Larsen Il Cannone Soloist Warm & Broad Violin String Set

Larsen Il Cannone Soloist with Warm & Broad A is a professional four-string set for 4/4 violin by Danish manufacturer Larsen Strings. It combines the powerful, full-bodied and projecting sound of Il Cannone Soloist with the warmer and broader tonal character of a specially developed Warm & Broad A string.

The set contains E Soloist, A Soloist Warm & Broad, D Soloist and G Soloist. Compared with the standard Soloist set, its regular A string is replaced by an alternative designed to add warmth and depth to the middle register. The other three strings remain the standard Soloist versions.

The Il Cannone Soloist sound

The Il Cannone family is named after Niccolò Paganini's celebrated violin. Larsen developed the range for musicians seeking power, rich harmonics, a wide dynamic range and expressive bow response.

Compared with Il Cannone Medium, Soloist has higher tension, a fuller sound, stronger projection and greater focus. Larsen highlights its clearly articulated attack, complex overtone spectrum and fast response, including in spiccato passages.

These qualities may appeal to performers of solo repertoire, chamber music and orchestral parts where individual notes need to retain clarity and presence in a dense musical texture.

Higher tension does not automatically improve every violin. The result depends on the instrument, its setup, the bow and the player's technique.

Warm & Broad A — warmth within the Soloist range

The distinguishing component is the A Soloist Warm & Broad. It was developed as an alternative to the standard Soloist A, which has a more direct and focused tonal character.

Warm & Broad provides an expanded tonal palette with added warmth and depth. It can be an interesting choice for violins where the regular A sounds overly bright, narrow or less smoothly balanced with the neighbouring D string.

Within the Soloist set, this A string retains the high-projection approach of the series. It is not intended to turn the set into a soft or low-output string combination: the objective is to complement Soloist power with greater middle-register fullness.

Larsen's current specifications list A Warm & Broad Soloist at 6.10 kg, compared with 5.97 kg for the standard A Soloist. Their tensions are similar, while their intended tonal characters are different.

Construction of the four strings

E Soloist: special unwound carbon steel, producing a bright, direct and focused upper register. Its removable ball end permits use with compatible ball-end or loop-end fine tuners.

A Soloist Warm & Broad: synthetic multi-filament core with precision-rolled aluminium flat-wire winding, developed for a warmer, broader and fuller tone.

D Soloist: synthetic multi-filament core with pure silver winding, providing middle-to-lower-register richness, clear articulation and strong projection.

G Soloist: synthetic multi-filament core with pure silver winding, forming a resonant lower-register foundation while maintaining the powerful and focused character of the range.

The D and G strings are genuinely silver-wound, rather than merely silver-plated. The A is aluminium-wound, and the E is unwound steel.

Individual string specifications

Tensions are based on Larsen's current specifications for a reference vibrating length of 325 mm at A = 440 Hz. Some earlier manufacturer publications show slightly different values for individual strings.

General specifications

Comparing Il Cannone options

If the standard Soloist A sounds too bright or lacks tonal breadth on your violin, the Warm & Broad option may be worth trying. The final choice depends on the acoustic properties of the individual instrument and the player's preferences.

Installation and maintenance

Change one string at a time to help preserve bridge position. Make sure the nut and bridge grooves are smooth and free from sharp edges. Use suitable bridge protection at the E-string contact point.

Bring strings gradually up to pitch while monitoring bridge alignment. After playing, remove rosin and residue using a soft, dry cloth. Avoid abrasive cleaners and aggressive solvents.

Please note: this product contains a complete four-string Il Cannone Soloist set with Warm & Broad A. It does not include an additional standard A Soloist and is not a Medium, Direct & Focused, Silver or Gold set.