What Super Sensitive does

Super-Sensitive Musical String Company is a U.S.-based manufacturer of strings for orchestral and fretted instruments, founded in 1930 by Ed Wackerle, who developed the stainless-steel string brand now sold as Red Label. The company produces four principal product lines: Red Label (stainless-steel strings for violin, viola, cello, and bass, positioned for educators, beginners, and intermediate players); Old Fiddler (strings for country-western and bluegrass musicians, introduced under Cavanaugh family ownership in 1967); Supreme (multi-strand core strings for cello and bass); and Pinnacle (wound strings incorporating innovative metals such as silver and tungsten). Core technology centers on stainless-steel string construction and multi-strand core architectures, with no disclosed patents or proprietary digital systems.

The company's primary customer segments are music educators and school music programs, students and beginning-to-intermediate players, and a secondary segment of country-western and bluegrass musicians. Pricing details are not publicly disclosed, and the company sells through a combination of direct-to-consumer e-commerce (D'Addario's website post-acquisition), physical retail storefronts, and wholesale distribution serving music retailers and schools. Customer-facing engagement is supported by D'Addario's Players Circle loyalty program and a multi-platform social media presence spanning Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Following its January 2021 acquisition by D'Addario & Co., Super-Sensitive operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary, with production transitioned to D'Addario's Farmingdale, New York facility and products distributed through D'Addario's global network. The company historically maintained family ownership under the Cavanaugh family from 1967 through 2021; leadership transition to Jim Cavanaugh as President occurred in 2008. Headcount stands at 11-50 employees, and no revenue, funding, or financial metrics are publicly disclosed.

Name

Super Sensitive

Legal name

Super-Sensitive Musical String Company

Website

https://supersensitive.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Super-Sensitive Musical String Company, founded in 1930 and acquired by D'Addario in January 2021, manufactures orchestral and fretted instrument strings under the Red Label, Old Fiddler, Supreme, and Pinnacle brands, serving music educators, students, and country/bluegrass musicians through global distribution channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Musical Instrument Strings

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG), Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA)

Keywords

• Musical string manufacturing
• Orchestral instrument strings
• Stainless steel strings
• Violin cello bass strings
• Music education accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarasota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Musical String Sales: Sale of orchestral and guitar strings including Red Label, Old Fiddler, Supreme, and Pinnacle product lines

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Super-Sensitive manufactures musical strings for orchestral and fretted instruments, with a portfolio spanning Red Label stainless-steel orchestral strings, Old Fiddler strings for country-western and bluegrass, Supreme multi-strand core strings for cello and bass, and Pinnacle wound strings featuring silver and tungsten. The company targets educators, students, and beginning-to-intermediate musicians, and operates as a brand under D'Addario following the January 2021 acquisition.

Product overview

Super-Sensitive Musical String Company is a manufacturer of musical strings for orchestral and fretted instruments. Founded in 1930, the company produces a portfolio of string products including Red Label (stainless-steel strings for violin, viola, cello, and bass), Old Fiddler (for country-western and bluegrass), Supreme (multi-strand core for cello and bass), and Pinnacle (wound strings with silver and tungsten). The company was acquired by D'Addario in January 2021. Products target educators, students, beginners, and intermediate players in school music programs and the broader orchestral market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Label: Legacy brand of orchestral and student strings, originally developed by Ed Wackerle as a stainless-steel string.
• Old Fiddler
• Supreme
• Pinnacle

Products and services

• Red Label Legacy stainless-steel string line for orchestral instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass), designed for educators, beginners, and intermediate players seeking affordable, reliable strings for student and instructional use.
• Old Fiddler String line developed for country-western and bluegrass musicians, offering tonal and durability characteristics suited to American folk music styles.
• Supreme Multi-strand core string line engineered for cello and bass, delivering enhanced tonal response and playability for larger orchestral string instruments.
• Pinnacle Wound string line incorporating innovative metals including silver and tungsten, representing Super-Sensitive's advancement in string construction metallurgy.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• D'AddariocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2021D'Addario acquired Super-Sensitive Musical String Company on January 7, 2021. D'Addario intends to honor the company's storied history, particularly the time-tested Red Label brand, by maintaining the integrity of the Super-Sensitive family of strings. Production was transitioned to Farmingdale, New York, and Super-Sensitive products are now included in D'Addario's global distribution network.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Fender: Fender is the largest guitar and bass manufacturer globally and also sells its own branded strings. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in musical hardware and accessories, competing indirectly across Super-Sensitive's customer base.
• D'Addario: D'Addario is the parent company of Super-Sensitive and the largest global manufacturer of musical instrument strings. It is directly comparable as a string manufacturer with overlapping product lines, global distribution, and the same underlying technology focus, while also operating as a broader portfolio owner.

Direct peers

• La Bella Strings: La Bella is a heritage US string manufacturer with a strong orchestral and bass string portfolio, directly overlapping with Super-Sensitive's Supreme and Pinnacle product lines for cello and bass.
• Elixir Strings: Elixir is a major coated guitar and acoustic string manufacturer. It competes in the same consumable string category with proprietary technology differentiation, and shares Super-Sensitive's emphasis on durability and player-experience benefits.
• Pirastro: Pirastro is a German premium orchestral string maker with deep heritage, directly competing with Super-Sensitive's orchestral and cello/bass offerings. Comparable on product category, customer base (string players, educators), and premium positioning.
• Thomastik-Infeld: Thomastik-Infeld is a premium Austrian orchestral string manufacturer. It competes with Super-Sensitive's Pinnacle and Supreme lines in the higher-end cello, bass, and orchestral string categories with a comparable technology-driven approach.
• Rotosound: Rotosound is a UK-based string manufacturer producing guitar, bass, and orchestral strings with strong brand recognition. Comparable as a heritage sub-brand string maker serving multiple musician segments.
• Ernie Ball: Ernie Ball is a leading manufacturer of guitar and bass strings (e.g., Slinky) with a comparable specialty consumables business model and similar educator/professional player customer base. Closely comparable on product category and go-to-market motion.
• Martin Strings (C.F. Martin & Co.): Martin manufactures its own line of acoustic guitar strings (Martin Strings), competing directly in the branded string category. The company is highly comparable in targeting serious acoustic players with premium string offerings.
• GHS Strings: GHS is a US-based string manufacturer producing guitar, bass, and orchestral strings. It is directly comparable as a competing string brand with overlapping distribution channels and similar sub-brand segmentation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Super Sensitive