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Before ordering my Cecilio CVN 300, I noticed on the company's product description page that the outfit came with D'Addario Prelude strings. A video review for this outfit I watched on YouTube also pointed this out, and stated that they are good strings that would not need to be immediately replaced as is commonplace for new student-quality violins. "Lovely" I thought.
Well, upon receiving my violin, I noticed that the strings were in fact not D'Addario Preludes. They were Cecilio branded strings. Looking back at the Amazon page I had used to order this outfit, I noticed that this particular outfit did not come with D'Addario Preludes. Poop.
So here is what I'm wondering: is the quality of strings on student violins generally poor enough to warrant being changed? Are D'Addario Preludes a good option? What do you guys suggest?
My thanks to all you helpful people on this forum c:
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Hia RiceMonster -
My cheap EV came with strings like cheese-wire. I replaced them with a set of the very strings you mention, the D'Addario Prelude. The Prelude "E" string was about the weight of the original "A" - i.e. a lot heavier. The unstoppable "whistling" on the original E disappeared. I'm very happy with these on the EV - I don't think you will go wrong with them on any instrument...
Bill
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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Id be amazed if that came with preludes, my experience with Cecilio strings was of a MUCH cheaper string. Preludes are a decent student string and Ive used them. When I was a beginner I liked them because #1 they were inexpensive #2 they held their tune #3 they lasted a LONG time #4 they were quick to respond to the bow stroke.
But now as an advancing player I cant stand steel strings any more. There is no warmth or real color to them. They are very rigid. Some pro fiddlers use steel core, but for me its perlon.
the short version : Yes Preludes are a good student choice, you have plenty of time to lose your mind and your money on strings,chin rests, tail pieces, more violins, etc
There is no shame in playing twinkle, youre playing Mozart
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RiceMonster said
So here is what I'm wondering: is the quality of strings on student violins generally poor enough to warrant being changed? Are D'Addario Preludes a good option?
Yes to both questions. That is exactly the change I made: Cecilio to Preludes. The only thing I regret is waiting six months to do it. Soon after I installed the Preludes, I began to notice resonance between strings, for example, the D string ringing when playing D on the G string, or the G string ringing when playing G on the D string. Such resonance is kind of a big deal, because one can use it as an aid to intonation. Search for "tonalization" on youtube for details.
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Yes sir. Preludes (like all D'adario strings) are going to be decent strings. The strings that you have now are good enough to hold the bridge in place, but that's about it. I would recommend that you order new strings at once, and use the time while you wait for them to arrive watching videos on how to change violin strings. The most important thing of all is, don't remove/replace more than one at a time.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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I'd better disclaim being an expert on strings on student violins generally. But a rule of thumb would be that if you are new to any violin, and you can't hear the resonance I mentioned, you probably should put on some known-good strings. You can keep the take-offs as spares that will keep you playing in case of a mishap until you can get a good replacement.
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Cecilio is supposedly only using Prelude strings up to the CVN700 which come with Red Label stings.
So the CVN-100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 should actually come with Prelude strings. They used to use cheap Chinese strings which leads me to believe that Amazon has had these instruments laying around for a while, unless Cecilio changed back but did not inform us.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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