Dear Anthony, I do, of course, generally bow to Mimmo Peruffo's undoubted experience and knowledge of gut strings and, indeed, very much look forward to his revamped loaded strings due to be launched this Autumn. However, the use of a single gut was not my speculation but a view which has been put forward for some time (Eph Segerman for one): the idea was not that trebles were made from a single piece cut from one large gut (which might contain many local irregularities) but from a single, slightly trimmed and particularly well selected, smaller gut. I recall that the tapered strings described in the Capirola MS were also cited as supporting evidence. My reason for price concern is that with 16 partly or fully gut strung (and fretted) instruments to maintain the cost of gut can be a real issue (as no doubt for the Old Ones - look how much some were paid to keep their instruments in strings). I'm also interested in the responses that Universale's strings are particularly strong - I wonder if they wholesale supply some better known companies who may not actually make their own gut from scratch (eg Kurschner)? MH
Anthony Hind <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Mimmo You are right to say that few of us know anything about string making. I try to glean information from various places on the web, and largely fill in with my imagination, I fear. I also have to interpret what I read and without actually seeing the processes, probably misunderstand. I hope some of what I said was near the mark, but do feel free to correct me, I do want to learn. Best regards Anthony Le 24 aout 07 =E0 18:54, Mimmo Peruffo a ecrit : > No, no! martin is in mistake > A whole single gut produce a more irregular and weaker string than > those made from split strands. > I find a lot of these affermations on the web from those that know > nothng or few about stringmaking. > Strings amed with more strand, at the same gauges are: > more uniform > more strong > Ciao > Mimmo > > > > > > _________________________________ > > Aquila Corde Armoniche S.a.s > www.aquilacorde.com > Phone +39 0444 986972 > Fax +39 0444 989399 > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Anthony Hind > To: Martyn Hodgson ; [email protected] Net > Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 6:49 PM > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Gut strings - 'Universale corde musicali' > > Martyn > I just had a thought. If price is your main concern, for whatever > reason, you could look at Banjo strings. Martin Shepherd, I think, > told me he sometimes uses Purr'll Gut Strings for his top string. > Their prices look very cheap, but I don't know about the quality. > Perhaps Martyn used them on the top, because they were very strong, > or because he wants cheap relacements, for the string which breaks > most. > http://gourdbanjo.com/GBhtml/gut.html > > Regarding your remark, "you may also be aware of the view that the > old trebles had a significantly higher tensile strength because they > were made of a single well selected gut rather than two or three > thinner guts twisted together which inevitably introduced an element > of discontinuity within the string", > that is why I mentioned a possible size difference between sheep > today, and in the past. > On the other hand, trebles today, are not made from two or three > thinner guts, but thicker gut cut down into strips, and then twisted > together. The gut now seems to be too thick to be used whole as a > treble (I think I am correct in this, but please anyone say, if I > have got it wrong). > > As to the Venice and the Pistoy, they are a twist of strings, > themselves made of twisted sliced gut. They are not top strings, but > for 4th down to 6th, at the smallest. > Best regards > Anthony > > > > > Le 24 aout 07 =E0 18:05, Martyn Hodgson a ecrit : > > > > > Many thanks for this Anthony. > > > > My main motive for asking was the increasing cost of gut > > (especially fret gut oddly enough) and Universale's prices seemed > > very competitive - hence if their quality was OK then I'd order > > from them rather than MP or Sofracob or Kurschner or others. In > > your email I'm not wholly clear if the Venice strings which you > > mention as being v good are Aquila's or Universale's - grateful for > > clarification. > > > > Regarding numbers of guts in a string, you may also be aware of > > the view that the old trebles had a significantly higher tensile > > strength because they were made of a single well selected gut > > rather than two or three thinner guts twisted together which > > inevitably introduced an element of discontinuity within the > > string: I'm not aware that modern string makers have taken this > > challenge up yet. > > > > regards, > > > > MH > > > > > > > > Anthony Hind wrote: > > Dear Martyn > > I don't know whether they are similar to Aquila Venice which > > are a twine of two elements, and not a tress of three like Pistoys. > > This according to Mimmo Perfuffo results in a more flexible string; > > but I suppose flexibilty may not be everything. > > > > I found the Venice very good, particularly on the 4th course, where > > Pistoys can't work. > > According to MP it doesn't matter what material (ram, cow etc) that > > the gut comes from. He claims to have made blind tests to prove > this. > > > > On the other hand today we no longer find gut made from whole gut, > > but strips. This might make a difference, perhaps. A friend of my > > daughter has begun to keep a couple of "vintage" rare breed sheep, > > and I notice how small and wild they look, more like miniature goats > > (even the female has horns). I wonder whether sheep up to the 17th > > century would not have been much smaller than today. I don't know > > whether that means the intestines would have been smaller though. It > > is just a thought. > > > > M.P. also tells me that he has now rediscovered much of the old > > technology in his ongoing research, and could produce some > strings as > > strong as nylon; however, the process would be painstakingly long, > > and I suppose they would be very expensive. > > > > I know that Dan Larson made a gimped string with tungsten that was > > exceptionally true, and well liked by the lucky few who could try > it. > > This may not be historic, but I suppose it was cost that meant the > > string remained in prototype form. > > > > I have the impression that if more lutists showed interest in gut > > strings, we would see some very interesting developments in this > area. > > Regards > > Anthony > > > > Le 24 aout 07 =E0 17:10, Martyn Hodgson a ecrit : > > > >> > >> Has anybody experience of strings by this specialist Italian > >> company offering 'Highest quality ram's and ox's gut strings for > >> Renaissance, Baroque and Classical performance'? > >> > >> On their website they only show price lists for violin and gamba > >> family instruments but offer 'Special ox's gut strings', High twist > >> ram gut strings' Venice catlines' amongs others so I suppose culd > >> provide suitable strings for lutes/guitars. Prices look good > >> (especially fret gut). > >> > >> MH > >> > >> > >> > >> x's twist', 'Venice Catlines' so I suppose > >> > >> > >> --------------------------------- > >> For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good > >> this month. > >> -- > >> > >> To get on or off this list see list information at > >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > > Yahoo! Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit > > now. > > -- > > > -- --------------------------------- For ideas on reducing your carbon footprint visit Yahoo! For Good this month. --
