Dear Stephen, I have been using Nylgut strings on both of my 6 course lutes for about 2 years (still the first set on both so far!). I have plain nylgut down to the fourth course and octaves on the 5th & 6th with Pyramid basses. Both instruments are played very regularly (most days). I find the strings very stable and rarely have to retune them. I like the sound and feel of them a lot and am generally very happy to use them - I wish they had been invented 30 years ago!
Strings, it has to be said, are very much part of an interaction between themselves, the instrument and the player. There are a lot of variables, which is why different players report such diverse results. The character of the instrument is a very significant part of it. Years ago someone showed me an old Martin flat top that had been in an attic for a long time - the strings must have been many years old, but it still sounded good when tuned up. My guess is that the better an instrument is, the more tolerant it will be of the type of stringing used. Let's not forget that some of the landmark recordings in the lute world were made on nylon strung instruments and still sounded wonderful. I would not feel inhibited about trying Nylgut - it's not expensive, so there's nothing to lose there, and you might find it's your ideal string. Best wishes, Denys ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Arndt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 4:34 PM Subject: Nylgut > Hello to All! > > I read with interest Bill's response to Charles concerning nylgut = > strings. I have been wanting to try nylgut, but the luthier who made my = > instrument has a rather low opinion of them, so I haven't yet. Since = > Bill plays the oud rather than the lute, I'm wondering whether any = > Renaissance lutenists on our list have used nylgut and, if so, what = > their experience with it has been. > > Best regards, > > Stephen Arndt > -- >
