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Question: Should I get a Thomsatik or pirastro string for my violin!?
The cost of my violin is $120Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Thomastik is good!.Pirastro is expensiveWww@QuestionHome@Com

Wow!.!.!.I have sold theses strings when I worked in a music store foor 10 years!.
I would never have thought to see this question here on those strings!. Both are awesome string BUTTTT, pirastro are better and longer lasting!.
Thomastik are good and honestly, I would put those over pirastro unless you have money to waste!.

I overlooked the price of the violin and that is why I suggested pirastro!. It will not make your violin sound any better!. But, on an expensive violin, pirastro would make the difference!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Thomastik strings are nice!.!.!.I use the dominant strings, although, I prefer the Pirastro Evah Pirazzi strings on my performance violin because they have a warm, yet powerful tone!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You mentioned that your violin cost $120, and your profile name is "the pianist" so I'm making an assumption that you don't perform very frequently on the violin yet (if this assumption is incorrect, please forgive me)!. From the top, I'd recommend the Thomastik Dominant strings, and I'll explain why below!.

Each brand (Thomastik and Pirastro) has their own kind of gradient for strings!. I'm going to generalize and rank strings which I'm aware of using my own opinions and empirical experience with the strings I'm familiar with, but please realize that this is a very subjective topic!. also, it depends on how the strings may feel to you as you play the instrument!. Depending on the gauge, a solid steel string can be harder to press down or have a rash sound to it which you may or may not want!. Finally, you can mix and match sets of strings (just make sure they are of similar tensions!), but I would recommend that you first get an idea of what each set of strings sound like as a whole before mixing an matching!. A more comprehensive list of strings can be found here: http://www!.violinist!.com/wiki/violin-str!.!.!.

Thomastik:

Based on the price of your instrument, in the Thomastik brand, I would recommend the Thomastik Dominants as they are relatively less expensive for a set, and from my experience, Thomastik Dominant strings are pretty reliable and durable (they sound good for a long time)!. A set of these can be purchased for about $40!.

If you're a bit more experienced and want to pick particular strings from the Thomastik brand to balance or emphasize your instrument's sound producing characteristics (make the lower strings warmer, sound less dull), the Infeld Red or Blue label strings are designed for a softer (red label) or brighter (blue) sound!. The Red Infelds are listed at around $53, while the blue are around $47!.

On the higher end of the Thomastik strings are the Vision and Vision Titanium strings!. They are made of a special synthetic perlon core and are marketed toward "advanced violinists", musicians who perform as soloists or in ensemble settings!. I honestly don't remember what the difference is between Vision and Vision Titanium strings!. They can be found at around $40 as well!. If you're feeling adventurous, you could try a set of these out as well!.

Pirastro:

If you don't mind playing on all-steel strings, Pirastro makes the Chromacor violin strings!. In my experience, these had a tendency to ring with a brighter sound than the Thomastik dominants!. These sell as a set for about $37

However, I would say that a more even match to the Thomastik dominant strings would be the Pirastro Tonica strings, as these are made with a synthetic perlon core, much like the Dominants are!. These are listed at about $41 through Shar Music!.

The top of the line pirastro strings such as the Evah Pirazzi or Gold Label are typically very expensive, a full set of Evah Pirazzis can cost $65 or more and the Gold Label is around $80 for a set (made with gold as it resonates well!.!.!. some professional flutists have their flutes made of solid gold too, so this isn't an unusual thing)!. but I do use Evah Pirazzis when I want to use a vibrant and powerful responsive string!. Be warned though, as the Evah Pirazzi string loses its "vibrant and powerful" powers quickly--within a couple of weeks, and then sounds like Thomastik dominants, but with a less vivid residual ring!. I've only used the Gold Label E string, but its sounding life lasts much longer (their e string is simply a shiny piece of wire made of gold)!.

Again, in my opinion, I'd recommend the Thomastik Dominants!.

Happy Violining and good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com