22/01/2016
Kjetil Ree-Pedersen made this review of Larsen Magnacore Arioso C and G cello strings:
About my cello:
I play a Gagliano copy by a Chinese master maker.
It has a rich and brilliant sound in all registers and carries out well in a large hall.
The A string is pretty full up close but often sounds a bit thin out in the hall.
The C- and G-string sounds rich and brilliant up close but lacks a little rumbling bass and "body." But the low end sounds fantastic in a large hall because of the rich palette of overtones. I am currently happy with a full set of Magnacore medium.
The new strings stretched a bit longer than I'm used to with Magnacore medium and Spirocore Tungsten, but they seem to have stabilised after 1-2 days. I have not noticed any difference in timbre or response during these days.
The most striking characteristic of the strings is the amplitude; It is much wider than the other steel and synthetic strings I've tried. They react much the same way as gut strings. One need to use a bit more bow when playing near the fingerboard to prevent the bow from dampening the vibrations of the string. One must also apply more horizontal and less vertical movements when playing spiccato since one would otherwise kill the sound before it gets started. The difference with other strings is smaller when playing close to the bridge, and the response and volume is perhaps even better. The strings have excellent “sustain”, so they vibrate long after you stopped playing. This is particularly noticeable in pizzicato.
The new strings offer wonderful dynamic possibilities; One can play incredibly soft and beautiful close to the fingerboard and produce a huge sound when playing close to the bridge. The strings has absolutely no metallic character, not even when they are first installed. I think these strings can be especially appreciated by orchestral and chamber musicians because of the qualities and the response in soft dynamics.
The sound color is clearly darker than the medium version. The sound is still rich in overtones, and especially the next tone of the overtone scale (octave + fifth) is defined more clearly. They may lack a little "edge" compared to the medium version, but the dynamics are much better and they sound fuller. I actually prefer the new low strings on my cello. They grab more bass and "body." The A and D string took over some of the character and the response from C and G; They sing better now, and the sound is more open and warm. I imagine that the new low tension strings will not work so well on instruments that lack focus in the lower register or where the bass is already very dark and “booming", but they sure opened up the sound on my cello and presented more volume.
I also tried the new strings with low tension A and D strings.
- Prim A soft and D-medium:
These strings actually achieved big volume, but the G- and C-string turned a bit more woolly.
- Jargar medium A and D:
OK combination. The A and D strings sounded open enough but slightly more squeezed than the Prims. The C- and G-string regained a bit more focus, but not as much as the Magnacore medium A and D.
I also adjusted the strap of the tail piece:
- Moved towards the bass side (= more pressure on the sound post):
Good focus and response to G- and C-string, but A and D were slightly thinner and more squeezed.
- Moved towards treble side (= less pressure on the sound post):
More woolly timbre and poorer response from C and G, but open and warm tone with good volume from A and D.
- Moved straps further apart:
The overtones became substantially more muted - especially from the C- and G-string
- Moved straps closer together:
Opened up the sound throughout the cello - especially from the C- and G-string which now produced much more resonance.
I am particularly fond of the new C-string which offers completely different dynamic possibilities, deeper sound and more "body" on my cello.
The G-string is more difficult to adjust to. Sometimes I miss more tension and focus, and other times I feel that the sound could be a little darker, but I believe that both the color and volume in general is good compared to the other strings and that I primarily just need to get used to it.
The challenge of the new Arioso strings is that one dampens the vibrations so much by bowing closer to the fingerboard. So one need to become much more aware of the distance from the bow to the bridge and the speed and weight of the bow. The advantage is that you get much more dynamic possibilities and sound color by mastering this.
I just put the Arioso strings on my old French cello. In general this instrument has a very noble sound with a focused top register and a beautiful but slightly woolly bass. I previously had Spirocore G and C to get enough clarity in the bass, but the Arioso strings surprisingly worked much better. I am not sure if the improvement might just be due to the effect of low tension strings in a cold and dry winter climate, but the whole cello just opened up with the Arioso strings and sounded much fuller in all registers.
Yours truly,
Kjetil Ree-Pedersen
