La Bella Strings

The best
La Bella's Golden Alloy sets are wound with our exclusively formulated 80/20 Brass Alloy, producing a very bright tone. With the ability to sustain a long d..
La Bella’s Phosphor Bronze sets are made with our exclusively formulated bronze and tin alloy, producing a brighter tone and longer string life than any o..
La Bella's Golden Alloy sets are wound with our exclusively formulated 80/20 Brass Alloy, producing a very bright tone. With the ability to sustain a long d..
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La Bella Strings

In the 17th century, the small town of Salle in the Abruzzi region of Italy was considered one of the string centers in Europe. Local church records reveal that the most important string manufacturing families were Berti, Dorazio, Ruffini and MARI. Famous throughout Europe for fabricating the finest gut strings for lutes, guitars and violins, their craft also included constructing some of the earliest strings for wire strung instruments. Established in the 1640s in Salle, the Mari family became one of the suppliers of violin strings to both Amati and Stradivari in Cremona. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries the “House of Mari” also operated a metal foundry that manufactured church bells.

Brothers Emilio and Olinto Mari left the family business to seek new opportunities in America. They settled in New York City where they produced both gut and steel strings in their small apartment in lower Manhattan. As the word spread among musicians in the area, so did the popularity of their product. A local music store grew very fond of the high quality hand made strings the two brothers produced, and made them an offer to help expand. Brothers Emilio & Olinto Mari move to New York City and quickly became known for their high-quality hand-made strings. Strings are manufactured under brands La Preferita, Sweetone, Criterion & New-Tone. The first factory opened in the year 1914 on 170 Fifth Avenue. 

The brand “La Bella” is officially trademarked and used in E. & O. Mari’s line of orchestral gut strings, eventually becoming the flagship brand of the company. E. & O. Mari, Inc. remains the oldest incorporated, continuously family-owned & operated music string manufacturer in the world. Today E. & O. Mari / La Bella is still a family-owned and operated company, passed from Olinto Mari to his daughter Elisabetta Mari, and then to her son Richard Mari Cocco Jr., President and her grandson Eric Cocco, Vice-President and granddaughter, Lorenza Cocco. An advocate of the arts and music education worldwide, E. & O. Mari sponsors jazz and rock performance clinics, professional artist appearances and residencies. La Bella also supports many guitar festivals and competitions by subsidizing scholarships and awards.

www.labella.com