LS Larsen Strings Virtuoso Violin String Set Medium

I love these strings. They are rich in overtones, and yet still have a warm, powerful sound. I especially like the A string. Many A strings I’ve tried have been buzzy and weak when compared to the other strings, but this Larsen A is very, very nice. they have nice, quick and accurate bow response, and lend themselves to extreme control over dynamics and articulations. Now, they are expensive, and if you’re familiar with Larsen strings then you know they do suffer from some quality control issues. You may buy a set of these, only to have one of the strings fail, but that isn’t an indictment on the quality of the strings when you get a good set. They also do not last very long, which is a big negative for some, I know.

Still, if you are a professional musician like myself and you want to find that perfect tone, then you won’t care about the QC issues, price, or short lifespan, because when you are performing, you know you have crazy good tone.

I really like Larsen strings. I’ve used the Virtuosos set and the Tzigane and enjoy both. I love the rich tone of the Tzigane strings and they are very responsive to light pressure. However, the D string is extremely finicky after about a month and that can get expensive replacing regularly. So I tried the Virtuoso set as an experiment. I am very impressed with their longevity and open bright sound. I have few wolf tones with these strings and while they are not as responsive to light pressure as the Tzigane, the fact that I don’t have to replace a faulty string often is a huge bonus and compensates for needing a smidge more pressure for response than the Tzigane. I experimented again with the Peter Infelt Pi strings recently and that was a huge disappointment to me. The tension was so aggressive on those strings that even not tuned high enough my bridge warped, broke, and took the sound post out too. That ended up being an expensive experiment I deeply regret and it was the Virtuoso set I returned to after my violin was back from the luthier. I feel these are a safe string and I just didn’t want to make any more expensive mistakes at that point. I am pleased with Larsen brand in general but if you want more bang for your buck, get the virtuoso set because you won’t be changing out false toned strings often.

Violin strings are pretty subjective, what I think sounds good may not sound good to others. Also, how well strings match up to a particular violin or playing style can vary quite a bit.

Just some disclosure, I’m an amateur player at best. I have six years of playing experience and not super qualified on the topic. That said, I’ll share my impressions of these strings.

INITIAL BREAK-IN
I’ve found that the Larsen Virtuoso strings have a slightly longer break-in time the others I’ve tried (I’m coming from Evah). They start out very metallic, that typically fades after a day. After that, they remain quite unsettled…against a tuner I can see the frequency all over the place when I play them. That makes tuning a challenge until they settle down. They tend to stretch out over the course of a week or so, sometimes just a bit longer. So expect a lot of tuning during the first 7 to 10 days.

SOUND
Once the frustration of the break-in period is over these strings really come into their own. Very colorful, very pretty, definitely on the brighter side. My violin is slightly darker and warmer in tone so these strings complement very well. Sympathetic vibration of bowed string to open strings is quite audible and pleasant.

My personal experience with the E string is that it tends to whistle. This is probably a function of my limited playing experience and less so the string itself. For that reason, I swap out the Larsen E with a Dominant E. The Dominant doesn’t sound as nice but eliminating the whistle is more important to me.

LIFE
As the Virtuoso strings age they tend to lose their color and vibrancy gradually, enough so that I often catch myself wondering if I’m doing something wrong. They seem to settle into a sort of bland, warmer tone after losing their punch. I typically replace them after six months of daily play, about an hour or so per day. That may be a little excessive but it’s really because I’m chasing the sweet colors and tone that they display early in their use.

QUALITY
I’ve used these strings for about two years now and have had no early breakage, no defective strings, and consistent life and use out of them.

Larsen Virtuoso have become my standard string on my violin. I really like them, how they sound, and how they play. Break-in period is a bit frustrating but completely worth it to my ear.