String Trials

 

 

Buying a new type of string can be a bit of a gamble and, especially for players of larger instruments, can be very expensive. New strings are continually appearing on the market and, of course, the makers all claim that they are really good...so how can you tell? It is hard, even for a shop, to keep pace with what is new, what works, and even more importantly what lasts. To help people make a decision we have developed  our "String Trial". Customers are welcome to call in at the shop by appointment to try out the most popular brands of string on their own instruments, thereby saving hundreds of pounds in the possible purchase of inappropriate strings. There may be a small charge for this service.

 

The system we suggest is simple, although it did take some time to evolve into its present form. The idea is elimianate as many variables as possible. Testing the outer strings first does not tell you very much, so we suggest initially working only with the second string from the top. The reason is that the player crosses from the third string, which is a known, to the first string which is also a known, across the second string, which keeps changing.

 

We suggest that the customer plays on their violin, although it works the same for cello and viola, with their bow for a few minutes to warm up and get used to the ambience of the room. Then we suggest putting on the five our six top (although not neccesarily most popular) selling violin A strings. This would probably include Dominant, Pirazzi, Obligato, Helicore, Corelli Crystal and Larsen. If a customer has been reccomended a particular string then we can try one of these as well. Unfortunatly we cannot do this with the gut core strings since they can degrade quickly if they are regularly put on and taken off an instrument...so this elliminates the Golden Spiral,Olive, Eudoxa and Gold Label strings. Having tried a selection of strings from our trial box the player returns to the A string they felt gave them the quality the most felt that they were looking for, and then puts on the D string. If the d string suits then 99 times out of 100 the G will also. Having established our three lower strings, a variety of E strings can also be tested. Many players do not use the E string that comes with the standard set but buy the string that gives them the singing quality they want in the upper register. Occaisionally customers have been known to end up with a mixture of three or rarely, four different strings on the one instrument.

 

It is also worth remembering that many strings come in different weights. There are, for example, six different Larsen cello A strings. If you like the sound of the Corelli Crystal D string, but feel that it sounds a little weaker than the G, then try a heavier Corelli D. A photograph of Pinchas Zuckerman in the Strad magazine some years back showed the Violin he was holding to be strung with Dominant strings...but he had a heavy weight Dominant G on the bottom showing that even a Guarneri Del Gesu violin might need a bit of help sometimes.

 

 A simple way to assess this yourself can be done at home. If you feel that one string is weaker or stronger than another then you can compensate by tuning it up, or down a semi tone. if the string feels more in balance then that may indicate that a lighter or heavier string may be in order.

 

NB. This test, although rough, has proved to be very effective but it can only work if every other variable has been checked. There is no point in buying a different weight of string if the imbalance is being caused by faulty set up or an ill-fitting soundpost. Make sure the violin is properly serviced first.

 

 

 

String problems

 

These days it is very rare to come across dud strings given the refined techniques of modern string winding. It does occasionally happen of course but this mostly with gut core silver wound strings, which are subject to changes of temperature and humidity. Most string breakages are usually caused by user error, or roughness at the nut or bridge. If you should have a reoccurring problem with strings breaking, we would be happy to look over your instrument to see if the problem can be rectified.

 

 

Cello E strings

 

 

Yes! They do exist, and they sound one fifth above the cello A.  For years, Cellists who wanted to double a violin part an octave below, or who had a rare five string cello, had to make do with nylon guitar strings or the commercially available bass viol D strings which were tuned up a tone.

 

We have now found four purpose-made cello E strings, two by the Supersensitive company in America, one by Thomastik, and one by Larsen. Thomastik make to order a cello E string that compliments their Spirocore set, and we bought all 24 of the last batch they made. The sound of cello e strings is a little thin since the cello is not designed accoustically for this stringing, but the Spirocore works quite well and is probably the best of the bunch, even though it is half the price of its closest rival, the Larsen. We have mixed them with Helicores, Larsens and Dominants to good effect and they amplify well. You can just move your top three strings over one place and put the new estring where the a used to be.

 

There isn't much call for them exept in the folk/rock worlds but if you've got a spare cello, you could give it a go.