New strings

Warchal announced the new Amber-E strings.

D'addario launched a new Kaplan Viola string set and a new Helicore Titanium-A to supplement the
set.

A while ago Pirastro introduced the new Evah Pirazzi Gold set.

String gauges for bowed instruments

Many fiddlers talk much about strings. There are bunches of threads on different forums and a lot of questions about which strings sound and feel the best overall.

I have done a lot of experimentation with strings playing both the violin, viola and occasionally the cello and double bass.

One thing, which is often overlooked when talking about strings are gauges.

Strings for a five string violin

The problems when choosing strings for a five string violin is to get good balance from string to string and to get the same kind of response all over the instrument.

There are special five string fiddle sets: D'Addario Helicore, Super-Sensitive Sensicore, Pinnacle, Red Label, Old Fiddler and Thomastik Infeld Vision all come in a sets with a violin length C-string.

String Choices

There are a lot of choices in violin and viola strings.

Usually string types are divided into 3 groups: steel, synthetic and gut strings.
The different materials give the strings different properties: Playing in time, longevity, durability, response,  and of course sound characteristics.

The first and maybe most important thing is to realize that a good set of strings cannot make a lousy instrument sound like an expensive instrument.
Strings are more a tool for bringing out the tone that is in the instrument they are put on and help balancing out slight issues regarding volume, egality or sound.