I follow this discussion with great interest. IO am certainly no gut researcher, but my friend Dan Larson is. I have loaded gut, dense gut, pistoy gut, gimped gut, etc. I use it because it is the best sound. I have used gut in performance for the past 14-15 years, and for me, I have difficulty switching to synthetics for all the reasons that have been stated on this list for years.
I use it because for me, it sounds best, especially for baroque lutes, both 11-course and 13-course lutes. The answer is that we are really not certain if strings were loaded, and there is evidence showing they were, as well as evidence to the contrary. Until we have definitive answers, we do not know what was used. ed At 12:34 PM 2/28/2009 -0800, Daniel Winheld wrote: > Dear colleagues and especially our esteemed stringmaker/researchers; as > regards the present big question- "Was they WAS, or was they WASN'T, > loaded? In our search for evidence, and evaluation of same, let's also > keep in mind the famous dictum of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as channeled > through that old coke addict/violinist Sherlock Holmes: > > "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the > impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? > > Not simple, of course. with multiple possibilities available to be > further explored. > > > >>How many lutes were mesured for bridge hole's > >>>diameter? 10, 20 or 30? > > > >I dnot see that we need a complete or even a substantial survey. > > > >Any instance where the bridge was conceived as we see it and the > diapason > >holes are significantly smaller than the holes for stoped basses is > >evidence tht smaller diameter strings were conciously used, if that > then > >obliges the use of strings denser than natural, loading of some > sort is > > >indicated, if not overspin, then chemical. > >-- > > -- > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.11.4/1976 - Release Date: 02/27/09 >13:27:00 Edward Martin 2817 East 2nd Street Duluth, Minnesota 55812 e-mail: [email protected] voice: (218) 728-1202
