It can have an effect. Just don’t expect too much. It will be the same fiddle.

Thanks Brian!

Yeah dont expect miracles. A cheese slicer harsh fiddle will not turned into a dark, smokey gun of a fiddle with a sound post adjustment. Doing that and the right strings, and attention to after length and bridge and possible regraduation - now you might get some real, obvious voicing change.

Wrench13 covered it. Strings first after a soundpost adjustment. By itself the adjustment will only do so much. You did not mention above what strings you are using. Dominant strings yield a fairly fat tone. I like the tone of a gold-plated E as well. But each set of ears and style searching for "that tone" will come to their own conclusion. As you fiddle through the years your style and technique will likely change and grow. You may even want something different tonally. Such is fiddling.

Soundpost adjustment is arguably the most direct way to effect seismic changes in a violin’s response and sound character. It can be the difference between playable and unplayable, between harsh and pleasant, and between a crisp response and a dull one. The French for the soundpost is “the soul” for good reason. Adjusting the post is something that has a direct and immediate impact on sound, both under the ear and at a distance, so its significance should not be underestimated.

It’s true that the body of the violin and the bridge and strings set certain limits on what a soundpost can change. A poorly cut bridge can’t be completely atoned for by a competent soundpost fit or adjustment, although some amelioration is possible.

There are arguments over whether placement or fit is the most important aspect of the soundpost. This is a complicated issue because a well-fitted but poorly placed post tends to sound bad and a poorly fitted post in the “right” spot may not sound very good. The problem is that adjustment usually stops when the player reaches satisfaction with the sound. It’s entirely possible that if a soundpost is moved into the best position, the sound can be further improved by cutting a new post that fits better. This is why some luthiers will cut several posts for one violin and put them all in the same position—they’re looking for the one that just seems to make the violin sing the best.

One major caveat, though, is that the adjustment is only as good as the ear of the adjuster. Very few people can adjust fiddles well because so many do not understand both how fiddles work and how to pair that understanding with that of the mechanics of playing the instrument. Because many luthiers aren’t able to hear the difference that a move of 1/4 mm makes to the sound of a violin—something that is much more evident to the player—many players end up concluding that soundpost adjustment is not really that important after having one or more disappointing experiences.

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Originally posted by UsuallyPickin

Wrench13 covered it. Strings first after a soundpost adjustment. By itself the adjustment will only do so much. You did not mention above what strings you are using. Dominant strings yield a fairly fat tone. I like the tone of a gold-plated E as well. But each set of ears and style searching for "that tone" will come to their own conclusion. As you fiddle through the years your style and technique will likely change and grow. You may even want something different tonally. Such is fiddling.

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Richard, changing the strings is something I could certainly experiment with sooner or later! So far I stick to the medium Helicores with titanium A string, because they are cheap, strong  and the sound is very stable with this type of strings on, on both fiddles. You speak of Dominant strings, AI comes up with the following: "For a darker, warmer violin tone, try synthetic core strings like Pirastro Obligato, Pirastro Violino, or Thomastik Infeld Red."

If I look at the Pirastro Obligato strings for example,  I see a significantly higher price range, but maybe worth the extra euros. I seldom break a string and IF I do it's always just a dumb accident. And it's not that I am a professional player who often needs to change strings because of very intense use. I can do a while with just one set if I pay attention...

Quincy - just an old fashioned human here, but Thomastik Dominant strings were the first nylon core violin strings, introduced in the 1960's. Here' s the Thomastik page: thomastik-infeld.com/en/produc.../dominant
I believe much less expensive than Obligato. Synthetic strings are said not to respond well to cross tuning, but I don't really know.

Doug, there must be something wrong with my understanding of the basics regarding strings.

The cross tuning argument speaks for itself though so thanks for the reminder!

Probably pretty soon I'll be a working woman again after the longest interruption in my working life ever and already looking forward to it, then I can also afford the strings switch :-))) 

Anja, what do you suspect is wrong with your understanding of the "basics?" I may know enough to explain the fundamentals.

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Originally posted by DougD

Anja, what do you suspect is wrong with your understanding of the "basics?" I may know enough to explain the fundamentals.

