Leading on from my last post asking how to replace violin strings...!

Which should i get?
I'm looking for some decent ones but not toooooo expensive as i'm getting a new violin in December anyway. But i need new strings now as the ones i have now are like. dead! and even when i get my new violin it'd be nice to have a decent pair on my old violin whiiich i'll be keeping - just incase of emergencies, i'm the clumsy/unlucky kind who manages to have something happen to their instrument JUST before a concert

but anyway moving on
I looked on the Normans website and the ones in the price range i'd be willing to pay (£20-30ish) were Helicore strings and Dominant strings
the only next ones down went right down to like an £8 pair which i'm assuming wont be much of an improvement on the ones i have now.

which are better? orrr do you have any other suggestions?

as you can see
i'm very new to all this

I have dominant on mine,
never tried anything else, my teacher says dominants are pretty good 'all round' type of strings, meaning you can't really go wrong as a student having them. I think you may prefer other stuff when you get more proficient maybe?
don't know anything about helicore am afraid

Dominants are a good all round string, not too expensive and can make most fiddles sound reasonable, they make student instruments sound reasonable and they make good instruments sound....well, reasonable.

They can sound a little brash initially but mellow down as they play in.
On some violins they can be a bit harsh in which case Thomastik Infeld Reds are a good choice.

Doms (about £22) and Infelds (about £34)

While I'm very happy with Dominants for my A, D and G, I find the Dominant E a bit too strident, so I use a Hill Special E instead. Much less wear and tear on the nerves

I think quite a lot of people use a different (often a wound) E string with Doms.
There is a lot of choice out there and E strings aren't too expensive to try one or two different brands.

I prefer Helicores for my viola. You can get them cheaper from the USA if you're not in a hurry.

This is a tricky question. Principally, it's worth pointing out that you're asking about two totally different kinds of string. Dominants are synthetic core (nylon, although they call it perlon - it's the same thing more or less), designed to imitate gut. Good all round, cheap strings that really perform well on most fiddles. (infelds are more or less the same thing as dominants on most fiddles, except you can choose your degree of warmth - which appeals to many people as amateur fiddlers tend to like warm and dark sounds - according to my luthier, because they don't know how to get the best out of a clear, brilliant, balanced sounding violin)

Helicores are metal core - albeit warm sounding metal, but metal nonetheless. Therefore, slightly more one dimensional, less overtones, less complexity, yet quicker and easier to make speak than the dominants and, of course, cheaper again and far more tuning stable.

The short answer is that Dominants are more suited to classical music and helicores to traditional music or folk. The long answer is that things are never this simple and your fiddle will be the deciding factor as a good luthier will decide which particular string brand (or blend of string brands) will make your fiddle come alive. I'm a trad fiddler, yet use obligatos with a kaplan e (generally expected to be found in more classical circles, but it works for my fiddle).

Easy way forward, try them out and see! Pick the ones that you feel 'sing' the best on your fiddle.

Good luck,

Allan

Agree 100%

Personally I hate Helicores on my violin - to me they have a very 'tight' sound and I can't change the tone colour on them. Unless you have a real junk violin I would go for Dominant which are a good all round string at a reasonable price. They are also very stable for tuning.

I find Dominants just a little brassy for my taste and use the Thomastic Zyex with a Pirastro Olive Goldstahl for the E - that combination is a bit more expensive, though.

I am lucky in that my local violin shop in Glasgow lets me try out strings, and if I don't like them he will take them back.

My vote would essentially be, 'none of the above'. Although I will admit that Dominant strings are a good allrounder. They suit violins from student quality to fine Italian instruments and are used by a lot of players from new starters right up to professional soloists.

Personally, I plump for Pirastro Obligato these days. The tone is warm and importantly, smooth, but still has projection when you dig in.

Ultimately, it's not just what string you (as a player) prefers, but also what strings do your violin the most justice. You are after all, the one who has to have it stuck under your left ear every time it's played.......
If you like the sound it is producing, then the chances are you've chosen the right strings.

By all means try what others use - they may work for your too - but if they don't, bear in mind what I've said here.

I've used Dominants in the past and they are a very good all-round string. As others have said, use another E string - I also find the Dominant E quite 'blunt'.

I'm experimenting with different strings now that I know how to change them. The market is very competitive - strings are much cheaper in the US and SE Asia - and even with combined postage the more expensive strings are only a little more than Dominants in the UK.

There are two articles I found very helpful but at the end of the day what strings you use are down to personal choice and your violin. I can't seem to insert the link but the web addressses are below.

http://www.stringsmagazine.com/issues/Stri...overstory.shtml

http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=6346

Good luck!

I too prefer Obligatos to Dominants but I had the impression that the original poster wanted to avoid spending too much if possible.
A set of Obligatos can be had for about £38 though which although £10-12 more than a set of Doms isn't much over the life of a set of strings if you keep them on for 6 months.

I usually buy my strings and bits and pieces here, http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/cart.php?ta...;category_id=21

i completely agree with ordering from the USA - i get my Pirastro Obligato set from a shop in New York....for approximately £25 including postage which is almost half price - although i get annoyed when they send me a loop end E string instead of ball end