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Hi it's me again with my mind numbing questions. This time it's strings. I bought some Steel Ones which have arrived but although coloured at each end there is no tag on them saying which string is which, i could hazard a guess from thickness but don't want to get it wrong. I was wondering if there was a way to tell the difference apart from thickness, also it's the G String that was broken so should i change them all to be on the safe side. I know to change strings one at a time because of the sound post. As usual any advice greatly appreciated.
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have you checked the manufac website? aside from that this may help.. I havent had too many different brands but all have had each string in a package thats individually labeled
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Thanks @ABitRusty they weren't in a packet just a plastic bag, i already had the first list you posted but the 2nd i will take a good look at. I am sure i can figure out these strings but in the mean time i can try to learn on my Electric one.
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If you can't find the strings on those lists (many steel string brands are not listed), you might also try a Google search for the silk colors of the brand.
Are the four colors black, green, blue, and purple at the tailpiece end, by any chance? There's a very common Chinese brand that often comes mounted on student violins when they ship from the factory, with those colors. If that's what you have, then they should go from G to E in the order I listed above. (But check the thickness in case it's not the same brand.)
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@andrew H The colours of the strings i have are Red, Green, Blue and Black. I haven't had a chance to check the strings for thickness yet, always something else popping up. I will take a proper look either tonight or tomorrow morning.
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LordOdin said
@andrew H The colours of the strings i have are Red, Green, Blue and Black. I haven't had a chance to check the strings for thickness yet, always something else popping up. I will take a proper look either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Not any brand I would know about, then. Your best bet is probably to Google the brand (is it on the package, at least?) and find out what colors the silks are.
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the tulsa violin pdf link from earlier has those colors listed under the daddario section and named them Kaplan golden spiral...
red=G
blue=d
black=a
green=e
never heard of 'em that was just an internet search/paste of link so kinda double check.
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GregW said
the tulsa violin pdf link from earlier has those colors listed under the daddario section and named them Kaplan golden spiral...red=G
blue=d
black=a
green=e
never heard of 'em that was just an internet search/paste of link so kinda double check.
That's probably not the brand we're looking at here. Kaplan Golden Spiral is a gut string, not steel. Also, it was discontinued about 15 years ago.
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I am thinking it is not a popular brand. The strings are not labeled, etc.
A photo of the package they came in, and photos the tailpiece and peg end of all the strings would help.
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AndrewH said
GregW said
the tulsa violin pdf link from earlier has those colors listed under the daddario section and named them Kaplan golden spiral...
red=G
blue=d
black=a
green=e
never heard of 'em that was just an internet search/paste of link so kinda double check.
That's probably not the brand we're looking at here. Kaplan Golden Spiral is a gut string, not steel. Also, it was discontinued about 15 years ago.
i wonder if it carried over to the vivo or amo line? fiddlershop has a listing..
possibly mixing brands? idk..next! @elcbk where yah at..lol
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I've found these for sale on several sites--they don't list a name brand on any of them, but they all use the same words in their description. And they are the colors @LordOdin lists
Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.
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GregW said
i wonder if it carried over to the vivo or amo line? fiddlershop has a listing..possibly mixing brands? idk..next! @elcbk where yah at..lol
https://fiddlershop.com/produc.....e-e-string
I have Kaplan Amo strings on my viola right now. The silk colors are as per the first chart you linked to. D'Addario changed many of their silk colors some time around 2011 or 2012, if I remember correctly. The second chart you posted is an older one that shows the old D'Addario colors.
I notice the Fiddlerman listing for Kaplan Golden Spiral is just for the E string, and I suspect that only the E string is still being produced, because I found references to the set having been discontinued "a while ago" in 2007. Note that E strings are almost always steel even if the rest of the strings are not. All synthetic string brands that I know of, and some gut string brands, have steel E strings.
Sharon's answer is probably the correct one. There are a number of Chinese brands that are not commonly retailed outside China, and are usually seen in the rest of the world when Chinese violins are shipped with those strings installed. I'm not familiar with most of those brands (I've only seen the one I mentioned), and they're not on any of the string identification charts I've seen.
