Sounds suspiciously similar to KFG. (So-called "Karbon FIbre Gut"?) I have been using them in some applications for years, and in fact the thinnest is .95 mm and I have used them on C-5 in the past, feels equivalent to 1.04 to me, very close to Martins's. Perfectly satisfactory as unisons, second to gut in my experience. I still use a .95 w/octave string as a 6-A fundamental on the Baroque lute, followed by successively appropriate gauges until 11-C where solid silver (NOT mere silver plated) overspuns take over. Old E.O. Mari "La Bella" guitar 4th string.
Has anyone compared KFG to these KF harp strings? Dan >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]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]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> -- >> >>References >> >> 1. http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/Le_luth/message/12239 >> 2. http://www.musicaantiguagijon.com/ >> 3. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html -- Rachel Winheld 820 Colusa Avenue Berkeley, CA 94707 rwinh...@comcast.net Tel 510.526.0242 Cell 510.915.4276
