Great post. Was surprised at how big the difference was. My personal favourite was Larsen but felt the dominant pro balanced better on your viola so was glad you mentioned that was what your other strings were. The cheap string sounded cheap even on your lovely viola! I’m currently on Eva gold for violin and viola and find them very responsive, balanced across the range and very reliable. Larsen was my previous go to string but a bit harder work. I do like a string with longevity in sound quality and Larsen and Eva gold are great for that. I’m probably unusual as a professional performer expecting strings to still sound good after 4 years (10 years in the case of my Larsen’s!!!) I don’t get sweaty hands which I think really helps string life but I spent a lot of my youth trying various strings that either broke or sounded dead after only a few months.
This is exactly the kind of comparison I needed. YOU are exemplary, as always, but this give us a great comparison of string sounds amongst different piece types. Who knew I prefer Larsens?! Now I have to try one. THANK YOU!
So many great string options available. I just put on a fresh set of Larsen Virtuosos with an Original A medium. They are really beautiful sounding and easy playing. Full, open, clear, powerful, resonant and very responsive. I also like the strong A for the added projection.
I had been playing Tonica strings primarily since my viola journey started in June 2020--and not replacing them in a timely manner, either. (As much out of ignorance as anything else.) Then, on September 20, less than a month ago, I tried my first set of premium strings--the Dominant Pros. Oh my goodness! My student viola--crafted in a workshop in China and purchased second-hand--sounds more incredible than I know what to do with myself. It's hard to put it down these days.😅 After 100 hours of playing, the G string has started fraying just the tiniest bit--but still sounds great. I'm tempted to try other strings (such as Kaplan Amo or Pro Arte) but it's going to be hard to pry myself away from these Dominant Pros! "This will be our response to violence: to play music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." #TheeGeorgeFloydViola 🎻
But don’t strings react differently on different instruments? Would they “feel” different on each instrument? I’m guessing that what feels best on your viola might not feel the best on my viola….
Yes .... And.... No.... They do text differently on different instruments... But.. You CAN feel the quality of the string and the overall sound and strengths of each string!
I like the Larsen and Dominant Pro equally, but I think the Larsen just has the edge for me. Even the Alphoyue was ok for a budget string. I have just bought a set of Alphoyue strings on behalf of an intermediate standard pupil. I have never liked Jargar strings but I believe a number of ‘cellists choose them. I like Pirastro strings best and have Obligato on my violin, but they are very expensive for viola. I find Tonicas are the best budget string and far superior to Dominants, which I really don’t like much so I was interested to see just how good the Pros are - very good. I also think that different strings are better on the violin than on the viola.
Thanks! Interesting to find this post at the moment I’m looking for new strings. I was wondering how to compare the Rondo Thomastik string to the 4 in the video. I remember you talked about the Rondo before. And what about the often used Heliocore? How to compare this to the chosen set?
Hi.. I really do not care for the helicore strings.. To me... They do not provide the resistance I enjoy from a string.. The rondo is also a good choice! Most of the time.. I like to use a complete set and am always happy with the rondo strings
Thanks for your reply. In the meanwhile i have made a real journey. Have tried a lot of strings on my viola. And…. The best sound is the helicore set with a Larsen A string. Totally different too regarding preferences of my viola collegues. Interesting to learn the differences depending the viola and the importance to try by yourself
The Jargar superior A is only good for violas with an A string that is too loud and harsh. It can hide these faults to some extend. A fantastic sounding A and D string is included in the Dynamo set.
I was set yp with dominants and a jargar a as a youngster and i took it as gospel. But i feel what you feel. Bumpy and thin and didnt match the tone of the others. I tried evahs and loved them but as they settled in they developed a wolf. My viola might just prefer dominants even though people like to gear shame and act like ive got red labels on.
My experience with Dominant pro is that they go dead after a month. You can get a nice sound after a month but they lose the nice balance sound they provide from the get. Also the projection is not so great after 6 weeks. So 10 to 12 sets of strings per year on a viola seems like a crazy idea. So it’s a no for me. Dynamo were also a very big disappointment.
Excellent comparison and excellent playing. Thank you for doing multiple songs on each string. Loved listening to you play on all of them.
Thank you for your kind and inciteful comment… new video coming about Obbligato strings!
Great post. Was surprised at how big the difference was. My personal favourite was Larsen but felt the dominant pro balanced better on your viola so was glad you mentioned that was what your other strings were. The cheap string sounded cheap even on your lovely viola!
I’m currently on Eva gold for violin and viola and find them very responsive, balanced across the range and very reliable. Larsen was my previous go to string but a bit harder work. I do like a string with longevity in sound quality and Larsen and Eva gold are great for that. I’m probably unusual as a professional performer expecting strings to still sound good after 4 years (10 years in the case of my Larsen’s!!!) I don’t get sweaty hands which I think really helps string life but I spent a lot of my youth trying various strings that either broke or sounded dead after only a few months.
This is exactly the kind of comparison I needed. YOU are exemplary, as always, but this give us a great comparison of string sounds amongst different piece types. Who knew I prefer Larsens?! Now I have to try one. THANK YOU!
