Hi, I've just replaced some Helicore strings onto my viola....they sounded wonderful!!
Very expensive though... So does anyone think they are any good??

Never tried them myself, but I think different instruments respond best with different strings. So what might work well on my instrument might not work on yours and vice versa.

It's a case of trying different strings and seeing which your instrument responds best with. (Sorry the pedants out there will pull me up for ending sentence on a preposition!). I'm sure they are fine and if you are happy with the sound they make on your instrument then that's great. Stick with them if you have found a good combination.

However as the comparsion, I was told that Dominant Strings for Viola is so as good as Helicore.

Hmmm but can be quite expensive keep trying different strings. (Why don't you stick with the Helicores until you need to change them and then try the Dominants for a comparison?)

After all Lawrence Dutton of the Emersons uses Helicores so that must be good recommendation

I took the dominants off my viola and replaced them with Helicores - the instrument was quite dark sounding already and the dominants made it too muffled and dark - the helicores (as metal strings) gave it the needed brightness to balance it out. I don't think I would change them.

I also have a helicore string on my cello - I use a combination of Jargar, Larsen and Helicore. Perfect!

If you have found strings that you like stick with them, as it is expensive to try out different strings.


I don't like Dominants on my viola, the Dominant C string is very thick and unresponsive, and I just didn't like the sound of the A string. The D and G strings were just about tolerable. In general they made my viola sound muffled. So I wouldn't recommend that you try them, but different strings suit different instruments.

There was another thread about viola strings fairly recently, if you are interested, but I'm not sure how to put in a link to it.

Actually, the idea of using mainly Helicore strings comes from a pofessional Principle Violist, a friend of mine in the HK Siffonetta. He recommended using Helicore for the CG and D and Larsen for the A....it turns out to be quite good sound on my viola....despite that it's a cheap viola...of which the strings are even more expensive than the viola....

Helicores are cheaper than dominants, aren't they?

They're loud and bright and won't suit every instrument.

Liz

Slightly, I think. I quite like the helicore sound on the viola - it's quite a strong, projecting sound which is what my instrument needed. They're also probably the most popular viola string in France (after the doubly expensive Larsen strings).

hi Helicore are nice I'm a cellist and have helicore on the bottom two strings Larsen on the top two. as you say they are very expensive (I recently had to replace my c string which was between £40-50! ) but worth it

Yeah I like Hellicore strings too. A bit pricey though.

Yes unfortunately all viola strings are pricey....

I have dominants too and I know what PV means about the C string being thick and unresponsive. Are they all like this or does anyone have recommendations for a slightly more responsive one?

No they are not all like this. I found the dominants to be a special case. Apart from being unresponsive, with the C string being the most sluggish, they used to leave unsightly black lines and blisters on my finger tips. I do usually play for a few hours a day though ( not all practice, I hasten to add).

I now have Evah Pirazzi C G D strings and a Larsen A on my viola, which make it sound lovely, are much more responsive, and are easier on the fingers. With these strings I just don't have to put so much effort into getting a good sound out of my viola. Having more responsive strings makes a big difference to how tired I get after, for example, a 3 hour afternoon rehearsal followed by an evening concert (particularly if the programme is quite physical, like Beethoven). The Evahs are high tension strings though, so may not suit some violas.

I used to use gut strings which I liked a lot, but they didn't last very long, and didn't stay in tune very well.

I have heard other viola players also like the Pirastro Oligato and Tonica strings as well, so they might be worth trying.

Bear in mind the good old Pirastro offer (albeit unpublicised) to send you a set of strings free if you tell them why you think they will improve the sound of your instrument.

Allan

Thanks PV, I saw some gut Corelli Crystal ones going brand new on ebay for quite cheap, would they be any good? If not, I'll look into getting some of the others ones you mention. I can always keep my current ones as spares.


Ooh yes, I'd forgotten about that!

I think Corelli Crystal strings are synthetic core but they do also make gut strings. I have never tried them and don't know anyone who uses them so I can't comment. If you can find some gut strings that don't cost a lot then they are definately worth trying.

I really like Pirastro strings, but they did send me a free set of strings to try that would have cost me more than £50 to buy, so I might be just a little bit biased! They seem to care about what customers think about their strings and they seem to be responsive to what their customers want.

If you are interested in trying a set of Pirastro strings just email them and ask for a trial set of the particular type of string that you want, explaining what you don't like about the ones you are using at the moment.