About 15 years ago - according to memory - before the market exploded with choices, Tonica and Dominant cost the same, that is not much. Dominants were the big sellers by far of any strings, but many thought Tonicas were equal or better. Then in a big marketing coup, Dominants doubled in price overnight. For the same string - not new and improved. Soon others followed the lead - to make more money and so not to be thought of as having half the quality of the now super-expensive Dominants. For some reason, Pirastro chose not to play the game with Tonicas, but to let them be the big bargain in their line-up. To this day, half the string reviewers poo-poo Tonicas (because of their relatively cheap price) and half the reviewers give them the credit due, for being the equal to Dominants in tonal quality, yet still less expensive. I think they're slightly brighter and better than Dominants, but one thing is sure - their E string doesn't have to be replaced like the Dominants. You get 4 strings for your money, not 3.
for me, Dominant sound really good when I put them on, but they seem to sound a little less lively pretty soon after. Maybe I just like the sound of them before they break in? Either way, it seems like I really like them a lot for a while then pretty quickly they are just meh. On the other hand, Tonicas seem to me more clean initially and less bright and have more of a reliable tone and sound through their lifetime. I have a few instruments that I use Tonicas on because they sound good on them and I am never disappointed when I pick them up later.
I have GDA Tonica and E gold label on all my violins. I love that setup. I would also say they are under rated. They project well, easy to play and warm and sweet sound.
I've had this on my violin as well as my older son's for a few months now and the sound is great and the strings haven't started to unravel. Let's see how long these will last.
Wow, those sound nice. From the moment you started playing my ears pricked up like my dog's when I call to her, LOL. I'm really impressed. I admit to being one of many violinists who turn up their noses at these strings. I usually use Infelds Pi, but they are so expensive! I'm on a budget. After listening to you, I'm going to give the Tonicas a try. Thanks so much!
I recently found your videos and think they're great! I especially like the frequency analysis and comparisons. I would really like to see a video that gives side by side frequency comparisons for all the strings you've reviewed with short clips of the sound that goes with each. Even better if you can put one string in the left channel and the other in the right channel, then run a bracket tournament for champion. I've watched other videos comparing strings or setting up violins and wonder your opinion on where I should go next. I'm thinking Tonica or Vision, but want a string that lasts a little longer than Vision (if that is possible). I switched from Vision to Dominant and hate the Dominant. I moved my bridge back a hair and it really opened up the sound of the Dominant, but still not happy with the E string. (Thinking about getting a sound post tool and moving the post a little closer to the foot to maybe soften E and power G?) Would like to hear your thoughts and experience on all these strings based on life of string, sound with changes to violin setup, and how different rosins effect the tone.
The bright (colorful) sound comes from very high overtones (see ua-cam.com/video/b5Wd-S4ha9Q/v-deo.html for demo). The 2nd harmonic is just distortion really, a kind of hardness in the sound. (I do not care for Dominants) Look at overtones 9, 10, 11, etc. The Tonicas are stronger there. The "sparkle" is a combination of bright and the irregular noise or "scratching" sound of rosin over strings. Since it is not regular, this scratching sound does not really show up on an overtone chart, which measures only repeating sound. Thus the overtone chart of the Evah Pirazzi's doesn't look that much different from either of these, but the green's have a distinctive sparkle. It is not a harmonic sound.
I don't agree with this comparison to Dominants, I've played Dominants a lot, Tonicas are quite brighter, focused. They're also much higher tension and thinner.
Hi Marina! It depends on your instrument and taste. Please give our amazing customer service team a call, if you feel like it. 954-530-5999. They are full of knowledge :)
People have different opinions regarding to Tonica and dominant. Can anyone pls? Explain to me which one is better? Dominant or Tonica? Which one is direct/louder? Which one is more colorful? Bc i don't understand his comparison... Heheheh anyone?
I currently have dominants I feel like the tonicas are definitely louder and much more clear the dominants have a good d and a string but the the E string is really weird sounding and the g string is pretty warm sounding.
Because a and e strings need replacing much more often than d and g strings why not have string makers provide extra as and e's. One needs to buy a whole set to get an a or e. Strings used to be sold singly. You had a tube in yr case to house the string without winding it. The good old days!
Thanks for watching! That's a great question, but that all varies from player to player. Universally. E-strings tend to go quicker, but A-strings all depend on brand and the player usage.
