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KEEPING STRINGED INSTRUMENTS SINGING FOR OVER 100 YEARS In 1913, my grandfather Olinto Mari and his brother Emilio Mari came to New York from Italy and started this company. They brought a family knowledge of string making that dates back to the 17th century, an incredible legacy that I am lucky to be part of. Today, I run the company with my son Eric and daughter Lorenza. Together we are carrying on the family traditions, offering our clients the dedication and excellence they expect and deserve. In addition we are bringing the latest advancements of string manufacturing to the mix. This new catalog offers you the widest range of music strings, from the most common to the most unusual, all of them created with the perfect blend of traditional methods and newest technologies. We only offer strings that will enhance the instruments’ sound production and the musicians performance. No hype or gimmicks! I appreciate the opportunity to offer you our products and will always welcome any comments and special requests. Richard Mari Cocco, Jr. CEO INTRODUCTION History The La Bella Strings / E. & O. Mari, Inc catalog includes the world’s largest selection of strings for most plucked and bowed instruments. Offering useful information for both the professional and amateur string player, this book contains details about the string constructions and tunings of many instruments. La Bella Strings has a long tradition of making many types of handcrafted strings for most classical, popular, folk and ethnic instruments. Lanciano Factory in Abruzzi, Italy circa 1940 Present factory in Newburgh, New York Historical Background “Gold Medal Diploma” to the company for their dedication and excellence as manufacturers. As In the 17th century, the small town of Salle in the a leading producer of high quality strings for the Abruzzi region of Italy was considered one of the entire violin family including the harp, E. & O. Mari string making centers in Europe. Local church offered both “La Preferita” and the “La Bella Brand” records reveal that the most important string of orchestral gut strings. Since the 1920s the trade manufacturing families were Berti, Dorazio, Ruffini name “La Bella” has remained to describe a superior and Mari. Famous throughout Europe for fabricating product. the finest gut strings for lutes, guitars and violins, their craft also included constructing some of the earliest In 1937, with the outbreak of World War II on the metal strings for wire strung instruments. horizon, E. & O. Mari decided to close their Italian factory. During the early 1940s, the Manhattan Established in the 1640s in Salle, the Mari family operation moved to Long Island City, New York and became one of the suppliers of violin strings to both remained there for nearly forty years. Changing Amati and Stradivari in Cremona. Throughout the locations in 1981, the factory’s present site is in 18th and 19th centuries the “House of Mari” also Newburgh, New York. operated a metal foundry that manufactured church bells. Today La Bella Strings / E. & O. Mari, Inc. is still a family owned and operated company – passed from Olinto In 1913, the two brothers, Emilio and Olinto Mari Mari to his daughter Elisabetta Mari and to her son left the family business to seek new opportunities in Richard Mari Cocco Jr., President and her grandson America. They settled in New York City where they Eric Cocco, Vice-President and granddaughter produced both gut and steel strings in a small factory Lorenza Cocco. An advocate of the arts and music in lower Manhattan. The business expanded in 1922 education worldwide, La Bella Strings sponsors jazz with the opening of a second factory in Lanciano, and rock performance clinics, professional artist Abruzzi. appearances and residencies. La Bella also supports At the 1927 “First Exposition Trade Show” of Tripoli, many guitar festivals and competitions by subsidizing North Africa, the Italian government awarded the scholarships and awards. “All other things being equal, it is not much to say that an instrument is only as good as its strings.” -A Guitar Manual, by Peter Huyn, Gene Leis, and E. & O. Mari, Inc. ® 1966 1 INTRODUCTION Past & Present STEEL STRINGS - On the ACOUSTIC AND factory ELECTRICS floor in In 1940, La Bella perfected the art of Newburgh... manufacturing flat wound steel strings for the electric guitar — still offered Polishing nylon for rectified strings today as the 20P Jazz Flats series. This product line now includes round wound and black nylon tape wound strings. During the guitar boom of the 1950s and ‘60s, E. & O. Mari was the trailblazer in the production of steel strings for the new electric bass guitar. These strings are still available Making wound steel strings as the “Original 1954— Style set. Advancements in acoustic and electric basses have continued throughout the last forty years. In 1962, E. & O. Mari introduced Supernils — the first string with a nylon wound on nylon core design. Created for the acoustic double Ball-End machine