Thank you for this Martin and Anthony. These strings are interesting as
a further alternative to loaded, wire wound and the 'spring' string;
especially for those with a large number of instruments to string.
I looked into these Saverez KF strings some time ago (are you sure
they're 'new' out?) and had reports at the time that they were simply
PVF(carbon) strings like any other of the same ilk. I'd be grateful for
any clarification you can offer.
Martin, you say they only become multi strand above 0.95mm dia but in
Anthony's message he gives someone using thinner KF strings with the
implication that they are these new multi-strand type. 'an example of
the stringing he uses on a lute or 7c Vihuela : g' KFN33 - d' KFN43 -
a KFN52 - f KFN66-33 - c KFN84 - 43,5 - G KFN 112 - 57 - F KFN126 -
62.' Is it possible that the 'new' aspect of these KF strings are that
Saverez now makes these multistrand strings at smaller diameters?
What's the signoficance of the N in KFN? Does it mean new/nouveau type
of KF strings?
The Saverez website is next to useless only giving marketing blurb and
lists of available sizes but says the strings are made from 'composite
fibres' which again implies that all sizes are multi strand. They also
make the claim that they are new but perhaps they simply haven't
updated an old website?
ALLIANCE KF COMPOSITE, Strings for harp
A real innovation! This strings are manufactured from composites fibres
A production which requires fine and sophisticated technologies that
only Savarez could implement until now.
Thanks to the technologies, Savarez can produce strings which
geometrical qualities are perfect and which resist to the tensions
required by the harp. Many years of work and a focusing of complicated
technologies were necessary to obtain such a result.
A long work on the molecules, some molecular relationships and the rate
of "cristalinity" allow Savarez to obtain an elongation and an
elasticity identical to the ones of the gut.
The density of these strings is extremely close to the one of the gut,
so the comparison takes more value. So though gut strings still are
very popular, Alliance KF strings have a perfect alternative sound for
those who wish to take profit of gut sound and synthetic strings
advantages.
--- On Fri, 10/12/10, Martin Shepherd <[email protected]> wrote:
From: Martin Shepherd <[email protected]>
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re New Savarez harp strings?
To: "Lute List" <[email protected]>
Date: Friday, 10 December, 2010, 12:19
Dear All,
I have been using these KF strings for some years. The smallest
diameter is .95mm, but this is the equivalent of a gut string of about
1.07mm. The one I use is "KF95A", but I think the "A" just refers to
the fact that it is a 2m length. It works well as a 5th course on a
renaissance lute (with an octave - I have not tried unison). It looks
more like a gut string, opaque rather than clear. I have not tried the
thicker strings, but it seems that it might be worth a try - I think
Jacob Heringman may have done so.
I think the next size down is .91mm, but it is a plain monofilament PVF
string. I think some people are using them for a unison 5th course.
Best wishes,
Martin
On 10/12/2010 10:05, Anthony Hind wrote:
> Dear Theo
>
> Just recently on the French Lute list, Carlos Gonzales,
president of the Sp
> anish Vihuela society, and lutemaker, has sopoken highly of these
strings vihuel
> a (President Carlos Gonzales)spoke about this;
>
> See the thread here,
> $
> Re: [Le_luth] Cordes vihuela - demande `a Carlos
> $
> [1][1]http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239
> $
> has said that for the last few years he has been using these
Savarez KF
> strings made specially for harps, as basses for lutes baroque
guitars
> and vihuelas. He confirms that they are made up of thinner
strands
> glued together, and that he finds them "very balanced, as sweet
as the
> human voice". He admits that you need to get used to their
thickness,
> but it remains thinner than pure gut types.
> He gives an example of the stringing he uses on a lute or 7c
Vihuela :
> g' KFN33 - d' KFN43 - a KFN52 - f KFN66-33 - c KFN84 - 43,5 - G
KFN 112
> - 57 - F KFN126 - 62.
