Fiddlerman said:

Super Sensitive will probably last you 3-500 hours or around 6 months. They could last longer depending on what kind of demand you have on the sound and intonation. They could also last much less time depending on your finger sweat acidity, climate indoors or outdoors, how aggressively you play, etc.

To see if you had Dominants on your violin check out this chart.

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Gauges affect bridge pressure, power and volume. Is you violin powerful or does it need a boost? Is it too strong and metallic sounding? Is it nice the way it is now?
Most players automatically get normal. 

I just purchased and installed a new set of Dominant mediums. I was noticing the different colors at the ball end and peg end. I thought to myself, "It has to mean something" and I was going to ask, but now I know. These strings are very nice, very mellow and warm. My old G and D sounded like a piece of chain being bowed with a chain saw! It is also much…MUCH easier to tune, very tiny turns of the peg bring almost no change.  Also bought a new bow. A fiberglass bow, a bit heavier than the bow that came with the violin, the violin seems to be a bit easier to play. That said, I spent more on strings and a bow than I did for the violin!

Dave

I really like it, don't know if it is my pride telling me I made a good purchase or if it truly is better…lol. It feels more precise, very positive. I went over my budget and skipped the dark rosin, next week. The strings are great, although the D is very weak in the 4th finger. The G is very powerful in the 4th finger. Maybe my next D will be a heavier gauge. Still having fun torturing my dogs! I have a boxer and I she gives me the funniest looks when I screw up!

The bow is a Neo-Tech, black fiberglass. I came really close to getting a carbon fiber bow. Thank goodness for high prices!

Dave

They sound great! I really like the way the A sounds, so much less metallic. But as I work my way down (up?) the finger board, the D string kind of "dies" gets weak. The G is very strong when I do the same fingerings. Fourth finger on G is stronger than first finger on D. As in "Over The Rainbow". The open D sounds fine. The D sounds better than it used to, it just does not mesh well with the G. They both used to be very weak and "muddy". I don't have the language or jargon, but you know what I mean.

BTW good job on the Trout fishing. Lots of fun on light tackle in a stream!

Dave

It's best when wading, early morning, birds singing, the sound of the water rippling, the big trout hitting flies on the surface. Drifting a fly into the perfect shady pool...Then BANG! Fish on! Then later, pan fried trout fillets with real butter and lemon!

As far as my string problem goes, I am sure a lot of it is technique, or lack there of! I will do a recording tomorrow after work. I do know my sound post is crooked and too far forward and too close to the center. When I changed my strings I reset the bridge about 1/4 inch back to line it up better with the notches on the f holes. Also leaned it back a bit more, it was almost vertical. "Over The Rainbow" sounds pretty good, (to me) til I go from first finger on A to fingered A on D. Sounds like someone squashing a duck...lol I have been playing open A then rolling to second finger on G to third on D. I love the way the opening of the song sounds. Thanks again for posting it. I have also been working on "The Star Spangled Banner" That one is not coming along nearly as well.

Gonna read a few more posts, make some inane comments and go to bed, up at 4:20am.

Dave

Rodney is a favorite of mine! And George Carlin. Classics! We had a guy at work who did not make it through the Apprenticeship. He took a position doing Hydro-Excavation for pole holes. High pressure water and vacuum. When he would come through the bull room, I would say in a loud voice, "The world needs ditch diggers too, Danny". Did I mention his name was Dan? Good times!

Dave

I had some time during lunch, so I stopped by the violin shop. The owner's name is Andrey Lobko. He seems to have quite a lot of experience with violins. His shop has been in this location for 5 years, not an easy feat in this economy. He did have a shop in Minn/St. Paul. He has loyal customers from that area who ship him instruments for repair and adjustments. He took my violin in the back, as he was leaving the room I asked if I could watch. He said that would be fine. The original soundpost was a very light wood. It was not cut flush on either end. It was scored all the way around and then snapped off. Andrey took a fine toothed saw and cut the old sound post to show me the growth rings, there were about 4 with a lot of space between. He then cut a new soundpost and showed me the end, there were 8 or 10, much denser with the same diameter. He also took some measurements of the neck, where the neck meets the body to the bridge, and the bridge to the tail piece. He began to reposition the bridge and noticed one of the feet was not making good contact with the body. A little sanding and it was replaced. He then removed the tail piece and shortened the loop over the button as the tailpiece was a few millimeters too close to the bridge. He also inspected the fingerboard for any ridges or grooves or valleys that could interfere with fingering. The end result is: It sounds a bit better, but I guess that is as good as it is going to get. He charged me $35 and I did not mind paying it. He treated my $100 dollar piece of crap with respect and was not a snob, and allowed me into his shop to watch him work. Kinda cool!

Dave

I knew I should have gotten the purple one. Purple, the color of royalty!

Dave

Fiddlerman said:

Very reasonable for all he did. Good job. Congratulations on finding this guy. Have fun playing on your improved $135 JEWEL.

Welcome back by the way, how is the weather in FL. We hit 99 today 107 heat index. Yeah, bring the heat!

Dave