Pirastro Passione Violin String Set - Medium Gauge - Ball End E

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I appreciate the intense tone and color you can only get with gut strings, but since I am often asked to play in unusual settings (cool foggy weather, in the warm sunshine, on the beach with ocean breezes and traditional indoor settings), I have had challenges keeping gut strings in tune.
Based on the great reviews for the Pirastro Passione strings , I thought I'd give them a try. I am quite disappointed. The tone sounds tinny and harsh - like a plain metal string.
I can't wait to replace these with a set of gut strings!
I expected a better string at this price point.

These strings sound so much better than synthetic. There is no substitute for gut, and these break in quickly and are much more stable than plain gut or "Baroque style" gut strings. I highly recommend. My viola friends all wish they made a gut viola version. Why don't they?

Each violin will respond differently to each kind and quality of string. There is NO one-size fits all. However, if you want the rich sonorities, warmth, and response of a gut string, this should be your choice. I have tried them all: Evah green, Evah gold, Dominant, Pirastro gold label, Obligato, and others. Of the synthetic strings, my violin "likes" the Evah green best and sounds fantastic. The Evah green does not compare, however, to the Passione. Gut strings - of any kind - take some time to stretch and break in. I put the entire set on at once - adjusted the tuning (without playing for the first day) every hour for about 4 hours, and then again the following morning. When I played that second day, the strings were pretty much stretched in and held their pitch just fine. Also, if you travel a lot or move in and out of varying temperatures and humidities, no gut string will hold its pitch well. On my violin, which is a very, very high quality one, the sound and playability is top shelf. Highly recommended for those who want the qualitative sound of gut with richness and depth of sound and responsive touch.

I have a German violin from 2001 that has been settling in very nicely--but something was missing. It tended to be very quiet and high-tension strings like Evahs choked the sound. Obligatos were a lot better, but I will never use them again after taking a risk with these new Passiones. They opened up my violin immediately--I even had two friends that were familiar with my instrument give it a try with the new strings and they both replied "Dude...what did you do!? This is so much better." The Passiones play smoother than water and pick up a lot more detail (esp vibrato), and respond well to different bowings.
If your instrument seems quiet or gets choked out by high tension, or if you are looking into gut-strings, give these a try.