D’Addario Acquires Super-Sensitive

D’Addario has announced the acquisition of Super-Sensitive Musical String Company, whose inception dates back to the 1930s. This acquisition enhances the options D’Addario can provide educators and students, including Red Label, a legacy brand in the orchestral, student string market. 

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 — ensuring its loyal customer base can continue to enjoy the brand they know and trust.  

In the short-term, D’Addario will transition the production of Super-Sensitive’s product portfolio to Farmingdale, New York, with keen attention to rebuilding retailer’s and wholesalers’ inventory needs. This will also allow D’Addario to include Red Label and other Super-Sensitive products as part of their global distribution network.  

“Super-Sensitive is an exciting addition to D’Addario’s orchestral offering, providing students and educators a variety of product choices to fit their evolving needs,” says D’Addario President & CEO John D’Addario III. “We are committed to honoring Red Label’s impact on the industry as we continue together under one roof.”  

Super-Sensitive Musical String Company was established in 1930 by Ed Wackerle, developer of the stainless-steel string known today as Red Label. The brand has been beloved by educators, beginners, and intermediate players ever since.    

In 1967, John and Vincent Cavanaugh bought the company. They began developing Old Fiddler, a line popular for country-western and bluegrass musicians, Supreme, a multi-strand core string for cello and bass, and Pinnacle, a wound string with innovative metals such as silver and tungsten. In 1997, Jim Cavanaugh, the son of John Cavanaugh, joined the company as Vice President of Operations and took over as President in 2008. Supporting music in schools has been a longstanding tradition for the company and continues to be a significant part of its strategic planning.    

“The D’Addario family and ours share a great history in the string business. I could not imagine a better company—and family—to continue building upon our life’s work and the great legacy of Super-Sensitive,” says Jim Cavanaugh.