No argument here. The extended bass length is precisely for that purpose.......with the longer basses, the required strings will necessarily require a smaller string diameter. I am uncertain if it gives more volume and sustain, but for sure, a better clarity of pitch and sound. These instruments were designed for gut strings.
ed At 01:06 PM 1/29/2005 -0700, Michael Thames wrote: >It seems the vary concept of creating a swan neck, or Jauch type extension >was to make up for some type of deficiency in the bass register, namely >sustain and volume. >Michael Thames >www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Edward Martin" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "LGS-Europe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Lute net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> >Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 12:24 PM >Subject: Re: Gutsy stories > > > > David, > > > > I read this article, your "work in progress", and I can thank you for > > publishing it. Your experiences are very similar to mine..... I have 1 > > lute in synthetic strings, where the others are all in gut, and I love the > > gut sound as well. It is too hard to resort back to the synthetics. after > > experiencing all the good qualities of gut. > > > > For me, all gut has been a 10-year experience, and I have also gone >through > > many possible combinations of strings, and I agree, in that I favor > > the Pistoy over the Gimped string. Not that the Gimped is more metallic > > in sound, but the sustain in tone is clearer and warmer in the Pistoy, or > > all-gut string. I think that when one weaves a wire into the string, it > > loses some of its flexibility, and this increase in stiffness will make >for > > a faster decay in sound. I also find that a strong octave string is > > essential, when dealing with the lower register on a baroque lute. > > > > In terms of tuning, I find that if I arrive 3 hours in advance in the > > concert hall, & if I merely take the instrument out of the case & allow it > > to equilibrate to that particular room, it settles in and the experience >of > > tuning is much less of a problem, than if one had merely gotten there & > > started to tune & play. In fact I find it better to tune gut as compared > > to synthetics. The exception to that is in hot, humid conditions in the > > summer. > > > > It took "a lot of guts" for you to write this article! > > > > ed > > > > > > > > At 04:57 PM 1/29/2005 +0100, LGS-Europe wrote: > > >I've put my experiences of the past year and a half of playing on gut > > >strings in an article on my website. It's called 'Gut strings, a work in > > >progress' and is on my homepage: Http://home.planet.nl/~d.v.ooijen/david. > > > > > >David > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >***************************************** > > >David van Ooijen > > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Http://home.planet.nl/~d.v.ooijen/ > > >***************************************** > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at > > >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > > > > Edward Martin > > 2817 East 2nd Street > > Duluth, Minnesota 55812 > > e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > voice: (218) 728-1202 > > > > > > > > > > Edward Martin 2817 East 2nd Street Duluth, Minnesota 55812 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] voice: (218) 728-1202
