In a world first for violin strings, Il Cannone Gold includes both a gold wound G and D. This truly unique combination delivers a sound which is glowing, crisp, robust and carrying. The most powerful strings in the Il Cannone family built upon the same string tension as the Il Cannone Soloist yet offering a unique strength for violin strings. Enhancing the core sound of the instrument, Il Cannone Gold offers a vibrancy that makes the ‘entire instrument resonate as if the strings are in perfect sync with the instrument.’

Il Cannone Gold strings have an identical tension to our Il Cannone Soloist strings. Soloist strings have a somewhat higher, stronger, tension in comparison with our Il Cannone Medium strings.

We have tested Gold with excellent results both on old Italian and French instruments as well as new instruments. We can recommend these strings for all types of violins which are capable of carrying a somewhat higher, stronger, tension.

If your violin is known to be sensitive to higher string tension, we do not recommend these strings as supplied as the full set. However, we have successfully fitted these strings on very old and highly valuable Italian violins. In these applications we installed an alternative lower tension E-string, for example Il Cannone E Soloist or Il Cannone E Medium. Another successful pairing incorporated the medium tension Il Cannone Direct & Focused A in combination with the Gold G and D.

We recommend fitting both Gold G and D as they develop full sound potential and playing characteristics when used in combination. The A and E supplied with the set have been carefully chosen according to our observations and experience during the testing and development process.
You are, of course, welcome to experiment and combine with your own choice of strings but especially the E where appropriate. See next for our recommendations.

The optimal combination of the Gold G and D with complimentary A and E strings is crucial for the ideal balance between the strings in both response and sound. The A and E included in the set have been carefully chosen according to the considerable experience gained from comprehensive field-testing during development. Naturally, there are multiple variables in application, instruments and style. For example, we observed instruments where alternative A and E strings performed even more successfully in combination with the Gold G and D.

Our recommendations are:

To open up the sound (when the upper register sounds close and tight). Apply Il Cannone Soloist E or alternatively our Il Cannone Medium E. The former is more direct sounding whilst the latter is warmer.

To achieve a warmer and broader sound in the upper register. Apply Il Cannone Soloist A in combination with Il Cannone Soloist E. For an even warmer sound our Larsen Gold E-string is recommended.

For some older Italian instruments we achieved excellent results when applying the Il Cannone Medium A and E. To gain that more relaxed sound in the upper register apply Il Cannone Medium A and E.

The Il Cannone Gold strings deliver an excellent tone and playability immediately upon installation.

Playing in: according to the experience of musicians fitting Gold, you can expect the Gold G and D to achieve even greater sound modulating character after a few days of use making it easier to dive into the true depth of the strings. In addition, a more focused sound was also reported after few days of playing.

Please enjoy and do let us know what you think.