dpappas
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Posts posted by dpappas
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On 11/23/2025 at 7:33 PM, Will Turner said:
I would say the same as well about what you have also experienced.
while the tension may be “stark” on the Gold E, it is as easy to play as my prior Goldbrokat Gold E was. I also noticed that the gold appears to be staying on the steel core better as well.
Need more time but so far the longevity seems to be improved over the EP Green. So far proving to be worth the premium over the EP Green, certainly love the tone.
Will,
it’s too early to tell how my set will last but I agree, I love the tone. The E is really special and the whole set projects well and has a rich sound. It’s my violin, but more/better.
if these strings have staying power, I’m switching permanently on my main instrument.
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Maybe it's the packing tape? I bet it adds resonance to the drawn sound
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In some sense it doesn't matter who made the violin. If it, to you, is a "solo-level" instrument, then it is.
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23 minutes ago, Will Turner said:
Literally just installed them.
I'll be reporting back. In addition, in several months I'll let you know how the quality of the string continues to hold or not.
Will, thank you, looking forward to your feedback. I'll add mine when my strings come in.
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Will,
Did you install them yet? I have a set on order and I'm curious how they feel/sound.
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I got it through interlibrary loan for a bit just as a test drive and I agree it's worth buying outright from the author. I've requested one as a christmas present from my family.
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I’ve had both types. The perfection/knilling type are too invasive for my taste and the gear ratio leaves much to be desired.
the wittners are uglier but have better gear ratios.
I prefer friction pegs for speed, reliability, and stability. And here’s another thing to think about: on my outdoor instrument the summer heat made my wittners come apart (exposed gears and all). The rest of the violin was fine.
if I had to use geared pegs (arthritis, for example) I’d pick the wittners every time despite my melting incident.
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i planned on shipping it in the original case, but that's another thing to consider, thank you!
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Deans that's a good point. I'd also like to take the instrument personally because I'd like to meet her. I'm just weighing options. Flying with my instrument is also something new and I know it can be stressful in some cases.
I have good options nearby but this is the first "checkup" on the instrument, which is now 3 years old. I'd like her to go over it, fit a new post, etc. After that I'll do minor work locally or trek to Albuquerque for anything major, it's only a 5-hour drive.
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GeorgeH,
Thank you. Did you find the transit time to be an issue or risk? I think, if it's shipped in temperate weather, it will be fine.
Thanks for the tips on the shipping itself.
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I'm contemplating shipping my violin back to the maker for a checkup and some other work. I'm in TX and she's in the DC area. How do most of you ship within the US, and what speed? FedEX overnight is going to be almost $1000 USD round trip. At that rate I could fly with my violin, stay in a hotel for two nights, and fly back. But that also puts a time constraint on the maker, which is an imposition in my opinion.
This is my main instrument and fully insured. What carriers do you recommend? Do options "slower" than overnight work well? I'm going to wait a month or two for the weather to cool down before shipping.
Thanks!
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agreed, a maker would have centered the brand.
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You can only have so many "eureka" moments before failing to producing anything real. And, yes, his most recent "secret of Stradivari" was pre-pandemic.
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I agree, Martin, that the money isn't really the point. And if you can buy and sell strads of this caliber, you've got other money tied in safer things. Fulton's story is interesting and his collection impressive. I need to read his book at some point.
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If I had that much money, I wouldn't drop it on a violin even if i had hundreds of millions more. As much as I love the instrument and its history, it's too much money for something so fragile, easy to steal/lose, etc.
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Given what he paid for it, and the amount of time he owned it, the S&P500 outperformed the investment by about $5M, but I doubt Fulton cared much about that, he's not hurting for money.
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Not sure if this is the correct forum, since it was a direct sale, but the Baron Knoop strad sold for $23M.
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On 3/8/2025 at 1:37 PM, Will Turner said:
If it is comfortable and allows for ease of play, I find the tone of my violin is much better in regards to chin rests.
As for shoulder rests…
I have pondered the Pirastro Korfkerrest 2.0 (the maple one). Supposedly a difference in performance/tone.
Will
I've not seen any sonic differences on spectrum analysis (playing semitone bowed scales or bridge impact) with the korferrest model 2. The same goes for looped recordings with and without that shoulder rest. BUT for me it's incredibly comfortable, and that has a bigger effect on the sound than anything else. As has been said before, these are personal comfort choices and that comfort is a bigger impact on tone than anything else, probably.
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I have a Mag-ic probe and it's pretty straightforward to use. It's not cheap, but how much is your time worth rigging up something else?
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OP, I agree. And to each their own. But I do play with a SR but I hold the instrument on the collarbone and with my left hand, using my jaw/chin only for support during down shifts.
The SR provides stability and lets me play longer. Since I broke my shoulder last year, I need the support.
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On 6/12/2024 at 3:08 AM, Anson said:
Can you please explain a bit more about why you prefer dynamos over rondo gold? I am currently using Rondos and I love their sweet and rich sound especially on the g string and overall projection, but I think I would prefer a slightly warmer and fuller sounding version of it so maybe rondo gold is the answer to that. But in the mean time I’ve heard so many great things about Dynamo. So I am really considering purchasing one of these two strings and I am interested to hear your opinion since you seem to have tried both.
Sorry for the delay! Rondos, PIs, and Rondo Golds are to me very "pure" sounding strings. The Dynamos are very textured, you get a lot of grit to the sound, which I like. For the Rondo Gold, and Rondo, I hear this midrange "honk" that I find unpleasant under the ear. The Rondo Gold are definitely better in that regard than regular Rondo. For pure, powerful strings you can't be PI. For textured, powerful strings, there's a reason Dynamo strings are getting so much attention these days.
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I did not like the Rondo Golds. But I also don't like Rondos. The Rondo Golds are a high-quality product, no doubts there, but I just didn't like the core of the sound--it was sterile to me.
I prefer dynamos but they are completely different animal altogether. I suspect people will like the Rondo Golds overall, they just didn't do the trick for me.
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Michael thanks for sharing. Interesting story. I wonder how many people were taken buying this instrument for what it isn’t.
Evah Pirazzi Neo Violin Strings
in The Fingerboard
Posted
Power and richness is how I’d describe them, and I agree with the left hand feel. So far I’m really impressed.