New, revolutionary E string by WARCHAL, with an spiral...

September 1, 2013 at 05:37 AM · Luis-

Thanks for posting this link, this "E" string should be interesting to try!

Royce

September 1, 2013 at 08:39 AM · I have tried one: amazing sound!

September 1, 2013 at 10:33 AM · I have one on at the moment and I quite like it, it certainly doesn't whistle...

My luthier had a fright when he took it off the other day, once it's been fitted the spiral is stretched out so when taken off again just looks like a wobbly haggered old string! Had to explain it was supposed to be like that

September 1, 2013 at 01:04 PM · What to try one as soon as possible!!!

September 1, 2013 at 03:42 PM · I fitted two of my fiddles with the new string.

Let me join the club of satisfied users.

No (did I say -no-?) whistling at all, no matter how I try.

Great sound, easy playability, perfect in tune.

And no problem with the twisted region where the bow touches.

Next come some complete sets of Warchal strings.

September 2, 2013 at 05:33 AM · nice string, yes I do like it, however I am put off by the price tag on it and to me it is not better than the Goldbrokat E I am used to which is a fifth of the price.

Am I the only one who is 'skint'? :D

September 2, 2013 at 07:34 AM · But the goldbrokat E whistles, no matter how professional the setup on my violins is.

September 2, 2013 at 10:22 AM · I tested the amber E this weekend and would have to agree with Jo. After reading about this string here and elsewhere my expectations were high. Sure it is a fine string but is it really 5 times better than the Goldbrokat? Is it softer under the fingers? Switching between two different instruments - one with the Amber and one with a Goldbrokat - I don't sense a big difference if any. Non-whistling? Perhaps. I will give it a few days more and then put on a new Goldbrokat to get at direct comparison (I had a Cantiga E on the past few weeks). The Cantigas by the way are almost winning me over from being an Oliv/Passione lover. Not quite the overtone picture I love from the gut strings, but I think it is close enough and the stability in changing humidity is definitely a plus. Next question is how long they will last. And how much they will cost.

September 2, 2013 at 10:25 AM · Well, the price/quality relation with strings and instruments is not direct, in order to get a violin that is 20% better than your current one perhaps you will have to pay the double of its price... If the string is darn good I will use it.

Never heard about Cantiga Strings.

September 2, 2013 at 11:40 AM · I'm 'in between' the last few replies. I wasn't THAT impressed with the Amber E except for the no whistling, but the Goldbrokat to me feels quite cheap and nasty, and whistles a lot! I think I'd stick with the Amber for the no whistling but otherwise would get something a little cheaper.

September 2, 2013 at 11:59 AM · Haven't tried the new Amber string but I haven't found a whistling problem with the Goldbrokat on more than one violin. A lot of E's are way overpriced IMO. Before giving up the Goldbrokat, you might want to experiment with a higher or lower gauge than you've been using, and see what happens. The Pirastro #1 tends to particularly not whistle, but also tends to sound kind of dull to me.

September 2, 2013 at 06:07 PM · On the whistling issue (I haven't tried Amber E yet):

I have seen a WONDERFUL performer (one of my favorites) play solo Bach last year at the Kennedy Center and she had her E whistle quite a few times, and this with a non-gold-plated E. The music was wonderful, and the recital quite unforgettable.

My point above is-whistling E's are no big deal, unless it whistles all the time, and I highly doubt that's the case for most of us. I've had heavy Westminster's E whistle for me as much as my Stark Olive E (I like both, BTW, but have a thing for the old-school-compared to more modern E string technologies-Olive E.)The whistling can happen by accident, or it can be caused by the player, in which case it's an easy fix, and is usually related to bowing or finger contact with the open string. My Gold-plated Es never whistle much for me. Thus, I believe that trying to get a non-whistling string is a bit too much-I prefer to get a great-sounding string at a reasonable price (given that I pay way more for an Olive E than for Goldbrokat Es, which are actually nice, I don't mind that much the price unless it gets to Platinum-plated Steel E Thomastik levels-which is quite honestly a ridiculous pricepoint.)

My experience with non-whistling strings has so far been not that nice. There's much compromised just to get that effect (the worst offender, IMHO and IME, has been the Kaplan non-whistling string-no offense to any current users-which I find has a very poor tone.) The steel wound variants can sound good, but I don't think they are totally "whistle-proof" (though they do whistle less.) Still they tend to not be as brilliant, which some players may prefer of course. The much touted non-whistling strings, however...

This is why I am hesitant about Amber Es, because positive reviews claim that it doesn't whistle, but that's not enough a recommendation, nor is it (for me) that they are "soft". If they sound better than, say a Gold Olive, and have the same if not more power, then I would be convinced. :) I don't care that my Gold-plated E "whistles" because a)it sounds great, it's b)easy to play (though some on this thread have had the opposite experience, and that's OK), and c)the whistling is not a problem for me.

However, it is certain that Mr. Warchal is trying to meet the character of his upcoming Amber set, which may explain any tonal differences vs the conventional Es we are all have used throughout the years. Perhaps it matches that set well, but I wonder how it will match other violins with "standard" strings (not that there are any such rigid standards, given the many brands out there nowadays.)