Those small E-string "bridge protector" plastic tubes seriously suck sloughwater, and really cut into the effectiveness and protection of the E-strings they accompany.... Therefore, do yourself a favour: NEVER use them. Discard immediately, or even sooner (i.e., before actually inserting a new string). Instead, get thee to a competent luthier forthwith and have him / her place a parchment cover around the E-string groove to both protect the bridge better (since E-strings have a habit of cutting into the aforementioned plastic tubes anyway), yet not affect the string sound in any way. Trust me, you will thank me later.^^
Addendum: it may have been better if above i had phrased the statement "parchment insert", rather than "parchment cover". The original declarations of the message remain valid, however...
@@colinwrubleski7627 If you are getting anything else done on the violin they usually throw in the parchment pad for free - I just took it in once with a cardboard pad under the e and they put a pad on it...
@@Fiddlershop ok then it will be Tonica 👍🏾 Because I started playing violin but i still have the standard string on it, which might be not that good i think
Found this video while trying to research what the heck happened to my Tonicas. I put them on about a month ago and I practiced so much that I think I killed them. How?? I've never had any strings fail or go false that fast. It is the middle of summer, in very humid North Carolina. Could be the weather?
You can use almost any string with a piezoelectric pickup (maybe not gut?) Only MIDI capable pickups require steel core strings. But you should be fine with Tonicas
About 15 years ago - according to memory - before the market exploded with choices, Tonica and Dominant cost the same, that is not much. Dominants were the big sellers by far of any strings, but many thought Tonicas were equal or better. Then in a big marketing coup, Dominants doubled in price overnight. For the same string - not new and improved. Soon others followed the lead - to make more money and so not to be thought of as having half the quality of the now super-expensive Dominants. For some reason, Pirastro chose not to play the game with Tonicas, but to let them be the big bargain in their line-up. To this day, half the string reviewers poo-poo Tonicas (because of their relatively cheap price) and half the reviewers give them the credit due, for being the equal to Dominants in tonal quality, yet still less expensive. I think they're slightly brighter and better than Dominants, but one thing is sure - their E string doesn't have to be replaced like the Dominants. You get 4 strings for your money, not 3.
Thank you! Your comment was really helpful.
for me, Dominant sound really good when I put them on, but they seem to sound a little less lively pretty soon after. Maybe I just like the sound of them before they break in? Either way, it seems like I really like them a lot for a while then pretty quickly they are just meh.
On the other hand, Tonicas seem to me more clean initially and less bright and have more of a reliable tone and sound through their lifetime. I have a few instruments that I use Tonicas on because they sound good on them and I am never disappointed when I pick them up later.
Thanks, very valuable info, I had no idea!
They're brighter, fuller and more focused than Dominants. But also quite higher tension, so it depends on the violin.
I have GDA Tonica and E gold label on all my violins. I love that setup. I would also say they are under rated. They project well, easy to play and warm and sweet sound.
Those frequency graphs are a genius idea :)
I've had this on my violin as well as my older son's for a few months now and the sound is great and the strings haven't started to unravel. Let's see how long these will last.
Wow, those sound nice. From the moment you started playing my ears pricked up like my dog's when I call to her, LOL. I'm really impressed. I admit to being one of many violinists who turn up their noses at these strings. I usually use Infelds Pi, but they are so expensive! I'm on a budget. After listening to you, I'm going to give the Tonicas a try. Thanks so much!
Sounds amazing
Thanks, Jennifer! :)
I recently found your videos and think they're great! I especially like the frequency analysis and comparisons. I would really like to see a video that gives side by side frequency comparisons for all the strings you've reviewed with short clips of the sound that goes with each. Even better if you can put one string in the left channel and the other in the right channel, then run a bracket tournament for champion.
I've watched other videos comparing strings or setting up violins and wonder your opinion on where I should go next. I'm thinking Tonica or Vision, but want a string that lasts a little longer than Vision (if that is possible). I switched from Vision to Dominant and hate the Dominant. I moved my bridge back a hair and it really opened up the sound of the Dominant, but still not happy with the E string. (Thinking about getting a sound post tool and moving the post a little closer to the foot to maybe soften E and power G?)
Would like to hear your thoughts and experience on all these strings based on life of string, sound with changes to violin setup, and how different rosins effect the tone.
The bright (colorful) sound comes from very high overtones (see ua-cam.com/video/b5Wd-S4ha9Q/v-deo.html for demo). The 2nd harmonic is just distortion really, a kind of hardness in the sound. (I do not care for Dominants) Look at overtones 9, 10, 11, etc. The Tonicas are stronger there. The "sparkle" is a combination of bright and the irregular noise or "scratching" sound of rosin over strings. Since it is not regular, this scratching sound does not really show up on an overtone chart, which measures only repeating sound. Thus the overtone chart of the Evah Pirazzi's doesn't look that much different from either of these, but the green's have a distinctive sparkle. It is not a harmonic sound.
