Adam Edwards Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Hi Folks , I have just spent about 10 hours surfing the net reading players forums etc and it seems to me that they are still the most widely used and endorsed string and reports that they are the most common still on old Italian violins , and being used by soloists. Obligatos maybe come in after that and then opinions split into many different directions. Just thought I would share this research , maybe of use to newbies. cheers Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 dominants are reccomended to shops selling violins because everyone knows what they are like and what to expect even if they dont prefer them, a lot of newer brands are relatively unknown by comparison, i still like to put eudoxas on really old violins, im kind of old fashioned that way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolas Temino Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 lyndon, have you tried the Warchal violin vintage on old violins? I have heard wonders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertdo Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I believe the price has also something to see. Stringing 50 new violins with Obligato would cost quite a fortune, even though I did really like them. So I might keep a set for a really good violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Warchal Karneol should become the new industry standard - they have no tonal defects and work on every one of 400 or so violins I've tried them on. They don't have the fizz that can be quite offputting with Dominants, and the E is much sweeter (Dominant E should only be used for cutting cheese). Warchal Brilliant Vintage are a very odd sounding string, and should only be used for problem instruments - they are low tension but extremely fizzy. Karneol are about £20 a set dealer price .... Martin Swan Violins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alma Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Dominants are evidently the most popular string among those who are posting on the web. I question whether Dominants are the most popular among soloists. If you surfed the web to find the most popular car, what results would you expect? I doubt that anyone would mention Rolls Royce. Many players try out different strings to find the best brand and gauge for their own instruments; what is your goal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertdo Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Dominant are the most widely used "in general" (the sales statistic would probably prove it), but I would be surprised to learn that it is the most widely used in the "soloist world"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Sobodash Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Many great soloists play on Dominants (like Hilary Hahn, among others), and I honestly believe it's primarily a factor of consistency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.B.Fiddler Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 From a performers perspective, Dominants, like'm or hate'm, are remarkably consistent and durable. I can go quite some time between tuning a broken in set of Dominants - and that's saying something here in "Hotlanta." I know Perlman used Dominants with a Pirastro Gold Label e-string for a very long time. Not sure if he still does now, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Edwards Posted June 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Dominants are evidently the most popular string among those who are posting on the web. I question whether Dominants are the most popular among soloists. If you surfed the web to find the most popular car, what results would you expect? I doubt that anyone would mention Rolls Royce. Many players try out different strings to find the best brand and gauge for their own instruments; what is your goal? [/quote On one forum a poster stated that he looked at all the photos in the Auction houses and 1/2 to 2/3 of the famous Italian violins had Dominants on. Now is this how they have been played , or is it something a dealer has put on at the last minute ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin swan Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Auction houses fit violins with Dominants, it's a kind of industry standard because they're very cheap in bulk and people know they're reasonably neutral. If a priceless Italian violin sounds a bit rough, you can always blame the Dominants! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gowan Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I think soloists want two things, projection and consistency. They get this from Dominants. Professionals change their strings often, maybe once a month. Consistency is important. Finally, expense has something to do with the situation. If you change your strings twelve times per year you'll save about $360 per year using Dominants instaed of Evah Pirazzi. In the end what other people use is only a guideline for what you should use. Different violins work best with different strings. Try different kinds and see what works best for you on your violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael_Molnar Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I put Dominants (all medium - silver G.D) on mine with a Jarger Forte E. Seems to work. Stay Tuned. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtlVcl Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Many great soloists play on Dominants (like Hilary Hahn, among others), and I honestly believe it's primarily a factor of consistency. "Many great soloists play on Dominants" and you give us one name? Really! I can't speak to the violin world specifically, but most string players use a steel string because it's more powerful, they're long-lasting, and the consistency can't be beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Edwards Posted June 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Does anyone know Charles Beare ? , I would really be interested in his opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Ansara Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 Hi Folks , I have just spent about 10 hours surfing the net reading players forums etc and it seems to me that they are still the most widely used and endorsed string and reports that they are the most common still on old Italian violins , and being used by soloists. Obligatos maybe come in after that and then opinions split into many different directions. Just thought I would share this research , maybe of use to newbies. cheers Adam I guess they've Dominated the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkaco Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I am reading this with great interest, as I am gearing up for my first violin build. I asked a similar/related question a while back regarding popular strings (hesitate to use the term "best") for new builds. I think I only got one or two responses, and, if I recall correctly it was along the lines of Dominants are very popular with older instruments, but new instruments may benefit from something different. Maybe the question to ask is what strings should a new maker try first on a new build to get the highest percentage chance of showcasing the sound potential of his new instrument (you know, it is hard to not use the word "best"!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scordatura Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I keep coming back to Dominants--for violin and viola. E string or even A and D on viola are a different story. Many of the "big" soloists use them. Depending on how much playing you are doing I allow 5-10 days for them to calm down. They are a bit buzzy or metallic at first. Then need to be played in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANFIO Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 The Dominant E string in general is substituted by other brand, the same for the viola Dominant A. A friend told me Mutter uses a viola Dominant A in her violin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkaco Posted June 30, 2011 Report Share Posted June 30, 2011 I keep hearing that people substitute other strings for the E string on the violin from various sets. While I am sure everybody has their personal preference, wouldn't it behoove manufacturers to make several version of their sets with different E strings maybe they do, and I just don't know about it)? I assume many players are looking for the same characteristic in their E string that they find lacking in the Dominant set E string. So, why doesn't the manufacturer address their concerns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardz Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Manfio: Just curious...is a viola Dominant A a single strand unwound stainless steel? (I have a violin I was thinking could use such a thing but I haven't seen it mentioned before) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollenbach Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 "Many great soloists play on Dominants" and you give us one name? Really! I can't speak to the violin world specifically, but most string players use a steel string because it's more powerful, they're long-lasting, and the consistency can't be beat. You can see for yourself the list of top players who use Dominants. And you can also see how the "violin world specifically" generally doesn't use steel strings, except for the E: http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=6294 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Sobodash Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 "Many great soloists play on Dominants" and you give us one name? Really! I can't speak to the violin world specifically, but most string players use a steel string because it's more powerful, they're long-lasting, and the consistency can't be beat. It was one of the first names that came to mind, but since you insist: Pinchas Zukerman Itzhak Perlman Maxim Vengerov (only recently switched to Pirazzi) Gil Shaham Midori Stefan Jackiw Anne-Sophie Mutter Cho-Liang Lin (now uses Infelds, was a long time Dominant user) Ruggiero Ricci A few minutes of actual research on your part would have yielded the same information. Think before you speak, next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Edwards Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Would it be fair to say that by putting dominants on our violins our customers will be able to judge the tone of our violins better. My opinion at the moment is that they have a good balance between power and warmth. Then once they buy they can put on obligatos for a round sweet sound , or say evahs if they want bright and powerful example : for me obligatos have a masking effect on a violin , great way to make a cheap bright violin sound better feel free to disagree cheers Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Edwards Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 It was one of the first names that came to mind, but since you insist: Pinchas Zukerman Itzhak Perlman Maxim Vengerov (only recently switched to Pirazzi) Gil Shaham Midori Stefan Jackiw Anne-Sophie Mutter Cho-Liang Lin (now uses Infelds, was a long time Dominant user) Ruggiero Ricci A few minutes of actual research on your part would have yielded the same information. Think before you speak, next time. add to the list , Tokyo string quartet , all playing famous instruments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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