I noticed some on this forum used the Olive E and switched to Amber E for a test. However, they don't describe tonal differences. Anyone would care to comment about Amber Es general tonal characteristics themselves (yes, I know it doesn't whistle, but what else is there to it?)

(And no offense to Mr. Warchal, as I enjoyed using a Brilliant Vintage set a bit more than a year ago. They obviously care about string tone over there, and the price is usually quite right.)

September 8, 2013 at 10:11 AM · My daughter plays an Italian violin, cica 1900. We tried Doms, Vision, and Brilliant strings, with the packaged E, and with an Olive and Goldbrokat E. With all E's, the E strings were harsh and gave a metallic tone to all strings. We kept the Brilliants and tried the new Amber E. The Amber creates a very warm E string, no harshness, very sweet, ringing, depth of tone, with great projection. The Amber increased the depth of tone for all other Brilliant strings: warm and no metallic overtones. The combo of Amber with Brilliants make the violin sound like a completely different violin - producing a very classical violin sound. Warmer, sweeter, but no loss of brightness or power. The overall improvement in sound is amazing. The tactile feel of the Amber E is also much softer (so easier on fingers), which can be said for the Brilliants also. I think Mr Warchal has hit upon a secret, so my thanks and congats to him.

September 22, 2013 at 11:10 PM · I love it too. And it feels very confortable under the fingers. Congrats to WARCHAL STRINGS!

October 1, 2013 at 05:46 PM · Yesterday I ordered a trial Amber set from Warchal. It will arrive in the mail tomorrow. I love my Amber E, but I am inexperienced and therefore won't post a review here. Just thought that others here would like to know that trial sets are available now (at half the normal price).

October 1, 2013 at 07:50 PM · Adalberto, I was impressed enough with your comments that I'll reimburse you for a Warchal and a few others, if you'll follow up with a comparative review.

October 1, 2013 at 08:36 PM · The amber E sounds nice on my violin, but has a terrible response and does whistle quite often. Maybe the other strings from the set will have something else to offer, I will give them a try soon.

October 2, 2013 at 07:19 AM · Jose,

after so much positive (and consistent!) experience with the Warchal E string it's very likely that there's something wrong. It could be a bad violin, a mistake when attaching the string, a bad bow etc.

I recommend giving it another try.

October 3, 2013 at 08:42 AM · Or maybe a bad string Tobias, I will try the other one since I got two of them.

I play on a good and expensive violin, same with my bows. I like trying all the new strings that come out, especially E strings, but never experienced these issues with any other brands, being my favorite the Jargar and the Larsen gold forte which both sound great on my instrument. I am not saying it is a bad string at all, it has a nice warm and clear sound, but for some reason my violin works better with other ones.

October 3, 2013 at 09:56 AM · This is interesting. Keep us informed!

October 3, 2013 at 11:38 AM · Maybe I add one more experience with the Amber-E: I put it on two violins - one contemporary german Mittenwald with a strong resonant tone and an italian sweet singing modern. On both the string indeed does not whistle and sounds and feels for me like Goldbrokat 0.25. A very transparent tone. Not very loud but clear and much overtones. I got feedback from listeners however, that there are " vibrating" overtones zhat some finds harsh and some " well carrying".. just my 2 cents.

October 3, 2013 at 02:33 PM · Well, I just put the other new one I had with exactly the same results, so it wasn´t that particular string. I removed it and put an Evah Pirazzi gold and all problems are gone.

Glad it works well for everyone else.

Cheers

November 14, 2013 at 12:46 PM · Just received my first Amber E this morning. Seems like quite an amazing string. Unlike others I have not bought this for its anti-whistling - thats not a problem I have. I use Passione Solos with the standard silvery-steel E which I found sounds better than the Oliv or Pirazzi gold-steel Es.

The Warchal Amber E has a beautiful rich, more complex sound. It has power to match the Solos and absolutely sings all the way up the fingerboard. It doesnt have the cheese-wire feel of other E strings but instead although feeling very thin and light has a pliable soft feel - which matches my Passione solos very well.

In terms of blend with the Passione Solos - as mentioned above - its a great match - better than Prastro's own strings. Its a beautiful string.

As for cost - its competitive. at £6.96 GBP incl shipping - its pretty much the same price bracket as other Pirastro E strings. Its worth its money.

Initially I was skeptical and bought this string simply because of the enticing claim of its more sonorous sound. But Mr Warchal has delivered. If it stays like this for another 6 months (pending usual changes that occur in strings) Ill be very very happy.

What a find...

November 14, 2013 at 04:21 PM · Have tried the Amber E for a few days now. Matches the Vision titanium Solos well. Warmer than any E string I have tried sofar , a very pleasant sound. But looses a bit of the brilliance and volume higher up the string.

Don't know how it projects but imagine that's ok.

The responsiveness stands out in my opinion, really great. Jose you found the opposite, I'm surprised. What do others think of the responsiveness?

November 14, 2013 at 04:47 PM · I agree with Hendrik & Barry, etc. I've had an Amber E on my violin for about 3 weeks now and find it matches the VT Solos well. It's an excellent string in my view. Warm, strong and remarkably responsive. It only seems to weaken a bit in the very highest notes, starting around g/g# in the 3rd octave for example, but I don't often play in these exalted regions except when testing strings! No whistling in crossings from the A string to open E, a frequent occurrence in Scottish fiddling (which I have been known to commit).