Prim Violin Strings Medium

I tried Prim strings because folk fiddler Garry Blakely uses them and his sound is magical. I found them a little difficult to get used to at first because the sound is so clean and distinct that every intonation error is immediately exposed. In contrast to, say, Zyex, or Helicore, there is no warm envelope round the sound - you have to create the warmth with the quality of your playing. On a good day I think I'm in heaven with these strings, but on a bad day, the opposite is true, so I find them challenging. Reliability is excellent - they stay in tune easily. Durability also excellent - they last and last with consistently good sound.

Prim strings have been the top choice for american old time fiddlers for decades, and this is how I've came to know them.

They are bright sounding strings with strong fundamental and little harmonics. For this reason, they might not be a good choice if your violin is bright to start with, or if you are a beginner and have trouble managing a loud and edgy fiddle. Also, if you are used to synthetic / nylon core strings (Dominants etc.), they are at the opposite end of the spectrum and might disorient you.

On the other hand, if your violin is kinda dull and muffled, or if you need a loud tone that punches through a jam, they are a great choice. Their zingy edge mellows out with time, and once they are settled, they become more balanced, with a sweet, ear pleasing presence. They are amazingly resistant to wear, body oils, temperature change and constant alternate tunings. If you like a fiddle that requires no fuss, no tuning or regular string changes, Prim will reward you. They are ROCK SOLID and, as far as I know, have no equivalents in longevity. My main fiddle has 10 years old Prim strings on it and they are still perfectly usable.

I think there's no such thing as a "5 star" string set, as it all depends on the violin, what you play etc. But in case of Prims, they totally deserve it, just for their unique ability to withstand wear and tear.

Llevo años usando las Prim porque son las mejores cuerdas metálicas para mis tres violines. Ofrecen un sonido brillante y equilibrado en toda la tesitura, pero con un toque de calidez sorprendente. Son de respuesta inmediata, y muy estables en cuanto afinación, perfectas para música tradicional como el country y la irlandesa/escocesa, incluso para flamenco.

Aún siendo de tensión media, se sienten con una tensión superior comparadas con otras cuerdas de tensión media.
Por su fabricación, el entorchado es algo rudo, por lo que tienen un tacto un tanto áspero (entorchado de acero cromado sobre base maciza de acero). Por ambas cosas, resultan más complicados los cambios de dinámica y pierden un toque de sensibilidad, por lo que no puedo recomendarlas para estilos como el clásico (Prim se especializa en instrumentos tradicionales como es la nyckelharpa).

Por lo demás, son tremendamente duraderas (he llegado a usar un mismo juego durante ¡un año! sin perder calidad sonora), muy resistentes a la corrosión, fáciles de limpiar y sencillas de ajustar al instrumento (aunque esté acostumbrado a tripa o sintéticas). Un producto perfecto para "fiddlers" y otros estilos como el folklore español, el klezmer, la música balcánica o el flamenco.