For the first 20 years I owned my #1 violin I used Pirastro gut-core strings. But then I moved across the country and played in various venues that exposed it to sudden extreme temperature and humidity changes that played havoc with string intonation stability. When synthetic-core strings appeared 50 years ago theysolved my climate problem but I never again was completely satisfied with the sound of this violin with any of the many string brands I tried - although some came close. Now that I have been using Perpetual Cadenza strings for the past month I am completely satisfied. Thank You!