Tricolore Violin String Set

When I started violin in the early 1950’s my A string was plain gut. As a baroque violinist all my strings are gut, and I have been using a G and D from Larsen/Gamut on my baroque instrument with great success for some time now . So I was very interested in the Tricolore strings on my modern violin, particularly the G - so I ordered the set when it was recently on sale. Once on the violin, the string sounded very good - but getting it on was an ordeal: the 3-D printed plastic ball compressed and popped out of the tailpiece before I got anywhere near pitch. Ultimately I had to make my own leather washer to keep it in place. I am very happy with my three upper strings, and don’t want to change them. But the new G string is out of balance with them, so I have reverted to my previous setup. But it was an interesting experiment, and I applaud Gamut for making this set available. I woujd still consider it for a different violin when the occasion arises.

The heavy sized Tricolore violin strings are superb. IMO the only downside is that it takes a few days for them to first stretch out so that they’re tuning stable. But, after that, the tuning stability is great. And the heavies have a wonderful stiffness so that you can really lay into them and they keep giving you more, but they’re still wonderfully responsive with a light touch (the overtones when you play lightly are so rich, totally unmatched by synthetics!). I never want to play on strings with metal winding ever again. I’m an unwound-gut-for-life devotee. It’s been a couple years now and I see no reason to ever try synthetics again. I will say, though, that these benefit a lot from a responsive instrument and the right bowing technique. Especially in dry weather- if the strings are dry from low humidity they are very sensitive to tiny little details in your bowing that don’t come through at all on synthetic strings. When it’s humid out, they get a little softer and more forgiving. And lastly I have to say Tricolors last me longer than synthetics. My fingers must have a lot of sulfur in them or something because I kill the winding on any wound strings in two months or less. Heavy Tricolores last me four months easily. And, unwound gut strings don’t slowly go dead like wound synthetics. They age more gracefully. Raw gut sounds bright and beautiful up until its last day (when eventually a strand somewhere breaks and they go false). Tuning stability is fantastic. The only thing that will really mess with tuning stability is huge changes in humidity. Going between air conditioning and outside on a humid summer day will require significant retuning. Otherwise they’re great. I play Irish fiddle for the most part.

Very well packaged and delivery was very good. As these are backup strings to a 'dominant' set I look forward to trying these when I can. The e string seems especially to be the one I wanted too.

These are great strings and work very well with my 1926 Karl Berger violin!!!

G in particular has a type of rich warmth you cannot get from any synthetic strings and the E has a roundness. Doesn't matter how much you pay, what brand or how many youtube personalities swear by them, gut strings whether wound or raw win every time. I was told by Gamut staff the difference between these ($80) and their other gamut line ($150) is that this set is more suited for the modern violinist while the other for baroque period. Although I went the direction of Tricolore I'll be experimenting with other lines next. Fantastic, definitely recommend.

As a youngster I grew up playing gut stings, mostly Pirastro Eudoxa or Wondertone. Since switching mostly to synthetics in college, some decades ago (on the advice of various teachers), I have continued to search for that rich gut sound (think Heifetz, Francescatti, Rosand, Szeryng, Menuhin). Over that last few years I have gone back to guts, using first Passiones, then Olives, and even Chordas. The Tricolore set from Gamut beats them all. I have tested them in a large concert hall, and on recording. The richness and carrying power is stunning, and has far exceeded my expectations. These strings exhibited a highly complex sound with lots of overtones from the start (in my studio), but hearing them in the hall was a real eye opener. They are colorful, supple and extremely powerful. Due to their flexibility, they deliver a high volume of tone with very little effort, so some players may find they need to use less pressure. They work fantastically well on both my 1781 Gagliano, as well as on my 2020 Eduard Miller. They have a much quicker stretch time than even the Olives. I have been enjoying these for a couple weeks now, so I look forward to learning more about these strings' longevity, and what they can do. The heavier gauge, unwound gut A and D may take some getting used to for most modern violinists, but the sound is ravishing! Thank you, Gamut! Dr. John Fadial Soloist, Chamber Musician, Concertmaster, Professor of Violin, University of Wyoming

Best strings on the market! Rich sound, very stable, comfortable for playing, and great service from Gamut Music!

Fantastic strings, warm and full sound

After a major crack repair to my 1950's modern Italian violin, its acoustics had ended up being significantly altered, to the point where every brand of strings I tried was too bright (and I tried about 10 different sets of strings). I finally found Tricolore, which are the only strings that aren't too bright. The sound is gorgeous, even when muted. The only drawback is that the gut strings are a bit harder to initially tune and keep in tune, and they feel a bit less refined to the touch (I got the varnished version). I've ordered a wrapped A and D string to compare them. Overall, though, I love these strings, and they're really the only strings that work on my instrument.