> He goes on to say that his wife has used them for some years, and
that
> in his experience, it is hard to come back to wirewounds after
using
> them. Although, he says he has heard that some players wax their
wire
> wounds to make them less bright.
> $
> It seems that at the next [2]Festival de Musica Antigua at
Gijon, the
> topic of strings will be on the agenda, and he hopes that it will
be
> possible to compare these harp strings, with Charles Besnainou's
spring
> strings (Charles is invited to this meeting), and Mimmo Peruffo's
> loaded strings. Carlos hopes to make acoustic analyses of these
> differents string types, in his sound laboratory.
> $
> Please note that I am only reporting Carlos's words, and not
endorsing
> them, as I have never heard these strings. I have heard both
Charles
> Besnainou's ultra low impedance spring strings, and myself use
low
> impedance loaded strings, which I find excellent, when used in
the
> right combination of strings (see the recent loaded string
thread).
> Charles' spring strings can either be made of carbon or of gut,
but I
> have only heard the gut strings on bowed instruments. I did hear
his
> carbon springs on his lutes: I would say that they are very free
and
> open, with excellent high frequency content (low impedance), but
they
> also did add a plasticky sound to the overall sound-mix; which
was not
> at all the case with the bowed gut spring strings. I wonder to
what
> extent the KF harps stirings add that plasticky quality, or
whether the
> fact that they are composites gets round the bell like sound of
most
> carbon strings.
> $
> Stephen Gottlieb who is reputed for using only gut basses on his
lutes
> (mainly those of George Stoppani), mentionned that he had tried
some
> carbon KF basses, which he had had to cut down to get through the
> bridge holes; but he said they were rather good. I imagine these
could
> be the same strings.
> Regards
> Anthony
> epuis quelques annees j'utilise des cordes Savarez KF conc,ues
pour les
> harpes "carbone file carbone". En fait se sont les cordes KF `a
partir
> du diametre 0,95, au lieu d'etre du monofilament elles se
presentent
> sous la forme d'un monofilament avec des tres fins brins colles.
Je les
> utilise pour les bourdons et on peut corder une vihuela, une
guitare
> baroque ou un luth sept choeurs sans cordes filees metal. Je
trouve le
> son tres equilibre et les basses douces comme des voix humaines.
Il
> faut s'y habituer aux grosses diametres , meme si en boyau les
graves
> seraient encore plus grosses.
> Un exemple de cordage pour luth ou vihuela `a 7 choeurs: g' KFN33
- d'
> KFN43 - a KFN52 - f KFN66-33 - c KFN84 - 43,5 - G KFN 112 - 57 -
F
> KFN126 - 62.
> Mon epouse Mabel les utilise depuis des annees, et il faut dire
> qu'apres on a du mal `a revenir aux cordes filees metal. J'ai
entendu
> dire que certains enduisent de cire les cordes filees pour les
rendre
> plus mates, mais je n'ai jamais essaye.
> Cela dit on est toujours `a la recherche d'autres solutions,
comme les
> cordes spiralees de Charles Besnainou ou les cordes chargees en
metal
> de Mimmo Peruffo. C'est pour c,a que j'aimerais qu'ils nous
parlent de
> leurs experiences `a Gijon et qu'on puisse les y analyser dans
> l'atelier d'acoustique.
> Amities
> Carlos
>
> I was recently at a harp convention (wife is a harpist), and a harp
repairman
> told me about a new advance in strings from Savarez,
> that they have produced a nylon string (NOT carbon fibre, nor other
synthetic)
> that has fibres of some sort imbedded within,
> The fibres apparently lend both strength and warmth, to sound and
feel more
> like gut.
> I checked the Savarez website but the site has scant information (at
least in
> the english site).
> Does anyone know more about these strings, or is this just rumor/bad
> information?
> cheers, trj
>
> --
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [3][2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
> --
>
> References
>
> 1. [3]http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239
> 2. [4]http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/
> 3. [5]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
--
References
1. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239
2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
3. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239
4. http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/
5. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
