D'Addario Helicore 4/4 Size Violin String - Plain Steel E String - H311 4/4M - E String Only - Medium Tension

These Helicores are installed on an intermediate Eastman VL305 violin, which is known for their warmer tones. The violin came with Pirastro Tonica strings that sounded really well with the VL305. I still remember the first time my son played on that violin with the stock strings. It really sounded great compared to his old beginner level violin that sounded unnecessarily bright and harsh. Little did we know that you have to replace the strings periodically even if they don't break. His high school teacher probably mentioned that, but we just either forgot or ignored it. After a while, the violin lost it's nice beautiful sound and I thought my son is just regressing a bit. I read some reviews that mentioned that the Helicores tend to be on the brighter side. That was my main concern because I don't want to turn the sound of his violin into a beginner level one. Although, with the older strings, it started to sound like it. Helicores to the rescue. Once installed, his violin started playing like it did when it was new. New strings,, specially the proper ones, restore the natural sound of the violin. They weren't as bright as some reviewers mentioned. If anything, they can project more than the old strings. The E string sounds really good, specially at the higher notes. The rest just has that professional sounding tone to them. We're no pros, but we have very good ears and can easily detect the differences in sound quality. Along with his new carbon fiber Forever bow with synthetic hair from FiddlerMan also bought from Amazon, the sound is definitely better than before, even when the stock strings were new.In short, they were easy to install and tune. Break in is fairly quick. Looks stunning on the violin. Very easy to use/play. Overall functionality is better than expected. Highly recommended.

Good strings. Fast shipping. Easy to install. Good quality.

Highest Quality

So, I've played some great strings and some not so great strings. I've been playing not horribly long, but I have played cecilio strings, some ascente strings, I've borrowed a violin with PI and dominant strings and most recently been playing on oblagato's with a gold e. I do love my oblagato strings, but the e has intonation issues (to my surprise it was the string, I assumed it was my violin's nut causing the issues ) I was told that sometimes bum e strings happen by my instructor.On to the wrapped e - it sounds very much like a gold e oblagato except a little quiter, it plays fairly standardly, the intonation is still off a small bit but not enough to write home about. If you haven't played an oblagato gold e or this e, it is considerably less shrill than a dominant, cecilio or PI platinum e. I would describe it at fairly responsive (not super responsive) and slightly warm, not super rich but rich enough. I personally dislike a very direct sound so this string is really a great fit. Price is very good for the sound it makes, I would put it up against oblagato gold e at as of right now is 3x the price. Heck next string change in a few months I might change over completely to helicore.

I pair this E string with the D'Addario Ascente set for my oldtime/bluegrass fiddling needs. I love the rich sound of a wound E and this string helps cut back on shrillness and whistling.

After using Dominant strings for many years I switched to Helicore about 20 years ago. I play traditional fiddle tunes (Appalachian, Irish, Scandinavian), and the Helicores produce a lovely sound on my dark-toned instrument. They are responsive and less muddy sounding on low notes than Dominants. They typically have a very short break-in time (maybe one day) and require very little retuning, and I find that they last well. However, I have been very unhappy with the last five sets of strings, because the A’s consistently ravel either on the finger board near the 1st-position D or near the bridge. Usually this happens almost immediately after restringing. I now buy an extra A string for every set. A friend who uses Helicores has the same problem with the same string. We have talked to several other players who experience the same problem — always with the A. My friend contacted D’Addario but was sort of dismissed. My most recent set of strings, which I put on two months ago are complete duds — all four. From day one they would not stay in tune. Again, this is rare based on my experience with them. Two months later they still will not stay in tune. Yesterday I was recording and had to stop after every tune we played in order to address the problem. Sometimes the strings lose 1-2 whole tones. Very, very frustrating. I’m going to put on a new set today and will see how they fare. I still love the strings but would appreciate knowing whether others out there are experiencing these issues with quality.

I just changed out my Zyex strings that came with the violin. Too much shrieking with those. I got the set with the aluminum E string. The strings are thinner and play so much better. Bow response is better, warm tonal quality, no shrill E string. Very pleased with this choice, so don't hesitate changing to Helicore.