On a beautiful afternoon in Lübeck, Prof. Troels Svane had gathered his class and invited some violin-makers for a string session. Dr. Thomas Zwieg, product development manager at Larsen Strings, was there to present the Magnacore® and Magnacore Arioso cello strings.

During the afternoon, Dr. Zwieg strung 13 beautiful instruments. Testing string after string on so many instruments is exhausting, but, at the same time, it is impressive to hear the unique transformation of each instrument as it reacts to new strings. Through the course of the six-hour session, it soon became clear that Larsen Strings could find a solution to every cello. As Troels Svane expressed it:

“It is quite unbelievable how good the Magnacore strings sound. In my opinion, Larsen Strings has achieved a perfect standard set-up for most instruments.”

Every instrument needs something different              

Some of the instruments were new celli built by contemporary violinmakers. Two of these instruments, a cello by Dietmar Rexhausen and another one by Ragner Hayn, were strung with Magnacore strong strings. Conversely, two celli from the two brothers Roland and Christian Erichson used a combination of Magnacore Arioso strings for the G and C strings together with different medium and strong Larsen A and D strings. Besides giving more sonority to the lower strings of these instruments, the Arioso helped the upper strings opening up and thus improved the overall sonority of the instruments.

A Vuillaume as well as another cello from the Vuillaume School ended up with the same set-up: Magnacore medium strings with a Magnacore D strong.

Among the older Italian instruments, three ended up with the Magnacore Arioso strings. The instruments, a Testore, a Ventapane and Troels Svane’s Tecchler, all gained from the extra playability and sonority that the Magnacore Arioso brings. As expressed by Troels Svane:

“In comparison to the strings I had before, the Magnacore Arioso C string is even more substantial, powerful, warm and broad. At the same time, I recognize the radiant sonority of my old strings.”

However, as every instrument is different and needs to be handled in a special way, other older Italian instruments needed something completely different. A Panormo and a Postigilione were at their best when they were strung with Magnacore strong strings.

And finally, a set-up depends very much on the player. Some players like specific set-ups and will use them on all instruments.

Free your voice with the Magnacore Arioso G and C strings

We do understand that seeking the right balance with strings is a long and expensive task. Hoping to help you make the right choice, we have developed a list of aspects that characterize the Magnacore Arioso G and C strings:

  • Lower tension without compromise in power
  • Liberating and accentuating the A and D strings
  • Special freedom of expression and brightness
  • Easy response
  • Effortless playing from ppp to fff
  • Freeing the instrument from excessive tension
  • Given their moderate tension, lending particular benefit to older instruments. This is of course the case for all instruments.
  • Adding to the Magnacore series to achieve a perfect standard set-up for most instruments.

Read more about the Magnacore Arioso G and C strings with Troels Svane and view the factsheet