Origin of Rostanvo cello strings?

[cannam]

Earlier this year I bought a cello A string from Rostanvo, which apparently is (was) a small business in the UK selling their own strings online, for cello only.

I liked it very much, so I went back to their site to order some others - only to find they had disappeared! The site at rostanvo.com was unresponsive (it's now occupied by a domain squatter) and they no longer answered email. Some other shops that were reselling their strings now had them listed as discontinued, so it didn't look like a temporary technical problem.

Now I am wondering where the strings were made, and whether they are a close relative of any other, still available, product. I naively imagine (?) string production to be a sufficiently demanding process that a very small operation wouldn't be able to simply make their own, but rather would get an existing manufacturer to make something to spec? The Rostanvo was not hugely expensive so it presumably can't be a well-known high-end string rebranded, but I'm wondering if it might have come from the same place as one of them.

The A string I have is different in measurements and finish (not only in subjective qualities) from the popular contenders I've compared it to, of which there are I think 8 so far. It is labelled as made in the EU and of typical chrome-steel on steel construction.

I'd love to know if anyone here has any insight into the origin of these strings, or more generally about how string production works and so what things are more or less likely. I admit I'm generally very curious about the story here, as well as being interested in the strings. I'm aware that someone from Rostanvo has posted here in the past (if not for a few years) so it would be particularly wonderful to hear from source, though I know that's probably wishful thinking.

Edited July 23 by cannam

[baroquecello]

All I know is it was a british brand run by an Eastern European cellist. The brand name was chosen to sound like Rostropovich, Starker and a third cellist I forgot. The brand advertised that they took special care in designing the tension within the set to be optimally calibrated. For me, the c string was not stable enough, and the a string rather too punchy, but they were well made strings, and were the most durable strings I've ever had.I think they didn't do enough publicity outside of the UK. I'd imagine brexit wasn't very helpful either, but what do I know. Sad to hear they are no longer in business,  but I'm not very surprised. 

[baroquecello]

Found you a place that still stocks them

 

And another one

[Andreas Preuss]

Baroquecello summarized it all. 
 

When strings came out they were some players who.really loved them, there was just one problem: the A string would snap very easily on cellos with a longer string length than the standard. Though the producer was very friendly in replacing snapped strings it got for me too frequent to continue business. I hope this problem  could be solved.

[cellopera]

They have a new website, I’m not sure that they are discontinued: https://rostanvo.myshopify.com

[cannam]

46 minutes ago, cellopera said:

They have a new website, I’m not sure that they are discontinued: https://rostanvo.myshopify.com

That's interesting! I think I had seen the domain at some point, but I knew that the original site had been powered by Shopify so I likely assumed it was hosting some vestigial bits after an untidy shutdown.

Would be great if they were still going! I've filled in the contact form on there so let's see.

[Mr. Bean]

I am a Rostanvo strings dealer, but I could not get contact with them in the UK for re-ordering, in the last year or so: no replies on several mail messages!

Would be a sad story if those strings were discontinued!

[Mr. Bean]

16 hours ago, baroquecello said:

Found you a place that still stocks them

 

And another one

Yes I am one of them!

[cannam]

On 7/24/2024 at 1:08 PM, cannam said:

I've filled in the contact form on there so let's see.

No reply yet - which is inconclusive, but not promising.

More conclusive might be to place an order there, but I don't think I'm bold enough. I'm guessing it is simply the content that was previously hosted behind the custom domain, but exposed directly by Shopify now that the domain has gone.

If the shop site was still current but there had been a separate problem with the domain, I would expect the shop site to say so. That it doesn't mention a problem suggests it hasn't been updated at all.

 

[Mr. Bean]

I filled in the contact form several times in the past months as well, but no reply at all since now.

[John Rihani]

If anyone is looking for some in the USA, try reaching out to Paige's Music in Fishers, IN. When I worked there we had a small stash of them as they were enthusiastically received by a few people. I am no longer there, but I imagine the strings still are!