Cee Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 Hello, I am new here and not 100% sure this post is supposed to belong to this forum. I would be interested in knowing what brand of E strings you are using for playing classical, or baroque, music on your violin. Maybe there are already threads or other resources on this topic, if yes, could you share the link(s) please? Also, have you ever noticed a change in tone, specific to the E string, after adjusting the soundpost or fitting a new bridge? Would that help with a E string that sounds a little loud/shrill? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Victor Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 I think you want to balance your E string in "harmony" with the rest of the strings that work well on your violin. I have found the Thomastik Peter Infeld platinum-plated E string to have strong tone that worked well for me on all 4 of my violins when they were strung with Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Gold and a few other brands. However the PI-Pt E strings seems to be fairly high tension and tight and does not give a good pizzicato sound. For that a softer E, such as Pirastro Eudoxa or Perpetual Cadenza E is good. The Warchal Amber and Timbre E strings are good too - provided they work well on your instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandini Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 A heavy .27mm gauge will give a darker tone. The old favourites are Pirastro Gold heavy or Jargar Forte, both of which are still reasonably priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 A perennial go-to E string for many years is the cheap-as-dirt Lenzer Goldbrokat in .26mm. Another E string with some current popularity is the anti-whistling spiral Warchal Amber. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Stross Posted October 23, 2021 Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 5 hours ago, Cee said: Also, have you ever noticed a change in tone, specific to the E string, after adjusting the soundpost or fitting a new bridge? Would that help with a E string that sounds a little loud/shrill? Both should make a MASSIVE difference in how the E sounds. And by the way, you need to decide if you need the E to sound good to you or to the public 10-15m away. The two are not quite compatible. 30m away they are not compatible at all. There are numerous, well understood aspects to be discussed here. Unfortunately, you asked a vague question and forgot to introduce yourself. I've no idea if you play violin for 30 years or 30 days and at which level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cee Posted October 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2021 4 hours ago, Carl Stross said: Both should make a MASSIVE difference in how the E sounds. And by the way, you need to decide if you need the E to sound good to you or to the public 10-15m away. The two are not quite compatible. 30m away they are not compatible at all. There are numerous, well understood aspects to be discussed here. Unfortunately, you asked a vague question and forgot to introduce yourself. I've no idea if you play violin for 30 years or 30 days and at which level. Thanks for offering to give tailored advice. I am playing for myself, and the neighbours I guess ;-) I played, as a child, the violin for around 3 years, and the viola for another 3 years. My level was intermediate/advanced I think (I attended conservatoire). After almost 30 years of not playing at all, I decided to restart playing the violin few months ago. I am far from the level I used to play at, but I have no problem with intonation or basic bowing. This means I can focus on tone as well as improving my technique. I am trying to make my violin sound as good as possible, however my budget is limited. I am currently using a set of pirastro tonica strings, but I know it is not unusual to fit an E string of a different type/brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiaroscuro_violins Posted October 24, 2021 Report Share Posted October 24, 2021 / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violadamore Posted October 24, 2021 Report Share Posted October 24, 2021 5 hours ago, Cee said: Thanks for offering to give tailored advice. I am playing for myself, and the neighbours I guess ;-) I played, as a child, the violin for around 3 years, and the viola for another 3 years. My level was intermediate/advanced I think (I attended conservatoire). After almost 30 years of not playing at all, I decided to restart playing the violin few months ago. I am far from the level I used to play at, but I have no problem with intonation or basic bowing. This means I can focus on tone as well as improving my technique. I am trying to make my violin sound as good as possible, however my budget is limited. I am currently using a set of pirastro tonica strings, but I know it is not unusual to fit an E string of a different type/brand. IMHO, your best choice is to get some of the Lenzers. They are widely available on the Internet, in both .26 and .27, for example: https://www.johnsonstring.com/cgi-bin/music/scripts/violin-viola-cello-music.cgi?itemno=STVNGOB11_1STB&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1q37opTi8wIVFbrICh10kQVoEAQYASABEgKOlvD_BwE https://www.johnsonstring.com/cgi-bin/music/scripts/violin-viola-cello-music.cgi?itemno=STVNGOB11_3STB&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1q37opTi8wIVFbrICh10kQVoEAQYAiABEgJFI_D_BwE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Merkel