Which Violin String Brand is right for you?

Posted by Richard Bodinnar on 18th Aug 2015

Violin String Review - Thomastik OR Pirastro?


Here it is, the blog I have planned on doing for quite some time; the review of the more popular string brands in our shop. 

Today I will be comparing back-to-back several Thomastik and Pirastro string sets and I will comment on each of their pros and cons. 

So without further ado let’s get to it. First I have reviewed the Pirastro Tonica strings and it is important to note that these are the strings I use on most of the violins in my shop, unless I find that they require something more specific. This is because they are well balanced when it comes to brightness, neither too bight, nor too mellow. They also have a good amount of ring, which I quite like about them and they are soft so they are much easier on your fingers than average strings. 

Next up are Pirastro Piranito strings. These are known for they durability and lengthy life, so they are very popular with music schools. Another reason for their popularity is the fact that they are rather cheap, but without sacrificing too much on the quality of the sound. Compared to the Tonica strings, these strings are a bit slower on the response on the G string and have slightly less ring to them. The A string is actually thinner than usual so it may cut your fingers a bit more. 

The Pirastro Evah Pirazzi strings are a perfect choice for soloists thanks to their incredible ring, projection and response. They have a strong, slightly painful sound for the first week or so, but once you work them down, they become warmer and mellower. What I found with the Evah Pirazzi GOLD strings is that they are somewhere in between Obligato and Evah Pirazzi strings when it comes to brightness of the sound. 

They are quicker to respond then both the Evah Pirazzi and the Obligato strings and they have little bit less tension to them so they do not cut your fingers as much. 

On the other end of the scale compared to Evah Pirazzi strings we have the Obligato strings. They are much warmer and mellower compared to the Tonica Pirastro and only become more so after continuous use. What I don’t particularly like about these strings is that they have quite a slow response which can make the Gold E string sound weird at times. 

The Pirastro Violino strings are known as the strings which change their sound the most out of the entire Pirastro line. Like the Obligato they are mellow but have quicker response, but over time they become so mellow that at times they will almost appear muffled. They are perfect if you have a really bright sounding violin as they will balance the sound out over time. 

The last set from the Pirastro range that I will review are the Pirastro Oliv strings. Now, these were the priciest strings in my shop for quite some time. What separates them from the rest is that they have a gut core on the top three strings. When it comes to sound they are quite rich and beautiful sounding, but with less ring than, let’s say Tonica Pirastro strings. Since they are gut core, they are a bit harder to keep tuned and will require more tuning over time. They can sometimes put off the beginner players since they can be slow to respond and can create distortion in sound if you are not used to them. 

On to the Thomastic line of strings. First up are Thomastic’s Infeld Red, which like most Thomastic strings have a chart on the back that tells you their properties. These strings are quite warm and rich, but also very bright. They are particularly warm on the bottom and have a distinct ring to them and while most strings like these don’t have much focus in them, these are quite vibrant, which is why they are one of my favorite strings. The Infeld Blue strings like the Infeld Red have a chart on the back of the pack that says they are “brilliant and focused”, an opposite of what Infeld Red should be, but when I tried them out I couldn’t tell the difference at first, which I found strange.They appear very slightly brighter than Infeld Reds and maybe a bit more piercing. 

When I first tried out the Vision Titanum Solo strings on a different violin I thought they sounded really bad. The sound was metallic and just not right at all. But, after I put it on the Struna Maestro I use for this review their sound has suddenly improved tenfold. They sound strong and bright, but not to harsh or hard on your ears. 

The first time I got my hands on a Thomastik Vision strings, well string actually, was in a pack of Thomastik Dominant strings. There was a spare E string in every pack so I decided to try it out, since a lot of people use Dominant for the bottom three strings and another brand for the E string due to some inconsistencies in the sound of the Dominant’s E string. The Vision strings don’t have that and have a very nice, pure and consistent sound. They are also brighter than the Tonica and the Dominant and have a pronounced ringing sound. What makes them special is that they change quite a lot over time, sounding much mellower. 

So, I have students asking for a new set of strings after a few months and the teachers and parents are okay with it, since they sound so good in the first few months that it is worth replacing them so often. Last up are Thomastik Dominant strings, probably the oldest existing strings I know. I actually used to have them on most of the violins in the shop instead of Tonica strings. They are much the same as the Tonica strings, but have a little bit more brightness and strength in them and tend to retain that brightness over longer periods of time. There is a specific, slightly weird response on the E string if you are not used to them. And there it is, a string set for everyone. 

Whether you need a mellow, warm sound or bright and powerful one, now you will be able to choose the right strings for your violin at any time.