for bass, this model quickly became the steel strings Machines for wound steel strings preferred string for rockabilly and bluegrass slap style players. Our 7710 Professional Series, nylon tape wound acoustic double bass strings were developed with Attila Zoller and Ron Carter in the 1970s. These strings have become the standard set used by most jazz bassists. Working Spinning wound nylon strings with Ned Steinberger in the 1980s, La Bella perfected the Double Ball-End system for his revolutionary headless electric basses and guitars. Recent developments for the sound and feel of electric bass strings include: the great sustain of the Stainless Steel Round Wound Series, the flexibility of Super Steps and the warmth of Automatic machine for winding Nickel-Plated Round Wound Series. steel strings 2 INTRODUCTION NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS - GUT AND NYLON During the pre-war years, La Bella handmade gut strings became New York Factory the professional standard for orchestral instruments and classical circa 1940 guitars throughout Europe and America. Continually aware of any new developments in the field of music and technological advances in the world of manufacturing, E. & O. Mari recognized that they would eventually need to offer a wider selection of products. This commitment to detail was fulfilled at the conclusion of World War II. The post-war era yielded many scientific advances involving plastics and their related products. Conscious of these achievements in manufacturing, professional guitarists placed new demands on string makers. These musicians wanted longer lasting and more durable treble strings that were not susceptible to the effects of climate. Committed to satisfying this product demand, La Bella became involved with the creation and manufacturing of the first nylon classic guitar strings — the 427 Pacesetter Elite. This set contained the Dupont Corporation’s Tynex nylon products — monofilament strands for the trebles and nylon filaments for the core of the silver- plated wound basses. In the following decades, La Bella continued to improve their products and create new features for n y l o n strings. In 1961, the convenient ball-end Folksinger nylon trebles were developed to offer the amateur guitarist an alternative to tying a knot at the instrument’s bridge. In the 1970s and 1980s, a unique method of grinding or polishing nylon was perfected. This rectifying or buffing technique was applied to a special formula of monofilament extruded nylon, the high-density Nylon 101. E. & O. Mari offered these rectified nylon strings to both guitarists and lutenists who wanted to increase their artistic expression by having the feel of gut using these durable strings. Sorting, washing and twisting gut string. Today, our family tradition of modernization and excellence continues. The new Argento Series provides the latest standard for classical guitarists. This superior nylon has long lasting properties and remains true to pitch. Recently, a complete line of newly designed strings for lutes, early guitars and viols was developed. These gut and rectified nylon trebles, over spun and wound basses are available in our separate String Catalog for Early Instruments. 3 CLASSICAL GUITAR ARGENTO SERIESTM Maximize your performance Newly designed by La Bella Strings, the Argento Series Argento Hand Polished for concert guitar is a milestone in the art of string making These premium strings establish a new and the achievement of a family tradition that dates back generation of polished bass strings for to 1640. This series of strings are the product of research classical guitars. Their sound production and testing by concert artists and are manufactured with and responsive performance are worthy both the discriminating professional and dedicated amateur of the finest concert instruments and guitarist in mind. the greatest classical guitarists. Argento Pure Silver In addition to clear nylon trebles, the Created for players who demand Argento Hand Polished sets include hand-wound basses a purity of tone, the Argento Pure of 99% pure silver wire for the exterior wrap. They are hand- Silver set includes handmade bass polished using a meticulous multi-step process, which strings with a rich sonority superior to smooths the surface greatly reducing left hand finger noise. any plated wound string available on This new design offers an extended tonal range producing a the market. When played, the initial varied pallet of colors, both bright and dark, determined by the articulated note does not fluctuate slightest right hand articulation. from pitch but reveals a penetrating sound in the bass With a velvety texture allowing easy left hand fingering, these register. This can only be achieved with 99% solid silver basses also eliminate any right hand fingernail wear and tear. wire. Any other less precious metal cannot duplicate their Machine-polished strings have a slightly abrasive surface but long-lasting sound and substantial feel.

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