Cello - altering sound/tone

[Ilikebeaver]

I recently bought a 30 year old cello that has good overall tone.

However, the a string is a bit harsh and doesn't blend well with the other more mellow strings.

I prefer a mellow / warm sounding cello so was thinking of replacing the a string.

Should I do this first or might getting a Tourte mute help change the feel of it to the way I like?

Decent strings are unite expensive and not being in the know, I may go through a few before finding one that isn't harsh sounding

[dojo]

Think you'd be best changing the strings first off??

Talking as a guitarist/bassist I would change the whole set as the new string will be much brighter than the old ones.

Does the bow make a difference? Maybe the combination of your old bow and the new cello isn't giving a good tone?

Just had a quick read about. you have 3 types of string
1: Gut core - good mellow complex tone, dont stay in tune well.
2: Steel core - good tuning stability, can sound a bit thin and bright/harsh
3. Synthetic core - good mixture of both.

I would guess that you have an old steel core string on your new old cello hence the tone and you've come from a modern synthetic string.