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It's actually the difference between metal core versus synthetic and all of the different types of synthetic materials it confuses me. Is there like a more safe option in the synthetic spectrum for cross tuning as well? I crosstuned before with the non- metal strings that had been on my old fiddle when I bought it  and that went well to my big surprise. Alas, I forgot which type of strings that were on it back then. 

The dutch descriptions of string brands and differenr types are often very confusing also....

David Bragger always preferred his students use all metal Primm Strings because they gave your fiddle considerable pep & drive, and they would easily and safely tune up to Cross A...and then back down again. In any case, we'd get considerable volume & drive when we played with them. You could almost compete with the banjos.

Eventually, though, I decided I just liked the tone I'd get from the synthetics a whole lot more.

Synthetic core strings can be retuned. Steel strings are a bit tougher because they are either solid steel or a weave of steel filaments at their core, but that does not mean that they are the only strings able to handle retuning.

Keep in mind that steel strings are a relatively new development in the scope of violin history. For centuries before their existence, violin players used pure gut or wound gut strings and they retuned them for various purposes. Biber was writing music that required retunings much more extreme than any used in Old Time back in the late 17th century. The players whose fiddling inspired Old Time were all playing on gut. When you find a case that’s a century old or more, you’re more likely to find gut strings in its pocket than steel.

It should also be kept in mind that steel strings are much higher in tension and they exacerbate issues like bridge warpage, projection issues, and arching deformation. There’s a trade off: in exchange for slightly better pitch stability and possibly longer playing life, you take on higher risk of damage to the instrument. That isn’t to say steel strings should never be used, but every player should know the risks of using them and maintain their violin accordingly.

About Obligation strings: they are the best you can get for the viola C, G, and D, but the violin set is not similar. The violin strings are sweet and colorful, but they do not project well at all. If you’re doing very small chamber ensemble playing in small venues they can be useful, but otherwise, they always end up underpowered. And despite their being a warmer sounding string, they’re actually higher tension than Dominants (according to violinstringreview.com). Of the sets you listed, Quincy , only Dominants are in popular use by players. Obligato violin strings show up on a violin once in a blue moon. The Infeld Red and Blue sets are still in production but they were essentially a flop for Thomastik. I’ve yet to see a violin strung with Violinos.

String choice has the biggest impact of any change a player can make without altering the setup of a violin. That being said, soundpost adjustment has an even bigger impact when done well and it often goes hand in hand with a string change for optimal tonal results.

I really need to talk to my luthier sooner or later is the conclusion I draw here. I'll mention the Thomastik Dominants - if possible in combination with soundpost adjustment. Might have to hint him on cross tuning and my own very brief summary so far of the essence of starting off cross tuned. But I have faith he can handle this like the very versatile professional he is. 

After some trial and error with strings/sound, I settled on Dominants.

And Rich, I have a violino E on! I went back and forth between Pirastro Gold E and Violino E, but to my surprise I preferred the sound of the Violino E personally. I have not tried the other Violinos in the packet yet.

Also…I complained about how my E was overbalancing the lower strings … he adjusted my soundpost a bit, and it really did change things. My whole violin got ‘mellower’ and the E is not “sticking out” as much any more.

He himself (luthier) said he likes a bright punchy loud sound more, but I like a dark soft mellow rounded sound. Different Players just have a different “voice” and style in mind, I guess.

I’ve always been a synthetic string player and my experience with cross-tuning has been pretty bad. After retuning, it takes a while for the strings to “settle” so you keep going out of tune for awhile….several tunes, maybe…!

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Originally posted by NCnotes

And Rich, I have a violino E on! I went back and forth between Pirastro Gold E and Violino E, but to my surprise I preferred the sound of the Violino E personally. I have not tried the other Violinos in the packet yet.

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Are you aware that the Violino E is just a Gold Label with silk color to match the Violino set? 

No, - wow, who knew??!!
Maybe it was the age/newness of the string, then - because I definitely heard a difference!
Went back and forth twice, and I was like, yea, I like the Violino more. :-D