Violin Forum/Message Board

[willym]

I am well on the way to completing my first violin. When done, I am going to try my hand at learning to play. I expect to lean towards fiddle music. The number of string brands and types on the market is quite bewildering, so I'm looking for advice. What strings (brand & type) will take some abuse from a student, and be at the lower end of the price scale? I can always upgrade later if I continue with the instrument.

Likewise, what would be a good budget beginner bow. If the violin works out, I may try my hand at making a bow later.

Thank you.

Bill

[L P Reedy]

Opinions are many and cheap, so here is mine, which you should take with a large grain of salt.

For steel strings I like D'Addario Preludes and put them on many of my new ones for a while. For perlon I think Corelli Crystals are hard to beat for your situation.

For a beginning bow I would get a fiberglass one, any brand you like. I only have Glassers but have tried a P&H that I was impressed by. I've heard of others but haven't tried them. I have a Glasser carbon fiber that I use all the time and find to be better than my playing abilities but it's more money.

I'm sure some will disagree with me, but that's life and that's fine.

[willym]

[L P Reedy]

Perlon (and other synthetics) act more like gut with a lot more stretch, so fine tuners are not normally needed. Some people use them anyway. The sound is also supposed to be closer to gut, although there is some disagreement about that and the sound varies with the brand.

Steel strings tend to be more rugged and often cost less for similar quality but are less frustrating with fine tuners (although a violin teacher of my aquaintance has been known to use Preludes in the local orchestra without fine tuners). Fiddlers who use various tunings usually find that steel holds up much better to the tension changes than synthetics. Steel strings tend to produce a clearer, less complex tone.

I use both types and currently have fiddles with Preludes, Helicores, SS Red Labels, Spirocores, Super Flexibles and maybe a few other steel strings plus SS Octava, Sensicore, Pro-Arte, Corelli Crystals, Corelli Alliance, Pirastro Evah Pirazzi, Dominants and Visions on them. Different instruments sometimes like different strings. One of my recent fiddles did not sound good at all under my ear with Prims (popular steel) but likes Visions pretty well. Hope this doesn't muddy things too much.

Lyle