Dear Herbert, you asked:
> Does anyone prefer the sound of low-tension strings? Or is it as simple > as: > high tension = more volume, better tone, less slapping, harder to play > low tension = less volume, worse tone, more slapping, easier to play > > I'm from south Texas, where gut is not very practical, so I'm more > interested in carbon/nylon strings. I think there really is an optimal tension for each string, each material and each lute! Too low does not sound, too high sounds bad... So I suggest you experiment. A good idea might be to try a string higher and lower than is the final note for that place. Then you can use some string calculator (for ex mine in the page http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/wikla/mus/Calcs/wwwscalc.html ), and see, in what note the sound and feel were as best. Then you can calculate, what thickness of string you need to achieve the proper note with the same tension. This is not still "a piece of cake" - different thicknesses behave differently - but this is anyhow something to start with... About the "non-gut" materials: I would avoid nylon and "guitar type wound strings". Today I like the Nylgut, and also the "carbon" is quite usable, though many claim it feels a little dead. I can stand that if it sounds good, though... ;-) Arto
