jamesl - Posted - 09/17/2007:  19:46:29

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I can buy 10 sets of Huayin strings for about 50 bucks,the E string is carbon steel and the others have a synthetic core and are nickel alloy wound,has anyone tried these strings.I know that you get what you pay for and i dont expect these to be good quality strings but what i was thinking is that being just a beginner is it worth it to pay for expensive strings when i'd more than likely make even the best quality strings sound like i'm chokin a cat.

play it, don't fiddle with it.

MaryFiddles - Posted - 09/17/2007:  21:34:27

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Hi James - just wondered why you want to buy ten sets of strings at one time anyway? You won't be needing to change strings all that often. As for being a beginner - I think it is we beginners who need (and deserve) the best quality and best sounding strings we can afford. Don't make it hard on yourself - take your violin into your violin shop and tell them you want new strings and follow their advice.
Best of luck to you - and try to enjoy the whole process - I don't think there are any secrets - what works for you and what makes you feel good about playing is what counts in the long run.

-Mary

OTJunky - Posted - 09/17/2007:  21:50:41

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I mostly agree with everything MaryFiddles said.

The only thing I'd add is that there is a choice to be made between synthetic core strings and steel strings - and that choice depends a lot on what kind of fiddling you plan to do.

Here in the U.S. most Old Time fiddlers think they need steel strings. And if you plan to do any cross-tuning I can personally vouch for the fact that steel strings stand up to this a lot better than the synthetic core strings. In fact, I used to use Dominants (Perlon core) and broke quite a few of them when cross-tuning. I've yet to break a steel string doing this.

Seems like a lot of OT fiddlers here in the U.S. use Prims. These are not expensive and seem to work well for them.

Of course, this only applies to U.S. Old Time fiddling and might not apply to whatever style you're planning to play.

So I agree that there's not much point in buying cheap strings since you can go for a year or two without needing new ones.

There are other Australian fiddlers on the FHO so you might just want to email some of'em and ask what strings they're using - since a "violin shop" won't have much idea what strings you need - unless they're knowledgeable about the peculiarties of fiddle styles. But that would be an unusual violin shop.

-OTJ
"I can barely fiddle on four strings. Why would I want five?"

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Edited by - OTJunky on 09/17/2007 21:51:37

mike jarboe - Posted - 09/18/2007:  11:27:41

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i'll pile on for Prims. I play old-time, and I went back and forth for years and years between other strings. After playing Prims, I don't have any desire to play anything else.

Truly cheap strings are not worth the money. It's a true case of getting what you pay for, and you certainly don't need 10 sets of strings. Instead of paying $50 for 10 sets of crappy strings, buy two sets of decent ones.

Bill Healy - Posted - 09/18/2007:  18:08:28

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I bought some cheap strings ($6/set, but a major brand's bluegrass strings) and when I put them on my fiddle sounded terrible. I put my regular strings back on and it sounded fine again. Sometimes a bargain isn't a bargain.

Bill

jamesl - Posted - 09/18/2007:  18:15:44

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Thanks for the advice,i wont be buyin any cheap crap i'll wait till i can afford to buy some decent strings.

play it, don't fiddle with it.

devilsbox - Posted - 09/18/2007:  19:32:09

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quote:

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Originally posted by mike jarboe

Instead of paying $50 for 10 sets of crappy strings, buy two sets of decent ones.

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Amen.

For me Prims are it!

****************************************

Old Time Key Of C Fiddle Tunes

http://slippery-hill.com/c/

Ozfiddler - Posted - 09/19/2007:  03:21:46

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Hi there Jim,
Welcome to the world of fiddle tragics!
Got to agree with all the other guys here, get good strings. you wont want to play with cheapies, get put off by poor sound.
I get most of my strings from the U.S. http://www.elderly.com/.
Cheaper than here in Oz,
Try the good old yellow pages in the whatever city you are in. Plenty music shops around. You can get almost anything you want in most capital cities and larger country towns.
I use Thomastic Dominants and D'Addario Helicores, these give a good balance of nice tone as well as playability and power. The helicores being the brightest.
If you are in or near Adelaide check us out here http://www.liddyinstruments.com/sabluegrassjam
All welcome!
Good luck,


Ozfiddler

Ks_5-picker - Posted - 09/19/2007:  19:22:57

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How about bass strings,I'm gonna get the Labella Upright Bass Strings - Rope Core / Black Nylon Tape.They are $120 at First quality.Anybody know of a cheaper price anywhere? Thanks.......

Rod

Here's a you tube video of my family band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcTpraamClA

woodwiz - Posted - 09/19/2007:  19:38:43

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ks_5-picker

How about bass strings,I'm gonna get the Labella Upright Bass Strings - Rope Core / Black Nylon Tape.They are $120 at First quality.Anybody know of a cheaper price anywhere? Thanks.......

Rod

Here's a you tube video of my family band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcTpraamClA

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I don't know about LaBella, but we make and sell a LOT of basses, and the most popular brand with us for your application is Helicore Pizzicato. Southwest Strings sells them for around $97, which is a lot better than we can do right now. (We're currently negotiating better prices so we can compete on line, but it will take a while.)

