I’ve now been using the Larsen Sovereign cello strings since September 25, so I’m about two weeks into my trial of the set.
This isn’t meant to be a final review or a long-term durability report. Instead, I wanted to give an update on how the strings have changed during the first couple of weeks, particularly the G and C strings.
I also think this is an important part of trying new cello strings: don’t make your final judgment too quickly.
A new string can sound and feel quite different after it has had enough time to settle in. How quickly that happens depends heavily on how much you play. I haven’t been playing an enormous amount during these two weeks, so someone playing several hours every day could potentially get through this same break-in period much faster.
When I first put the Larsen Sovereigns on, I could immediately tell that the G and C had a lot of power.
At the same time, they had that metallic, new-string quality that you often hear from a new C and G string. For me, that made it difficult to judge exactly what their final sound would be.
After about two weeks of playing, that quality has largely disappeared. The power, however, is still there.
The G and C now sound warmer and more refined without losing the strong character I noticed when I first installed them.
That is probably the biggest takeaway from this trial so far: the strings didn’t lose their power as they broke in; they simply lost the metallic quality that came with being new.
The C has probably been the most interesting string in this trial.
The power was obvious from the beginning, but I wasn’t sure how much I would like the sound because of the initial metallic quality. After two weeks, that has changed considerably.
The C is now warmer and more settled while retaining its power.
It feels particularly powerful to me. It seems to have more presence than a Spirocore Tungsten C in strong gauge that I’ve used before. I didn’t test the two strings back-to-back, though, so I wouldn’t consider that a definitive comparison. The overall balance of the Larsen set could also be contributing to that impression.
The C isn’t quite as warm as the Jargar Eudoxa/Eccentric-style C sound I tend to prefer, but it gives me considerably more power in return. For this particular set, I think that’s a worthwhile trade-off.
The G has also settled in nicely.
It still has the strength and power I noticed when it was new, but the metallic quality has largely disappeared. The result is a much more natural-sounding string that blends well with the rest of the set.
What I particularly like is how well the G balances against the C.
The middle two strings can sometimes be a weak point in a set. It’s not uncommon to have a C with plenty of power while the G feels like it doesn’t quite keep up. I don’t get that impression with the Sovereigns.
The G feels strong enough to stand alongside the C, which gives the lower half of the cello a very cohesive sound.
The D has changed less dramatically for me.
It remains fairly warm, but it has a slight edge that I don’t mind.
I generally prefer a very warm D, so this isn’t necessarily my ideal D string. However, the slight edge gives it some clarity and definition without making it sound harsh.
Overall, I think it is a very balanced D.
The A continues to sound beautiful.
It has retained its warmth and hasn’t given me any reason to complain about its sound so far.
The bigger question with the A will be longevity.
Larsen isn’t necessarily known for exceptional string longevity, so I’ll be interested to see how long the A maintains this sound as I continue playing it.
At only two weeks, though, it’s still sounding very good.
One of the reasons I wanted to write this update is because I think it’s easy to make a mistake when trying new cello strings.
You put a new set on, play them for a day or two, and think:
“I don’t like these.”
But you’re not necessarily hearing the string at its final character yet.
My experience with the Larsen Sovereigns is a good example. The G and C had plenty of power from the beginning, but they also had a metallic quality that I expected would take some time to disappear. After two weeks, the power remains, while that metallic quality has largely gone away.
You may still ultimately decide that you don’t like the string. That’s completely fine. Different players want different things from their strings, and a string that works beautifully for one cello or player may not work nearly as well for another.
The important thing is to give yourself enough time to make that decision based on the string itself, rather than on its initial break-in characteristics.
There isn’t a universal number of hours that every string needs to break in.
A player practicing several hours every day may get a new string settled much faster than someone who only plays a few times a week.
That’s why I think a two-week trial is a useful general guideline, rather than a strict rule.
If you’re trying a new string, I’d recommend playing it as much as reasonably possible during your trial period. The more you play, the sooner you’ll get a sense of what the string actually sounds and feels like once it has settled.
And if you still don’t like it after giving it a proper break-in period, that’s useful information too. At that point, you can be much more confident that the string simply isn’t the right choice for you.
After about two weeks, I’m considerably more positive about the Larsen Sovereign set than I was when I first put it on.
The G and C have retained the power that initially caught my attention, while becoming warmer and losing the metallic quality they had when new.
I’m still not ready to make a final judgment on longevity, and I may ultimately decide that another set suits my cello better.
But that’s exactly what a string trial is for.
The goal isn’t to convince yourself that you like a string. The goal is to give the string a fair chance to show you what it actually sounds like once it has settled in, and then decide whether its particular combination of warmth, power, response, and balance works for you.
I’ll continue playing the Sovereigns and see how they develop from here.
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