D'Addario Pro-Arte Viola String Set, Long Scale, Medium Tension

Using these on a cheap Cecilio violin. A violin whose purpose is for being able to leave in the hot car or outdoor gigs or any other rehearsals where logistics don't allow me to carry around my good violin.This is my first experience with the ProArtes, usually stayed around the dominants. But I'm a believer now. Didn't want to spend too much on strings for my 'junk' violin anyway. But I was surprised by the resonance and overall tone and playability of the strings, especially the E string in high positions.-The tone is consistent over all the strings - play a scale, and you can't tell that you changed string.-The strings are surprisingly resonant with each other. This makes playing in tune a lot easier as you can hear it, and feel the resonance in your fingers easier. ( the violin's relative in-tuneness anyway).-I would say they have a warm metallic sound to them.-I am most impressed by the E string which is super clear and super accurate even up in the highest range. Even up in 6th,7th position up there, the tone is as stable as in 1st, and for some reason very easy to stay in tune, even that high.-Compared to dominants, I feel these have a bit more character and depth (if you can bring it out). And for some reason, it feels like the emotional character of my own playing comes through a bit more than from dominants.I would give these strings a try if you already know you have junkier strings, or you're not satisfied with the tone of your current strings (not talking the tone from your instrument). Very good price and playability for intermediate players/instruments. For advanced players, I think you will still notice an all around cheap feeling to the strings, but will be surprised by all the other positive points I noted. I think these have great value considering how reasonably priced they are.

The viola strings we purchased have held up quite well, but as importantly play well. Our son has enjoyed having them on his viola and they have a nice tonal quality.

From an 8 year violist, these strings are the perfect AFFORDABLE option for those who wish to abandon their steel-core strings and upgrade their sound by very little. If you are serious about your instrument and are willing to spend sometimes a quarter or half the price of your INSTRUMENT on excellent string brands like Pirastro, Thomastik, Corelli, or Larson, then this isn't the string set you've been longing for. Now ABOUT these strings: somewhere in the back of the box it will tell you that the strings are warm and rich. I don't exactly agree. I would say these strings don't really have a particular flavor or color of sound, they are simply softer in the texture of their sound and physically on your fingers and your instrument. For a nylon-core set, they are probably the CHEAPEST option but like I said, they beat the heck out of steel-core strings. These strings are particularly good for overly bright and metallic sounding instruments--like student instruments. Steel-core strings, also, are often too hard on your fingers, too hard on your instrument (and can cause damage over time), and too bright. One downside: for elastic nylon-core strings, one often sacrifices the duration of intonation and also risks a slightly muffled, out-of-tune sound, especially if one is playing a stop (two or more strings played together). For that, four stars.

I had a pro-arte set on a 5-string electric-acoustic violin, and used this to make a fully matched 5-string set. The whole violin seemed to sound better. The tensions are matched better. It is a good way to make a 5-string set.

Great tone and great quality. Nice feel too. Nice end threads make stringing easy.

Love this set. Affordable and sound better than steel strings. Sounds better (and are pricier) than preludes. The preludes seemed to shriek a little more and sound harsher. But these aren't harsh, mellow and focused sound.

Not overly stiff or flimsy! They do need a few days to stretch. Overall, they are a very good buy. Definitely will use them again.

Nice tone. Has a fine response.

I bought this short scale viola set for my 15 inch viola because the package indicates it will fit 14 - 15 inch viola. Well the strings are just a bit too short for my 15 inch viola although still use-able with fine tuners installed. Well, A string snapped after a week and half of playing and the winding of D string got loose in a week. The sound of the string is better than expected and certainly better than those strings selling at the same price range. What I like about these string is that it only takes a day to settle. A highly recommended viola strings for an intermediate player. I will certainly give a 5 star rating if not for the issues mentioned and I hope this is only an isolated quality problem.

Enserio recomiendo estas cuerdas, en lo personal me parece que suenan más que las de metal y tiene un brillo cálido, no es un brillo ensordecedor, es realemnte bonito el sonido que sacas, tampoco se sienten arenosas las cuerdas, siendo que en mi experiencia tocando con diferentes cuerdas sintéticas e incluso de metal me daban esa sensación arenosa. Lo único mala que le veo es que tuve que pedirlas dos veces, ya que la primera vez me llegaron cuerdas de violín, y la segunda me llegaron para viola, pero ojo, me regresaron todo el dinero y no tuve problemas, por eso le di una segunda oportunidad y no me arrepiento, súper recomendadas. 👍

The string works well for my use. I tuned my violin to EADG (like a tenor guitar). It does take some playing in but sounds good once it settles in.

Nice sounding and good quality strings. I like these, particularly the lower ones. The A string is a litle styrained in the higher positions but it will improve once played in properly (I haven't had them on long yet). A very worthwhile upgrade over starter strings.

I like these 0-p they seem to have a good, rich sound, particularly on the lower strings. Upper strings are a little muted but this may change as they are broken in.