G string for dominant set

August 28, 2019, 3:33 AM · thats just silver tarnish, it has no effect on tone whatsoever, you can run a little extra fine steel wool over it and it will disappear

August 28, 2019, 5:00 AM · If your strings tarnish it is a sign that you practice too little. Play some more, and it will rub off on your fingertips.

Edited: August 28, 2019, 6:22 AM · On a different forum there's an assertion by a luthier of silver-wound strings (Pirastro Violinos) requiring dark rosin, making me suppose silver might be slipperier than aluminium. Anyway, I checked my Dominants, and it seems they are aluminium-wound, except for the G string, which is silver. Which raises the question, which rosin (lol)?
I'd just let it tarnish and assume it's coming into line with the aluminium of the rest of the set (i.e. silver oxide is less slippery than silver).
'But what if silver oxide is less slippery than aluminium oxide?' asks the neurotic violinist!

Edited: August 28, 2019, 7:28 AM · The Dominant E is notoriously bad - if you have a Gold E put it on immediately, you will not regret it (its an excellent string)! Else, what are the characteristics of your violin? Is it bright, subdued, dark etc. Usually we get strings that compliment the fiddle - that is tone down brightness etc. However, if that is a part of your music you can also get them to accentuate.

August 28, 2019, 8:31 AM · There's also Warchal Amber. I don't know how mine compares with the other strings tonewise (Steel to non-steel matches can never be absolutely perfect, anyway), but the virtual avoidance of whistling is a massive boon.

August 28, 2019, 11:52 AM · hi @elise, its has a rich, yet responsive tone. Not muddy or muffled. It projects well, has boxwood tailpiece and pegs, its recently professionally setup by a local luthier while he serviced my violin's boo boo( a dent on the top i had for awhile)

my friend who used to play professionally told me to keep the G dominant but swap the E for gold E.

thanks lyndon and Bo, i think you guys are right! the only part on the G string is literally 5th and 6th position on the G string, in that case i'll swap my finger position around and play more in that area.

August 28, 2019, 12:27 PM · Ignore the silver sulfide corrosion layer. Silver more slippery than aluminum or straight chrome steel"? - I doubt that. Ideally, the 4 different strings would prefer slightly different rosins, which is impossible.

August 28, 2019, 12:30 PM · so if i get the silver G, i have to swap to a different rosin? right now i'm using pirastro gold.

Edited: August 28, 2019, 12:43 PM · You already have a silver G, all Dominant Gs are silver, silver D is an option though

Plus Amazon is a bad place to buy strings, too much chance of getting counterfeits, they do nothing to police it.

August 28, 2019, 1:56 PM · thanks lyndon! you just saved me 21 bucks :D

ok so basically i just need to swap to gold e and i'm set. thank you all for all your advice so far.

August 28, 2019, 1:59 PM · yes or gold brokat e

August 28, 2019, 3:40 PM · If you were happy with your Dominant G, I'd expect that a Dominant G would be a superb replacement. :-)

August 28, 2019, 8:04 PM · haha david, yes don't fix it if it ain't broken, i'm actually happy with the dominants, just the E is a lil weak, my pirastro on the other violin has more ring, so i'll swap it for gold e when the dominant e gets more worn out.

August 29, 2019, 9:45 PM · Just an FYI that Fiddlerman strings are supposed to sound like Dominants but at a little over half the price, and without needing to replace the E. Violin String Reviews was surprised how much they sounded like Dominants.

August 29, 2019, 9:50 PM · Violin String reviews funded by Fiddlerman, scrap Fiddlercrap, buy Pirastro Tonica, half the price of Dominant and many people think slightly better, but very similar.

August 30, 2019, 6:20 AM · lyndon i'm so glad to hear you think that bc i actually very much like the tonica, except what i like often get shot down by my tutor and luthier and other violin shop owners lol, everyone keeps telling me how much better dominant is better than tonica.

i think i'm gonna order both dominant and tonica right now at johnson string since they are having a sale for backup.

