String longevity

Edited: December 25, 2025, 11:24 AM · What I learned from the old thread was that nylon-core strings tend to last longer than the newer “composite” formulas with the notable exception of the Vision series. I believe I read somewhere else that Rondos are a sort of Vision “hybrid,” so their relative longevity makes sense in that light.

Probably the longest-lived E strings are the stainless steel types. Examples of which I’m aware are the Prim Lisa and the Warchal Amber E.

December 25, 2025, 11:41 AM · I’ll probably change all of my one year old strings out soon, even though they look and feel okay. They might do the same thing the D did.

December 25, 2025, 11:41 AM · I use Visions on my viola, and I would still never mess with my luthier's 120-hour rule for changing strings for the reason and my experience stated in my post in the earlier thread.

December 25, 2025, 12:52 PM · A big part of what makes strings go dead, besides the gradual loss of elasticity, is sweat and dirt entering the structure of the string. When I'm done with my basses, I pull the silver winding off and add it to my silver ball, which has been growing since 2019. One day I'll melt it down and use it to make mountings for a bow or something. Anyways, when I pull off that top winding layer, the steel wire underneath is often thoroughly rusted out all through first to third position, and the core has gone orange from moisture carrying that dirt and rust deeper into the string. Honestly it's a wonder how new a string can look on the outside, while being absolutely nasty inside.

December 25, 2025, 1:15 PM · Cotton, aside from cost, I don’t understand why stainless steel isn’t used all the time for string cores. The elastic behaviors of carbon and stainless steel are virtually identical.

December 25, 2025, 2:02 PM · Different steels sound different. Buy a bunch of E strings of different compositions and you'll hear how different pieces of wire can be, even without oddities like Warchal's helical twist.

Edited: December 25, 2025, 5:00 PM · There are certain stainless alloys used in string making. I can only play chromium steel wound trebles, because aluminum has historically turned to dust the moment I touch it. It presents problems for string makers, though. Steel is much heavier than aluminum, so the windings must be very thin. It also forms a weaker chemical bond with rosin, which in effect makes the string feel less responsive. I'm not an expert in this field but if you made friends with someone working at a string manufacturer, I'm sure they'd have hours of amazing things to talk about. Maybe Mr. Warchal will drop in and feel inclined to share some nuggets.