hello all

I am looking to replace my cello strings which have not been replaced for at least 30 years...I have been given/long-term-loaned a cello and would like to replace the strings. As it is, as far as I can tell the cello itself has a warm, rich tone which is mellow. It's also quite resonant and is doing me well! However, I'd obviously like to do a bit of work to it, including the strings.

I was just wondering if anyone has any opinions/thoughts about different strings. I've just been looking at Pirastro Evah Pirazzi. On my old cello i have Pirastro Permanents but am wondering if anyone has any comments about the differences, or any experiences of these or other makes (eg Larsen)?

Any comments about strings in general greatly accepted!

Piello

Mine has a mix of larsen, jargar and helicore on it. It works well for the particular instrument (which, that reminds me, I must dust off and practise a bit - it's been AGES !).

If you're planning on having work done anyway, why not let the luthier decide what strings will suit the instrument best, he'll give you much more objective advice, whereas all we'll do is tell you what works on our instruments. Tell him what you like and don't like about the sound - if it's mellow but you want more brightness, that might indicate a different set up, bridge height, sound-post placement and strings etc, whereas if you want to exaggerate the mellow nature of the instrument, other changes may well have to be done.

To be honest, the strings will make the least difference out of all the things you will change if you have a set up done.

Generally I find that strings do make a difference, I currently use Larsens which are fantastic and last a long time, but Jargar, Spirocore and Helicore are also pretty good quality, and often used by a lot of professionals. Pirastro I've heard are decent, but they're very cheap so I don't trust them. A very popular set-up is to have Larsen A and D, Helicore G and C, but at the end of the day it's all down to personal preference. All of mine are Larsens, and the C makes a really nice tone and a lot of sound, but I haven't tried Helicore before so it might be interesting to see the difference it can make.

Hi,

I use Larsen A and D and Jargar G and C. Works quite well for me, but it all depends on the instrument. Have fun deciding

K