Technical data
| Instrument | Violin |
| String | E |
| Material | Steel, plain |
| Gauge | medium |
| String end | Ball end |
| Country of manufacture | England |
| Item number | HL-4410MB |
Features
- Gauge medium
- Ball end version
- Made in England
In practice
- Players repeatedly describe the Hill E as clear and strong without turning shrill, and as blending well with other makers' sets.
- Medium is the usual choice when nothing speaks against it.
- A note on our range: this string needs a fine tuner with a ball hook. The Conrad Götz fine tuners take loop ends; for those we carry the same string as a loop end.
Sound and physics
The violin E string is tuned to e′′, around 660 Hz. Its thin, medium and thick gauges all sound at this pitch and sit at different tensions: at the same string length (vibrating length) and in the same material, the thicker string carries the higher tension.
In this position steel is far more resilient than gut, which as an E string is stressed to the limit of its breaking strength. Steel strings are also far less elastic in length, so the peg easily overshoots the desired position while tuning; the steel E is therefore tuned with a fine tuner in the tailpiece. Once tuned, a steel string holds its pitch almost unchanged for a long time.
Frequently asked questions
What do the letters on the Hill 4410 E stand for?
The first letter gives the gauge: M for medium, S for thick and W for thin. The second gives the string end: B for ball and L for loop.
Does a ball-end E fit Conrad Götz fine tuners?
No, our fine tuners take loop-end strings and do not work with a ball end. For them, choose the loop version of the same string.
Why is the E string tuned with a fine tuner?
Steel has little elasticity in length, so the peg easily overshoots the desired position while tuning. The fine tuner in the tailpiece allows the fine correction.
