Seeking opinion on strings

Edited: January 14, 2026, 10:39 PM · Hello v.com brain trust,

I’d like to hear your thoughts about what would be a good Pirastro option for what I’m looking for. For years I was playing on regular Eudoxas and I loved their sound and feel. I switched to Tonicas last year for the reduced hassle of the better pitch stability (while playing) of synthetics - admittedly mostly an A string issue. While I am pleased with the tonal quality of the Tonicas, I feel they lack the range of power that the Eudoxas have. They can get louder up to a point and then don’t have any more to give, unlike the Eudoxas which kept giving more and more as I used more bow (to me, power delivery and quality of gut strings come from using more bow vs more weight -it’s more responsive to horizontal factors vs vertical factors if that makes sense). Could anyone suggest a synthetic alternative in the Pirastro line with a tactile feel closer to Eudoxas and Tonicas (lower tension) but which might have a wider power range than Tonicas? I hesitate to try EP/EPG again as when I tried the golds many years ago I didn’t like the stiff/unyielding feel. I did try Perpetual Cadenza when they came out but the sound wasn’t to my liking - very “steely”/artificial sounding under the ear (lack of warmth?).

Thanks and cheers

P.S. I’m open to a hybrid setup, like Eudoxas G+D and synthetic A+E

Replies (1)

Andrew Holland

January 14, 2026, 11:00 PM · Have you tried Passiones? They should have more stability than the Eudoxas and are also available in a variety of gauges.