
My teacher specifically advised against Dominants, saying they're overpriced for the quality and don't last very long. Also, on Amazon I found these Fiddlerman strings which people claim are comparable to Dominants but cost half as much. Have you, or do you know anyone, who has tried these out?
Alright, I found my D (huehuehue).
strings!
I would recommend synthetic core, but if you are an absolute beginner, the cheapest probably would do. The choices on that page specifically are steel only; this one is 133 for the G string.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/THOMASTIK-135-Dominant-%E3%83%89%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8A%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88-4%E3%83%90%E3%82%A4%E3%82%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E5%BC%A6%E3%82%BB%E3%83%83%E3%83%88/dp/B001LRMQH6/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1481359379&sr=1-1&keywords=violin+dominant
Thats pretty awful link, but what ever. Are those the strings you mean? What is the numer (130/129) you can select at that product?
Dominant + Pirastro Gold Label E combo
Pirastro Tonica (cheaper but still great)
A G string costs less than $20 shipped.
amazon
I -need- these violin strings: http://www.amazon.com/DAddario-Prelude-Violin-String-Tension/dp/B0002Y6BJI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2JESGT0ISX3UR&coliid=I1ZB0OKBC4VINK
I'm trying to practice something violin-related every day. And sadly my a-string broke, so I can't practice the actual violin until I get a new one. But I'm on an extremely limited budget right now (husband has been out of work due to an injury), so I don't know when I'll be able to.
Thank you for such a kind contest! :)