Overview: Stradivarius designed his violins with gut strings in mind. Indeed, that is true for all of the great makers. And, while gut has a distinctive sound that is a must for period music - and indeed most of the violin's repertoire, the nature of the gut string is such that it is fraught with disadvantages. Our century has afforded us a wealth of synthetic materials that can simulate gut very effectively with none of gut's disadvantages. The gold standard of synthetic strings are Thomastik Dominant. Character and Benefits: These finely designed and crafted violin strings feature a highly flexible, multi-strand nylon core that makes them comparable in sound and feel to natural gut coupled with a long playing life. These strings can be found on instruments around the world ranging from the professional to the student, and are sure to please even the most discriminating ear.