Posted October 24, 2021 Report Share Posted October 24, 2021 "Goldbrokat strings are made exclusively by hand " Made without tools. Very impressive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cee Posted October 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2021 5 hours ago, chiaroscuro_violins said: The Tonica set is often sold with a Gold Label E at an extremely pleasant price. Is this what you are currently using? No, all strings in my set were tonica (E string included) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Stross Posted October 24, 2021 Report Share Posted October 24, 2021 12 hours ago, Cee said: Thanks for offering to give tailored advice. I am playing for myself, and the neighbours I guess ;-) I played, as a child, the violin for around 3 years, and the viola for another 3 years. My level was intermediate/advanced I think (I attended conservatoire). After almost 30 years of not playing at all, I decided to restart playing the violin few months ago. I am far from the level I used to play at, but I have no problem with intonation or basic bowing. This means I can focus on tone as well as improving my technique. I am trying to make my violin sound as good as possible, however my budget is limited. I am currently using a set of pirastro tonica strings, but I know it is not unusual to fit an E string of a different type/brand. Now, we know something. Provided your violin is of reasonable quality, need not be anything special, you'll get the biggest return by having the soundpost and the bridge perfectly fitted by a REAL EXPERT***. It's a very difficult operation and could eat up the better part of the day. If the violin sat unused for a long time, it may need to be done more than once. Whichever E string you are using, problems of focus, intonation and whistling should vanish. Tonicas are excellent but you may get an improvement by using the plated ( not wound !) E from a Dominant set. That's an excellent string and on a couple of Strads as I now type. You want the E to match the others in 5ths AND as tonal effect as it relates to distance. Some Es sound good next to your ear and some do not run out of breath with distance. I would chose the former unless I have the BPO behind me in Tchaikovsky. I would stick with the Tonicas as they sound right both close and at average distance to the ear and to the microphone. Dominants are fine, too. You want the strings to sound slightly metallic and on the dry side. *** 1. A real expert will fit your sound post and bridge as well as he just did it last week, on a Strad. 2. I said "fitted" and not "adjusted". There is almost never a need to adjust anything - things work just fine in standard position if the fit is DEAD right. Wish you the best ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiaroscuro_violins Posted October 24, 2021 Report Share Posted October 24, 2021 / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cee Posted October 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2021 Thank you to each one of you for your string suggestions. @Carl Stross , thank you for the extra information. My instrument is in the luthier's workshop as I am writing this post :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D27 Posted October 30, 2021 Report Share Posted October 30, 2021 Pirastro Gold Label E (medium) is my favorite E-string. Great sound, warm but but powerful. I think it has the perfect tension, Goldbrokat is lower, then, I dislike the quality of the tube, also the peg protective part is too short. I don't like Tonica, not just the E, but the entire set, it's quite higher tension than Dominant, in most cases decreasing the instrument's response as a trade-off for more volume and a little more bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l33tplaya Posted October 31, 2021 Report Share Posted October 31, 2021 I like the Jargar E strings, and I intensely dislike Dominants, especially their E strings that come with Dominants. The Thomastik PI strings (and the Platinum or Tin E) are another story - I like those... Anyway, Shar has better pricing on the Goldbrokat: https://www.sharmusic.com/Strings/Violin-Stri ngs/Lenzner-Goldbrokat-Violin-E-String.axd IIRC, the most popular E strings that are recommended in many forums are : Goldbrokat, GoldLabel, and Jaragar, not in any particular order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeissica Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 On 10/31/2021 at 4:37 AM, l33tplaya said: I like the Jargar E strings, and I intensely dislike Dominants, especially their E strings that come with Dominants. The Thomastik PI strings (and the Platinum or Tin E) are another story - I like those... My friend who plays on a nice JBV violin had a heck of a time with whistling on the PI E string when we were doing some recording - he ended going back to the Pirastro Evahs, including the Gold E. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Merkel Posted November 2, 2021 Report Share Posted November 2, 2021 Besides the usual suspects, this "tin-plated carbon steel" string Michael recommends is worth a try. It's kind of rare. https://www.johnsonstring.com/cgi-bin/music/scripts/violin-viola-cello-music.cgi?itemno=STVNDOM11_1TNB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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