Stephen--
I'm very amateur, but have been playing for some time; haven't done a lot of
experimenting with stringing, but FWIW: I like nylgut over other synthetics for the
feel and sound; I like it over gut for its relatively greater stability and lesser
cost.
For my treble g I use a size larger than the charts would indicate (.44 v. .42),
because under tension the nylgut will actually thin out somewhat; once stretched it
is the appropriate diameter (this on advice from Boston Catlines). This is not a
problem with lower courses.
As Sean indicated, the nylgut does take a while to "settle in", especially with
lighter gauges. I have re-used a treble which broke near the bridge, and though it
had been under tension and "played in" for some time, it still took a while to
stabilize again. Not good for emergency re-stringing.
As for durability, I've had some nylgut strings on my lute for well over a year,
lower courses for several years. Breakage has only occurred on the lightest strings.
The most trouble I've encountered was with a couple of trebles which broke with very
short lifespan--may have been a bad batch of resin in their production. Perhaps I
should look into something different for first course?
Regards,
Leonard Williams
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From: "Stephen Arndt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 2004/05/23 Sun AM 11:34:26 EDT
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Nylgut
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