String tech wizards--
I have a home-built (but decent!) hurdy-gurdy built on a 15th c.
design. Single chanterelle in d´, with bourdons g, d and G; the latter are
Savarez overspun gut; no trompette or sympathetics. I'm curious about
authenticity of the overspuns: was such a thing available in 1490 (or so),
or were heavy plain gut strings used? Another option I've considered is a
gimped gut (gut with a single wire wound through it to increase mass, reduce
thickness). My thinking is that a stiffer string than an overspun might
produce a more solid, fundamental biased bass. Or perhaps my thinking is
all wrong, and the bourdons should have good overtone presence--a matter of
defining a true hurdy-gurdy sound, I suppose.
I'm new to the hurdy-gurdy and would appreciate any comments and
insights you experienced players/builders might have.
Thanks and regards,
Leonard Williams
