Warchal Avantgarde Violin A string

This A-string offers excellent power and a tone quality that is warm, brilliant and resonant all at the same time. I bought this string along with a Warchal Amber Forte E to get more power in the high register of my violin. It worked. This A string even blends reasonably well with the Pirastro Obligato D and G currently on my violin, but will probably blend even better with Warchal Amber D and G. Indeed, Warchal sells just such a set.

Another thing that improved is the clarity of trilling from F# to E on the A-string. The articulation of these notes in the trill has been a perennial problem in my playing, with them sounding a bit indistinct to my ear. This is with multiple violins, indicating a "me" problem. Yet, I trill elsewhere on the violin with no issues, indicating a violin or string problem. I've had the violin checked, and it is fine—no humps or dips in the fingerboard—for instance. This is one of several playing issues and troublesome passages that I use to evaluate equipment, and the Warchal Avantgarde A-string helps me overcome it.

The waviness of the string is noticeable if you run your finger up and down it. When playing, I hardly notice it and it doesn't bother me at all.

After using wound A strings for most of my violin playing life, I decided to try steel (Russian) A strings. These Warschal strings are the best ever for my violin and my playing. The sound is powerful but clear and sweet. It does blend beautifully with the Warshal Amber E, which is now my regular E and provides enough warmth for the transition to the D. (I'm now using Timbre Strings on the D and G).

The Avantgarde is a little warmer than the regular Russian A, just as clear, and seems a bit more powerful. It works well in orchestra as well as chamber music settings. Of course, it's very stable, though it seems the Avantgarde needs a couple of hours to totally settle in compared to the regular Russian A.

There is a perceptible texture to the string when shifting which takes about 10 minutes to get used to, and almost seems like an aid to shift distance while practicing. It certainly causes no difficulty.

Highly recommended, and outstanding.

This is my "go to" A string for two of my violins. It maintains a nice full round sound but is also easier to play than the synthetics I used to use. It creates the perfect balance between my D and E strings. I really like it.