August 30, 2019, 6:38 AM · I've got Tonicas on one violin and Dominants on the other. My teacher feels that the Dominant G string is weaker than the other three, but I hadn't noticed - I like driving it hard. Dominants are lower tension than Tonicas, I gather. I feel that I can get richer tone from the Dominants , but they are also on a better violin, so I don't know. Probably I am happier with the Tonica E string than with the Dominant one.

August 30, 2019, 11:10 AM · You can't really compare strings on different violins. Dominants tend to have a more complex tone than Tonica, though it's not too much of a difference.

I would recommend trying out other similar strings like the new D'addario Ascente, it claims to be another string similar to Dominant. You can save 20% if you sign up for Shar's email for Labor day.

August 30, 2019, 11:12 AM · I read somewhere that Perlman uses Dominants, so my strings are the least of my problems!

September 10, 2019, 8:41 PM · If you haven't tried them, go for the Alphayues! I put them on one of my kiddos' violin and they're worlds better than Dominants, at half the price! (P.s. how does one pronounce Alphayue? Alpha-you-ee? Alpha-you-ae?)

I also recommend the Ambers. Warchal is my go-to. Pricey, but I love them.

September 10, 2019, 10:51 PM · thanks kristen, is this just for the G string or are you recommending the entire set.

September 11, 2019, 12:15 AM · Gordon, funny that you mention preferring the Tonica E... on Monday night, I noticed at an orchestra rehearsal that my stand partner for the upcoming concert (who is new to the orchestra) plays a viola strung with Dominants except for a Tonica A.

I haven't seen that combination before -- indeed it was the first time I've ever seen a Tonica string in person. But I wonder if there is any appreciable number of people using a Dominant/Tonica combination to avoid the Dominant top string. I suppose there isn't much reason for it on violin given the price of Gold Label or Goldbrokat E strings...?

September 11, 2019, 5:09 AM · I recently switched from Dominants plus Pirastro Gold E to the Fiddlerman set. So far I have been very pleased. I always had a problem with the Dominant G myself, and the Fiddlerman G seems to work better for me. That said, the choice of strings is a such a personal one, like beer or wine tasting, it may take some experimenting to find the best string and rosin combo that work for you. Fiddle on!

September 11, 2019, 2:41 PM · Kirsten, how about "alpha-you-know-what"?

September 11, 2019, 7:08 PM · Oh, I was referring to the whole set! They're fantastic! Lol Bart I usually say "alphawhosits!"

September 12, 2019, 11:15 PM · ok i'm curious how the hell is this Alphayues so cheap, its literally bargain bin price compare to dominant. is there a catch? are they made in china?

September 13, 2019, 12:31 AM · the catch is they're not very good, not as good as dominant or tonica

September 13, 2019, 1:15 AM · ha lyndon, i always enjoy your response.

Edited: September 13, 2019, 9:43 AM · I found that the Alphayues lack a lot of depth and warmth compared to Dominants. They don't handle bow weight as well, preferring speed.

They also didn't seem to have the grittiness that Dominants do, which may be a plus to some.

But I don't think many soloists will be lining up to buy these anytime soon.

September 13, 2019, 7:14 PM · I dunno, I liked them. I use Warchals, but they work really well for my students. I thought they were nice and warm/responsive. My kids aren't bad, either! They use pretty good technique for their age. They're so cheap that they're worth a try, right? I'd take them over Dominants any day of the week.

September 13, 2019, 7:17 PM · Tonicas are the same price

Edited: September 16, 2019, 1:07 AM · ok so my g string start turning black behind the bridge now, is this a indication that maybe i should change them?

Edited: September 16, 2019, 2:40 AM · no, it's just silver tarnish,

September 16, 2019, 3:05 AM · The strings may or may not be ready to replace depending on how long they've been on your violin, and how much you play, but not because of silver tarnish.

September 16, 2019, 6:20 AM · With Dominant set, you can always try combining it with infield red and blue if you find any particular string lacking or unbalanced.

I personally have good result with Dom set with Red G. I use Goldbrokat E, though they tarnish easily but it’s cheap enough that I replace them often.

September 16, 2019, 2:27 PM · lyndon, they been on the violin for a year now, but majority of that time it was sitting in the shop. so i guess the question should be, should one change strings on a violin they just got from the shop?

September 16, 2019, 5:12 PM · should be ok