Hi Jon, I had forgotten that Nylon is a trademark name. So, in the strict sense, Nylgut can't be Nylon. My understanding is that it is a plastic that has been treated somehow to change the density and make it more like gut. As far as I know, there is not any real gut in it. It looks and acts different than either standard nylon or gut, although it sounds more like gut than does nylon. It stretches a whole lot more at first than either nylon or gut, too. I tried it on my first lute but decided to go with real gut when I built my present lute. The price was about the same, and I liked the sound and feel of real gut better. I'm not performing, so the problems that lutenists experience with gut on a stage under lights don't affect me. And I haven't noticed any wild changes in pitch with weather changes.
Tim > > > >---- Original Message ---- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: lanolin >Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 03:54:49 -0500 > >>Tim, >> >>Are you sure Nylgut is still nylon? And I don't quarrel here. As I >>understand it Nylgut is a proprietary product of Aquila (Italy?). >And as >>Nylon is a patented formulation of DuPont the Nylgut must be a >different >>formulation. >> >>The question becomes whether Aquila has found a way to integrate the >natural >>gut fibers into the Nylon formulation, or if they have just found a >new >>formulation of the plastic. If it were the latter I'd think they >would have >>left the Nyl out of the name, assuming that DuPont still has the >title to >>the name. But then again the name might be public domain now and >Aquila >>using it to bounce off the Nylon reputation. But were I them, and >found a >>new totally plastic formulation I'd have called it Aquigut, or >something. >> >>As a packrat I keep scraps for whatever, there is a test to try. I >don't >>have a micro scale for weight/unit (density), but if the Nylgut is >absorbant >>I should be able to observe that with a micrometer (which I do have) >as it >>would swell when not under stress. >> >>A good thinking point Tim, thanks, >> >>Best, Jon >> >>BTW, I'm long gone from cracked fingertips and thumbs, I just have >to use >>them more softly on the strings. the calouses from years of work and >play >>are so deep that nothing will soften them. >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