Michael R

Every Fiddler has a Dream
www.kcstrings.com

Michael Keith - Posted - 09/19/2007:  21:51:46

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Where can you get a good set of strings. I don't have a violin shop here.

OTJunky - Posted - 09/19/2007:  22:03:05

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You can order'em from either www.southweststrings.com or www.sharmusic.com.

Probably there are lots of other places as well.

A set of Prims cost about $21.00 and a lot of FHO members seem to like them a lot - assuming you want steel strings.

There are others that like the more expensive strings like Helicores or Piastro ChromaCors.

-OTJ
"I can barely fiddle on four strings. Why would I want five?"

Bazz - Posted - 09/20/2007:  12:47:25

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Its worth buying decent strings, I agree with other folk on here. If your a beginner & probably have a budget instrument, it will sound its best with good strings. Rope or steel core?, depends on the sound your after. I like Dominant's & superflexible,(both Thomastic products).

practice them scales,
they will help with your playin',
you know what Im sayin'.

Bazz

M-D - Posted - 09/20/2007:  13:53:08

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There's also www.gostrings.com and www.quinnviolins.com Both have great prices, both ship quickly. Chris Quinn is quicker to answer e-mail queries, though otherwise I've never had anything but good service from either one.

_________________________________________________________________

M-D

Music is found in the space between the notes -- in the silence between the chords. Get your spaces right, and you've got it. ~ Albert Greenfield

Midwest_Fiddler - Posted - 09/20/2007:  14:45:16

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I am also in the Prim camp. Good steel strings and don't cost alot.
I have gotten them from Quinn's, Just Strings, SW Strings and other places. All have provided good service.
Chirps

Michael Keith - Posted - 09/20/2007:  19:31:55

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Thank you for the input. Now I heard something mentioned about a wound E string? That one string gives me more trouble with a squeak then I can go into to.

OTJunky - Posted - 09/20/2007:  19:52:09

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Here's the post oldtimer made on the "Air Note on the E-String" thread....

quote:

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oldtimer wrote:
Many fiddles have that problem. This string was designed to be "non-whistling" and it actually works as advertised:

http://www.swstrings.com/Store/Shop...&Group=KS311

stay tooned....
Glenn Godsey

"Time passes unhindered"

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-OTJ
"I can barely fiddle on four strings. Why would I want five?"

Michael Keith - Posted - 09/20/2007:  20:36:53

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Has any one here tried it yet? And dose it work as advertised?

M-D - Posted - 09/20/2007:  22:02:11

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There's also wound strings by Pirastro. They make an aluminum-wound string for their Eudoxa series, and they have a Universal E that is wound with chrome steel. I wear through the aluminum winding farily quickly, so am now using the Universal E.

Every now and again I'll get a squeak . . . but that aint nobody's fault but my own.

Also, consider that some fiddles are just prone to squeak on the E. It has to do with the vibrational cycling of the string. This may, or may not be a set-up issue.

_________________________________________________________________

M-D

Music is found in the space between the notes -- in the silence between the chords. Get your spaces right, and you've got it. ~ Albert Greenfield

woodwiz - Posted - 09/20/2007:  23:40:36

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From experience, I think the sound post fit has a lot more to do with it than many people think. Most folks aren't very good at fitting sound posts, unless they do a lot of them. That's why two or three guys do all our setups, because they get lots of practice and stay good at it. I'll double check with our service guys tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure complaints about squeaks are very rare, and we sell an awful lot of violins, and service even more. And yet complaints about squeaky E strings are pretty common in general. I think the differentiating factor is setup, not the intrinsic character of the instrument..

Just my opinion, but based on observation and experience.

Michael R

Every Fiddler has a Dream
www.kcstrings.com

M-D - Posted - 09/21/2007:  01:31:11

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Yeah, now that I ponder this, I do believe that is correct. I would be interested to hear what your set-up people had to say.

_________________________________________________________________

M-D

Music is found in the space between the notes -- in the silence between the chords. Get your spaces right, and you've got it. ~ Albert Greenfield

woodwiz - Posted - 09/22/2007:  14:57:52

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I talked to our store manager, who writes about 2/3 of our service tickets. He says complaints about squeaky strings are very rare. When they do occur, the causes and cures are generally:

1: Poor bowing technique. If the bow's not square to the strings, it's likely to squeak. Correcting the bowing angle helps a lot.

2. Poor rosin. The $2 rosin that often comes with student instruments can be prone to squeaks, and an upgrade to a good inexpensive rosin like A&B or Hill Dark often cures the problem.

3. Sound post. A poorly fitted sound post can make a violin squeaky on most or all of the strings. Refitting or replacing the sound post can often correct that.

4. Sometimes an E string can squeak during string crossings from the A or D, especially in third position, and seemingly no amount of tweaks can make this go away. Switching to a wound E can usually remedy this, although it can also be overcome with technique. Changing strings is easier.

Those were his thoughts off the top of his head, and sounds about right in my experience. There might be more later.

Michael R

Every Fiddler has a Dream
www.kcstrings.com