Larsen Il Cannone Silver — Professional Violin Strings
Larsen Il Cannone Silver is a professional violin string range for 4/4 instruments, introduced by Danish manufacturer Larsen Strings in 2025. It brings a distinctive voice to the Il Cannone family, combining silvery brilliance, overtone-rich resonance, clear articulation and powerful projection.
The defining features include D and G strings wound with 99.85% pure silver flat wire and a choice of two different E strings. Il Cannone Silver is designed for violinists seeking fast bow response, a wide dynamic range and precise tonal control.
Sound and performance
Larsen describes the sound of Il Cannone Silver as clear, brilliant and rich in upper overtones, with a strong carrying quality. Compared with the warmer tonal direction of Il Cannone Gold, the Silver range emphasises brightness, clarity and definition.
The strings offer quick response and articulate attacks, even with energetic bowing. High bow resistance allows the player to explore a broad dynamic range while retaining a flexible feel under the fingers.
The combination of a brilliant upper register and resonant lower strings makes Il Cannone Silver attractive for solo, chamber and orchestral performance. The actual results depend on the violin, its setup and the player's technique.
Key feature: the D and G strings use flat-wire winding made from 99.85% pure silver. This is the winding material itself, not a decorative silver coating. It contributes the mass required by the strings and forms part of their acoustic construction.
Two E string options: Silver and Caprice
Unlike conventional four-string sets, the full Il Cannone Silver package contains five strings: Silver E, Caprice E, A, D and G. The violinist can choose which E string best suits the instrument without purchasing an additional one.
Silver E is an unwound carbon-steel string with a diameter of 0.27 mm. It produces a bold, powerful and brilliant upper register.
Caprice E is also made from carbon steel but has a diameter of 0.275 mm and higher tension. It offers a sparkling, focused and brilliant sound, making it particularly interesting for instruments that benefit from additional upper-register definition.
Both E strings have removable ball ends, allowing use with compatible ball-end or loop-end fittings.
Construction of the A, D and G strings
A: synthetic multi-filament core with precision-rolled aluminium flat-wire winding. This string provides a smooth transition between the brilliant E register and the fuller D string.
D: synthetic multi-filament core wound with high-grade 99.85% pure silver. Designed for a clear and resonant middle-to-low register.
G: synthetic multi-filament core with 99.85% pure silver winding. Provides a resonant lower-register foundation with the overtone richness characteristic of the Silver range.
All three strings have ball ends.
Technical specifications
| String |
Core |
Winding |
Tension |
| Silver E |
Carbon steel |
Unwound |
Approx. 8.1 kg |
| Caprice E |
Carbon steel |
Unwound |
Approx. 8.4 kg |
| A |
Synthetic multi-filament |
Aluminium |
6.0 kg |
| D |
Synthetic multi-filament |
99.85% silver |
Approx. 5.1 kg |
| G |
Synthetic multi-filament |
99.85% silver |
Approx. 4.8 kg |
Reference vibrating length: 325 mm; reference pitch: A = 440 Hz. One of the two E strings is selected for the installed four-string configuration.
Il Cannone Silver versus Il Cannone Gold
Both are professional members of the Il Cannone family, but they have different tonal priorities.
Il Cannone Silver emphasises silvery brilliance, abundant upper overtones, articulate response and focused projection. Its D and G strings are silver-wound.
Il Cannone Gold takes a warmer and richer tonal direction, with a substantial fundamental sound. Its D and G strings use 10K gold alloy winding.
Silver can be particularly interesting for violinists seeking clarity and brilliance, while Gold may suit those looking for greater warmth and tonal density. These descriptions are guidelines rather than guarantees for every instrument.
Sets and individual strings
This category contains the complete Il Cannone Silver set and individual strings for replacement or customised combinations.
The full set includes five strings, with both the Silver E and Caprice E options. When purchasing individual strings, musicians can select the preferred E variant according to the instrument's needs.
Larsen also suggests experimenting with an Il Cannone Gold E string in 0.28 mm gauge if a similar level of power with added upper-register warmth is desired.
Installation and care
Replace strings one at a time to help preserve the bridge position. Check that the nut and bridge grooves are smooth and correctly shaped, and use a suitable protective tube or insert beneath the E string.
After each playing session, wipe away rosin dust with a clean, dry microfibre cloth. Regular cleaning helps preserve clarity, bow response and performance life.
Larsen Il Cannone Silver is designed for violinists who want a brilliant, resonant and powerful sound, with the flexibility to fine-tune upper-register response using two different E strings.
