Broad peak in the overall response question

[Richard Prowse]

...but let me say first that Scott's comments sound very intelligent to me.
That said, I'll make my point.
I had my bow changed back to French three days ago. When I got home and started playing everything sounded wrong and the French hold was not working. Remember that, ten years ago, I played French for about 25 years, and on a violin before that.
Now the strings sounded wrong and the tone was disappointing. As I've put the hours in (practice) things have started to change pretty dramatically. My point is this... getting used to your equipment and setup is a pretty vital part of the equation too (and I stress a part). Too often we blame the string, or the bow, or the setup without having put in a bit of sweat.
Scott, you mentioned brass players and mouthpieces. That's a perfect example of what I'm saying. I played trumpet for quite a few years. I hate to think what I spent on mouthpieces! Really I should have concentrated on working on my embrochure.