It would be nice to see more videos like this. Was hoping there was one for the Chromcor set
I'll add it to the queue! Thanks Chris!
I don't agree with this comparison to Dominants, I've played Dominants a lot, Tonicas are quite brighter, focused. They're also much higher tension and thinner.
Thanks for watching!
What are the best viola strings?
Hi Marina! It depends on your instrument and taste. Please give our amazing customer service team a call, if you feel like it. 954-530-5999. They are full of knowledge :)
Which one is better, Thomastik spirit, prazision or pirastro tonica?
Both are good options. Which one is better depends on the needs of your specific instrument :)
@@Fiddlershop It sounds low depending on the string I'm using. Thank you so much for your answer
People have different opinions regarding to Tonica and dominant. Can anyone pls? Explain to me which one is better? Dominant or Tonica? Which one is direct/louder? Which one is more colorful? Bc i don't understand his comparison... Heheheh anyone?
I currently have dominants I feel like the tonicas are definitely louder and much more clear the dominants have a good d and a string but the the E string is really weird sounding and the g string is pretty warm sounding.
Compare this to Ascente by D'Addario? Which one is Better?
Ascente or Tonica?
Ascente sounds so cheesy bro ;c
@@antonyoacua4221 i dont understand you ahhahah
Have you found the answer to this by any chance ? I'm switching to the tonicas from the assenté.
Because a and e strings need replacing much more often than d and g strings why not have string makers provide extra as and e's. One needs to buy a whole set to get an a or e. Strings used to be sold singly. You had a tube in yr case to house the string without winding it. The good old days!
Thanks for watching! That's a great question, but that all varies from player to player. Universally. E-strings tend to go quicker, but A-strings all depend on brand and the player usage.
Which is warmer, tonica or d'addario pro arte?
Usually pro arte, but it's kinda dull
Does the E string have this little cover (I'm not sure what its name in English, I mean this little pipe on the string) above the bridge?
Yes
Those small E-string "bridge protector" plastic tubes seriously suck sloughwater, and really cut into the effectiveness and protection of the E-strings they accompany....
Therefore, do yourself a favour: NEVER use them. Discard immediately, or even sooner (i.e., before actually inserting a new string). Instead, get thee to a competent luthier forthwith and have him / her place a parchment cover around the E-string groove to both protect the bridge better (since E-strings have a habit of cutting into the aforementioned plastic tubes anyway), yet not affect the string sound in any way.
Trust me, you will thank me later.^^
Addendum: it may have been better if above i had phrased the statement "parchment insert", rather than "parchment cover". The original declarations of the message remain valid, however...
@@colinwrubleski7627 If you are getting anything else done on the violin they usually throw in the parchment pad for free - I just took it in once with a cardboard pad under the e and they put a pad on it...
@@colinwrubleski7627 Not true, the plastic tube doesn't affect the sound. Or does in such a tiny way that you cant notice.
Does anyone know how I can get that spetrogram on Waveform like how Michael has it here?
I'm using Adobe Audition to make that happen :-)
You need to turn down or turn off the theme music when you begin talking.
Thanks for watching!
Is this one or the Daddario prelude better?
I like Tonica, a little more
@@Fiddlershop ok then it will be Tonica 👍🏾 Because I started playing violin but i still have the standard string on it, which might be not that good i think
Quero um violino alemão
Hi Valter! Please check these out: fiddlershop.com/pages/search-results?q=holstein%20german
These are our Holstein instruments made in Germany.
Found this video while trying to research what the heck happened to my Tonicas. I put them on about a month ago and I practiced so much that I think I killed them. How?? I've never had any strings fail or go false that fast. It is the middle of summer, in very humid North Carolina. Could be the weather?
possibly they were a counterfeit?
Maybe its the corrosion or you play a lot or possibly the nylon core is less durable?...
How long does your string last? (Tonica pirastro)
Definitely its for humidity.useful life of tonica and all synthetic strings in humidity is about 300 hours playing.
They go false quick, that's one of the reasons why they're so cheap. Or did really you think you could pay half the price for a great string?
Can I use this tonica strings on my piezoelectric violin bridge? Or should I use steel strings? Thanks
You can use almost any string with a piezoelectric pickup (maybe not gut?) Only MIDI capable pickups require steel core strings. But you should be fine with Tonicas
@@Fiddlershop thanks for replying yes I like tonica strings. I will do it
if kfc had a new formula nobody would buy it
Lololololol
The sound is terrible in this video. Cant ear you on my laptop.
Keep in mind that laptop speakers and phone speakers aren't the ideal way to listen to the nuanced differences in violin strings.