And if you need an over complicated version of a string selector here it is http://www.donaldsauter.com/string-calculation.htm
I'm not a math type guy so I could figure this out with a lot of help and several pencils. Good luck. Scott -----Original Message----- From: Kazimierz Verkmastare <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, Oct 20, 2010 7:39 pm Subject: Re: [HG-new] Off topic on string selection Cobza could be as well built as any other lute, or not. This is a short-scale instrument, so I will have to assume it is closer to the fretless Oud than to the fretted lute - most instruments that follow the regular string tension rules of the fretted lute have scales of 550mm or longer, some up to 800mm. It often happens that you break a lute before you break a string, so erring on the light side is good, especially when bringing back an older instrument of uncertain pedigree. Tension starting at the first course of most lutes is around 3.6 Kg, although I have seen string sets which based the 1st course at 4.2-4.3 Kg that seems a little high for my comfort on an older instrument (there are several makers that are building for higher tension nylon or carbon strings nowdays, but those are new instruments). But since you have a shorter instrument you will experience higher tensions on each gauge of strings than you would on the long necked instruments, so somewhere in the range of 3.9-4.0 Kg for the first course doesn't seem too dangerous, and would still feel pretty good for playing with fingertips and not plucking with nails. I am not an expert, but I have been taught to start at the base string of the first course, reduce the tension by 10% for the base of the second course, and reduce it again by 10% for each course to the 5th, then 10% again for all courses below that. The octaves should be somewhere around the tension of the lowest base string, adjusted a bit for preference. In other words, the 1st course starting at 4.0 Kg, the second at 3.6 Kg, the third thru fifth at 3.24 Kg, the 6th (common 11 string lute) 2.9 Kg. The octaves should be around 2.9 Kg or thereabouts. The lowest bass strings might have to be a bit higher tension if you choose a loaded or extra high twist gut because they will tend to have a wider cycle and buzz against the octaves if they are too slack, you probably won't know until you string it up. So knowing the tension, length and the note you are trying to attain, you can find a diameter that will give you at least 20% safety margin below the breaking point. You can actually go as low as half the breaking tension for any given length and get useful sound on a lute, but if you want it to be bright and responsive, keep the string for each length thinner rather than thicker. I have never hit one right on the head first time out, but I have gotten enough information out of putting a few strings on key places on the instrument and then seeing how they felt to get close to optimum on the second pass. There are several stringmakers and lute builders / merchants who have so much experience they can shoot an unknown instrument pretty well first time out, and they are willing to do so. But usually the formula above will produce a playable, if not optimal, instrument when you don't have any specific information. Hope it helps Chris > Hi all, this is off topic, but maybe someone here can help me with > a stringing question. > > I am retrofitting a cobza (Romanian lute) that needs some work to > repair a considerable amount of wear and some bad "improvements" > made to it in the past (e.g., replacing tapered pegs with cheap > guitar tuners). I would like to replace the current, narrow range > tuning with mandola tuning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandola), > which is essentially viola tuning. I would also like to use octave > tuning since the instrument is set up with chorus tuning. > > The scale length is 448 mm, but due to a lute-style peg head, > strings must be at least 500 mm. > > Any suggestion for how I would determine the appropriate strings? > There are a lot of variables I don't know, like tension, that make > it difficult to use a string gauge calculator. > > -Arle -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hurdygurdy The rules of posting, courtesy, and other list information may be found at http://hurdygurdy.com/mailinglist/index.htm. To reduce spam, posts from new subscribers are held pending approval by the webmaster.
