Does it matter which brand of viola string I use? Yes! Choosing good viola strings can improve the sound of your instrument. You may want to experiment with different brands to decide which sound you like best on your viola because the same brand of string can produce varied results on different violas. There are three main categories of viola strings: Synthetic Core, Steel Core, and Gut Core. Want to learn more about the differences between these types of strings? Click here. For directions on how to change strings, visit our Changing Strings page.
What are viola strings made out of? Viola strings are made out of three main materials: Synthetic, Steel and Gut. Although viola strings once were made solely of gut (from sheep intestines), all-gut strings are rarely used today (they're expensive and rapidly go out-of-tune). Differences between various types of strings are briefly described below.
Synthetic Core These strings are designed to replicate the rich sound of gut strings, and feature a warm, bright tone without requiring the frequent tuning of gut-core strings. Synthetic-core viola strings use a core made out of a durable synthetic product such as Perlon, Kevlar or other composites, and are wrapped with metals such as aluminum or silver. Brands such as Thomastik’s Dominant strings were the first synthetic string made, and still enjoy wide popularity. View Synthetic strings.
Steel Core Steel-core viola strings are often described as having a bright, loud and direct sound, and many fiddlers and jazz musicians prefer steel strings. These strings are thinner in diameter than synthetic-core or gut-core strings, and are wound with various metals such as nickel, silver, titanium or steel. Steel-core strings remain in tune better than other strings because the steel core isn’t impacted by humidity and temperature the way gut-core or synthetic-core strings are. For this reason, steel strings are often used for young violists (brands such as Super-Sensitive Red Label are popular inexpensive options).View Steel strings.
Gut strings Gut violin strings have a rich, warm sound and come in either plain, unwound gut (often used for Baroque instruments), or as a gut-core string wound with metals such as aluminum or silver. Gut-core strings are not as durable as steel or synthetic-core strings, and since they’re more sensitive to humidity and temperature changes, they often require more frequent tuning than other brands of strings. View Gut Core strings.
The viola strings listed on this page feature some of the most popular brands (additional brands are available). Strings may be purchased in sets containing all 4 strings or as individual strings, and most of the strings listed are for 4/4 full-size instruments. If you're a beginner and your viola did not come with fine tuners on every string, you may want to consider adding a tailpiece with fine tuners to assist in tuning.
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