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Thanks for all your help, i decided to buy some more strings that are clearly labelled with Silks named for each string. They were a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for. They should be here in the next couple of days. It will be nice to play the Acoustic instead of the Electric and probably not as loud. I have a Roland 80XL and it's still loud turned down on both instrument and amp. It's magic for Electric Guitar though.
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@ABitRusty -
I didn't want any part of encouraging this.
@LordOdin -
I'm not so sure identifying these strings is helpful.
Can you return them?
You originally said in your introduction, you wanted advice on what to avoid. I think you will NOT be happy with the way these strings feel and sound.
Everyone's been busy with the Holidays, but I sure hope someone from over your way (here on the forum) can recommend decent student grade strings (that won't cost too much) for you to start with - that is why you're here. I would hate for you to get discouraged because some strings make you sound worse than you need to!
@Gordon Shumway ? @Jim Dunleavy ? @peter ? @BillyG ? @stringy ? Need Help here!
And, I'm pretty sure what is recommended to you WILL be labeled.
HANG IN THERE!
- Emily
Btw, if ANYONE here has good cause to recommend these unlabeled strings, I will gladly remove this post and apologize until I'm blue in the face.
Or, anyone feel I'm being out of line here, just let me know - I'll be glad to delete this.
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@LordOdin -
Guess I'm getting too slow in my old age. (lol) I didn't see your post in time.
Glad to see you're on top of the situation!
- Emily
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@ELCBK, The strings that i got weren't from advice i got from here so everyone is safe from your wrath lol. All the advice i have had so far has been great and i really appreciate you guys taking the time. The strings that @SharonC linked i think are the right ones, i know that Black is the G String and Blue is the D String. Looking at them they look pretty much the same but i think that is the strings i have. So going on that assumption Sharon i think has the right strings that i have. What is the size difference between A and E, there can't be a massive difference between the two. Anyway Thanks Again for all your help and advice
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You want to make sure you do put them on right. You might not be able to tell the difference, but the bridge will know, and you don't want that damaged by a string it was not meant to hold being placed on it. Too big, the slot will be enlarged and string depth won't be right. Too small and the string will sit too low, and the E string in the A string slot will probably cut into the slot. Most bridges have a E string protector on it.
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If they are ootp (out of the packet) I'd go by thickness.
Start with the G string, then if you make a mistake, your string will be under-tensioned and no harm will come of it, assuming you realise the error and rectify it (if you carry on, you'll end up with an over-tensioned low-pitch string further along the line).
Andrew
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@Mouse I know about the string protector but these strings don't have one, it's probably a good idea to think of something to use in it's place. I was thinking the sleeve on a piece of wire, i have plenty of wire laying about with me building and repairing PC's as a hobby, well more like work from home kind of thing. Also @Gordon Shumway i had the same idea, Thanks.
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The strings I use are pirastro tonica, you can pick them up for around 22 quid, which sounds expensive compared to guitar and other instrument strings, but is cheap for violin, they are excellent strings and You will notice immediate improvement of tone, they keep their tuning and last a decent time. with violin nothing is really cheap You getwhat you pay for generally. due to the fact you have just started the strings are one thing I wouldnt hold back on, if you cant get a decent sound you will get discouraged and thats not what any of us want as violin is hard enough as it is. You cant go wrong with tonicas, dont worry if you snap strings you can buy single ones, you can also mix strings from other brands together, like thomastiic with pirastros. some people will use gda from one brand then a different e from another for different tone. I and maybe others on here forget that just picking strings can be hard when you dont know what you are doing, because there are so many, when you want to know about shoulder and chin rests, let us know.
as for tuning the violin, when You tune a string untune it very slightly before tightening, and when you tighten it push it in slightly as you turn otherwise it will keep slipping and get very annoying, once tuned it will keep going out of tune for several days but eventually settle down.. getting tuning bang on at first is difficult, I would use an electronic tuner but try to learn how to tune in fifths strraight away as well as this immediately begins to develop your ears.
next question please😱😱😱😁
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