Thank YOU! Let me know how it goes with Larsen!!
I do also love the sound of dominant pro. I also play viola. Greetings from the Philippines.
Thank you! The dominant pro seems to work very well indeed!!
So many great string options available. I just put on a fresh set of Larsen Virtuosos with an Original A medium. They are really beautiful sounding and easy playing. Full, open, clear, powerful, resonant and very responsive. I also like the strong A for the added projection.
It's awesome to have great choices!!
I had been playing Tonica strings primarily since my viola journey started in June 2020--and not replacing them in a timely manner, either. (As much out of ignorance as anything else.) Then, on September 20, less than a month ago, I tried my first set of premium strings--the Dominant Pros. Oh my goodness! My student viola--crafted in a workshop in China and purchased second-hand--sounds more incredible than I know what to do with myself. It's hard to put it down these days.😅 After 100 hours of playing, the G string has started fraying just the tiniest bit--but still sounds great. I'm tempted to try other strings (such as Kaplan Amo or Pro Arte) but it's going to be hard to pry myself away from these Dominant Pros!
"This will be our response to violence: to play music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before." #TheeGeorgeFloydViola 🎻
I very like dominant pro! It's a big and sweet sound! Thank you. Can you make a video whit D and G strings?
Will you present a comparison of competing D strings for your next video?
What is the closest brand of viola strings to plain gut for the A string?
Dominant pro was realy clear and softer than the others 👍👍
Thank you! I have the dominant pro on right now and really like it!
I bought the alphayue strings and found them to have a very dark sound, so I bought Spirocore and they worked really well
Sounds good!!!
But don’t strings react differently on different instruments? Would they “feel” different on each instrument? I’m guessing that what feels best on your viola might not feel the best on my viola….
Yes .... And.... No.... They do text differently on different instruments... But.. You CAN feel the quality of the string and the overall sound and strengths of each string!
I like the Larsen and Dominant Pro equally, but I think the Larsen just has the edge for me. Even the Alphoyue was ok for a budget string. I have just bought a set of Alphoyue strings on behalf of an intermediate standard pupil. I have never liked Jargar strings but I believe a number of ‘cellists choose them. I like Pirastro strings best and have Obligato on my violin, but they are very expensive for viola. I find Tonicas are the best budget string and far superior to Dominants, which I really don’t like much so I was interested to see just how good the Pros are - very good. I also think that different strings are better on the violin than on the viola.
Thanks for your info
Thanks! Interesting to find this post at the moment I’m looking for new strings. I was wondering how to compare the Rondo Thomastik string to the 4 in the video. I remember you talked about the Rondo before. And what about the often used Heliocore? How to compare this to the chosen set?
Hi.. I really do not care for the helicore strings.. To me... They do not provide the resistance I enjoy from a string.. The rondo is also a good choice! Most of the time.. I like to use a complete set and am always happy with the rondo strings
Thanks for your reply. In the meanwhile i have made a real journey. Have tried a lot of strings on my viola. And…. The best sound is the helicore set with a Larsen A string. Totally different too regarding preferences of my viola collegues. Interesting to learn the differences depending the viola and the importance to try by yourself
Excellent playing! Thank you for making this comparison video. Your viola has such color! Who made it?
My viola is made my Anthony Lane... I talk about the viola on my setup videos!
❤❤❤ thanks ❤❤❤
The Jargar superior A is only good for violas with an A string that is too loud and harsh. It can hide these faults to some extend. A fantastic sounding A and D string is included in the Dynamo set.
How long did it take for the Dom Pro strings to settle in? Just wondering bc I just put a set on my violin.
A very short time !!! Play them very aggressively for a while... They reach their potential in a few days!!
Very helpful, thank you!
Muito Obrigado pelo trabalho
The Jargar A sounds as rough as it feels.
What is your chin rest
It is a Frisch and Denig chin rest. Very awesome!
I just made a new video about the chin rest I use! Please check it out and drop a comment!
Dominant Pro is the way to go!
I was set yp with dominants and a jargar a as a youngster and i took it as gospel. But i feel what you feel. Bumpy and thin and didnt match the tone of the others. I tried evahs and loved them but as they settled in they developed a wolf. My viola might just prefer dominants even though people like to gear shame and act like ive got red labels on.
Try dominant pro
This video is Grade AAAA quality.
Hahaha
Super film ! :)
Thank you.. Glad you liked it! Blessings
My experience with Dominant pro is that they go dead after a month. You can get a nice sound after a month but they lose the nice balance sound they provide from the get. Also the projection is not so great after 6 weeks. So 10 to 12 sets of strings per year on a viola seems like a crazy idea. So it’s a no for me. Dynamo were also a very big disappointment.
The Dominant Pro wins!
Lots of people like the dominant pro!!
Definitely Larsen for A string! Thanks for sharing!
Yes... The Larsen is good!!
Gostei das Cordas LARSEN, me parece mais expressivas com Brilhos moderado não Metálico.