Technical data
| Line | Special E String |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Supplied as | Single string |
| Item number | ST-E01-E44 |
Description
Ball end with medium tension. Made in Vienna by Thomastik-Infeld.
Sound and physics
The construction of the string (string length, tension, cross section, material properties) keeps its overtones close to the harmonic series; the higher partials lie only fractionally above the exact multiples of the fundamental. In wound strings this is achieved by the composite design of a thin, flexible core with one or more windings of metal ribbon or wire, which puts a lot of mass on the string with little bending stiffness.
A string tuned to the same pitch on the same string length carries proportionally more mass per metre (linear mass density) when it is under higher tension.
Under the bow the travelling kink of the Helmholtz motion (the string sticks to the bow hair and slips back) stays sharp on the flexible string, and the bridge receives a sawtooth force that contains every overtone of the fundamental.
The violin E string sounds at 660 Hz at A = 440 Hz. At the 7.8 kg the maker gives for the plain Dominant E 129, its steel wire of about 0.26 mm diameter works at a tensile stress of about 1,450 MPa. Drawn steel wire with a tensile strength of 1,500 to 3,000 MPa carries that, gut at 100 to 250 MPa does not; this is why the E string is almost always steel today.
The E01 is multi layer tin plated carbon steel, the E Special 48 gold plated chrome steel, that is chrome nickel steel. Chrome nickel steel protects itself against corrosion with a self healing chromium oxide layer; the carbon steel of the E01 carries a multi layer tin coating.
Our experience
Our experience: we like to adjust the character of the top register through the E string alone, a small and economical change to a sound. On our own violins we fit the tin plated Dominant E 129SN at the factory.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the lower strings wound?
The winding adds mass to the string without making it stiff. On the same string length a low note at similar tension needs a much higher linear mass density, and the metal of the winding supplies it.
How much does tension change when I tune higher?
From 440 Hz to 442 Hz, as many orchestras tune today, tension rises by about 0.9 per cent, and to 445 Hz by about 2.3 per cent.
Does this E string fit every fine tuner?
It depends on the string end: the E01, for example, has a ball end. Our fine tuners are made for loop ends; a ball needs a fine tuner or tailpiece that takes a ball.
Can I combine a single E string with another set?
Yes; when mixing we look for a tension similar to that of the set's own E.
These texts hold decades of experience and a great deal of heart. They are protected by copyright, C.A. Götz jr. GmbH. Please ask us before any use. Thank you for your appreciation.
