Pirastro TON412021 Tonica Violin Strings, Set, 4/4

I regularly use Thomastik Dominant strings(in total used for around 5-6 years) and Pirastro Tonicas(in total used for around 1 year). Here's just my personal opinion of the two: Dominant: Generally a little bit more expensive (at over £30 a set) Slightly richer tone (compared to tonica) and gives a more consistent sound Less durable (slightly) Tonica: Generally cheaper (£23 for this set) Lovely tone (in my opinion a little bit sharper/metallic than dominant strings, i.e not as rich) Some slight inconsistencies in sound produced (I will describe later)* Appears to be much more durable than dominants. *When I first tried Tonica strings I found that they took quite a while longer to settle in compared to the time dominant strings usually take. And prior to settling in, you will find that strings will occasionally produce a random screeched sound (this appeared to happen mostly on the D string, maybe it was slightly faulty). Of course the more you use the strings, the quicker they settle in and will become much more consistent in tone. Overall, I personally (slightly) prefer dominant strings (so does my violin teacher), however, at this price, I could almost buy two sets of tonics for the price of one set of dominants!

These strings give a clearer, warmer sound when fitted to a Stentor Student II violin in place of those supplied with the instrument. Because of their construction, you can expect these strings to stretch, lowering the tuned note by a semi-tone or even a tone a day, for a week, needing re-tuning daily, but the sustained improvement in the sound is worth waiting for this 'settling in' period to complete.

These are decent and durable strings that are affordable. Makes a good sound. Recommend them.

Not as good as Dominant

These are good, though not top quality but have a better tone than really cheap ones. They seem to be lasting well after four months so are value for money. I am only an amateur and still a novice and these do the job for me.

Heard about these from a luthier since they are far cheaper than Dominants. These are now the only strings I buy and reocmmend since they are good value, hard wearing and my violins agree with them very well - no nasty squeaks on the E string that I experienced with Dominants. Sound great recorded and performed, never had one break - highly recommended!

Great strings for my violin. I have a Stentor Student 2 violin and adding these strings have made it sound like a totally different (and much more expensive) instrument! Great for improving the sound of cheaper or student standard violins.

I have used these strings on both my fiddles and I was pleased with the results. Nice tone and easy play, and not as expensive as some.