Pirastro Oliv Cello String, G

Pros: Great depth of sound and resonance combined with a clarity of articulation approaching that of a tungsten covered string. You can’t vary the sound as much as with a Eudoxa string, but it’s a thicker sound, and overall has more clarity.

Cons: Obviously, as a gut string it’s tuning is much less stable than a steel string; you need to tune throughout a concert. I have had problems with recent oliv strings in finding a dead spot just below the fingerboard where in piano or pianissimo, the string abruptly loses grip and the bow skates without sound; incredibly annoying. I have found this with two different cellos, several strings and several bows, on the G & C strings, though not the D string. It is better with a low tension string than a medium one, and if you clean the string with an alcohol wipe every day it seems ok. I have used oliv strings for years and not encountered this problem before, nor have I encountered it ever with Eudoxa strings. I would be interested to know if Pirastro has changed anything recently or whether anyone else has encountered a similar problem.

Pros: Beautiful sonority: immediately gave depth to the midrange of my cello.

Cons: Without any experience with gut strings, it will take some getting used to; but well worth the effort.