I've been using all gut on my 8-course for about a year now, and I
have found it to be fairly stable in an environment which is rather unstable
for humidity (an old house in Lancaster, PA). As for trebles, they are
stable enough to play through medium length pieces within an hour or so of
putting one on, unlike nylgut, which I previously used. The lower courses
seem to last forever. And a bonus is that gut strings are much easier on
gut frets. The biggest tuning problem I've had is with plain gut paired
with Gamut gimped bourdons on 7 and 8: the gimps seem to go up when their
octaves go down!
While gut trebles are fragile, a plus with them is that once
stretched, they stay so. When a peg slips (low humidity), I can get that
puppy right back to stable pitch in no time. My Nylgut trebles under those
circumstances behaved like new strings and needed to be re-stretched.
Regards,
Leonard Williams
On 4/13/05 12:09 PM, "timothy motz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> If I remember right, Michael live in New Mexico. Could the dry air
> there be the reason why he has such problems with tuning in general
> and gut in particular?
>
> I'm an absolute newbie both as a player and a builder, but I have
> very few problems with gut on my lute. Unless I'm playing it, most
> of the time it sits in its case. And, as Kenneth Be has reminded me,
> museums are the perfect environments for lutes. Kenneth and I both
> work in museums, and I keep my lute in the office during the week so
> I can practice during my lunch break.
>
> But even at home my lute is pretty stable. It's only when I put it
> in the car and take it to my lessons that it shifts much.
>
> Tim
>>
>>
>> ---- Original Message ----
>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Subject: Re: Antwort: Re: lute outreach -tuning..
>> Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 08:26:46 -0600
>>
>>> I have silver wound basses, and trebles and octaves are all
>> nylgut with
>>> one carbon first string. My lute usually hangs on the wall where I
>> play
>>> everyday, and would say it stays in tune remarkably well. But, I
>> always need
>>> to fine tune it the next day, or an hour into my practice session.
>>> Also I replace the first 2 single strings, after 2 or 3 months
>> because of
>>> indentations causing indentation problems
>>> The gut experience was horrific, I couldn't make it through one
>> piece
>>> without having to stop and tune, This lasted for two months.
>> Initially, the
>>> lute would go in tune and stay there fine, until I would begin to
>> play, then
>>> moisture from my fingers seemed to cause it to constantly go out.
>> I've
>>> always heard of great success stories with gut but, after talking to
>> Paul
>>> Odette, he said guts impossible to use in concert settings with
>> forced air
>>> heating and air conditioning. He uses nylgut.
>>> I saw Paul Odette take his lute out of the case in the master
>> class and
>>> immediately start tuning it up, and this was after he played a
>> concert the
>>> night before in Santa Fe.
>>> Same with Ronn McFarlane, he was tuning on stage.
>>> Michael Thames
>>> www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>> To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 1:12 AM
>>> Subject: Antwort: Re: lute outreach -tuning..
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hi Ed,
>>>>
>>>> it wasn't me stating something about people being
>> "pitch-challenged".
>>>> Actually I have had the same experience as you. After being
>> stretched
>>>> completely the nylguts I'm using on most of my lutes remain fairly
>> good in
>>>> tune and I often do not need to tune for several days. by the way:
>> the
>>>> remaining gut strings on my 10-course (which I just changed
>> recently)
>>>> stayed well in tune, too.
>>>>
>>>> I don't like carbon strings because of their brightness - it's
>> just too
>>>> much and found that nylgut is a perfect compromise between the
>> sound of
>>> gut
>>>> and the practical advantages of a syntethic material. And after
>> being used
>>>> this synthetics I feel uncomfortable playing gut (just a bit as if
>> the
>>>> finger would be glued to the string). Kenneth told me he would
>> feel just
>>>> the other way round as he played on my 11-course (he have had gut
>> on his
>>>> renaissance lute which traveled with him to germany last year).
>>>>
>>>> Best wishes
>>>> Thomas
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Edward Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> am 13.04.2005 00:09:59
>>>>
>>>> An: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Donatella Galletti
>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
>>>> lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
>>>> Kopie:
>>>>
>>>> Thema: Re: lute outreach -tuning..
>>>>
>>>> In this discussion, I have found similar instances when string
>> stability
>>>> has been wonderful. Sometimes, I leave an instrument in the case
>> (all gut
>>>> strung baroque lute), and after no attention for a few months, I
>> open the
>>>> lid & to my astonishment, it is in remarkably good tune. This is
>> the
>>>> exception to the rule, but gut has a bad reputation. The newer
>> strings
>>> are
>>>>
>>>> more stable, in my opinion. Either that, or we are learning how
>> ti use it
>>>> better than before.
>>>>
>>>> In terms of string stability, carbon takes the prize for being the
>> most
>>>> stable string ever produced. It seems as though it is absolutely
>>>> impervious to temperature & humidity. I stopped using carbon
>> about 12
>>>> years ago, but prior to that, the saying was that a lutenist could
>> apply
>>>> crazy glue to the pegs, because those strings are so stable that
>> they
>>>> almost require no tuning after being totally stretched out. They
>> were
>>> also
>>>>
>>>> durable, as I had a set on for around 9 years, without changing
>> strings
>>>> [even the trebles!], & they retained the same sound & trueness.
>> So, if
>>> you
>>>>
>>>> want practicality (tuning stability, longevity of string life) go
>> with
>>>> carbon. But, as Roman suggested, it is a rather "cold" sounding
>>>> string. It is loud and clear, as the high density increases its
>>>> efficiency.
>>>>
>>>> Thomas has stated we are pitch challenged of lying about this,
>> that it is
>>>> impossible for an instrument to stay in tune after travel. I
>> believe
>>> Roman
>>>>
>>>> and Kenneth, as we have all had similarly good tuning experiences.
>>>>
>>>> ed
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> At 01:00 PM 4/12/2005 -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>>>>> Donatella et Roman,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I the use same mixture of Nylgut and Pyramid
>>>>> strings on my ten course and find that it stays in
>>>>> tune remarkably well, although I'm not that crazy
>>>>> about the sound of the pyramid basses on this
>>>>> instrument.
>>>>>
>>>>> Roman - have you found this tuning stability to be
>>>>> typical with carbon? I'm thinking of stringing my
>>>>> theorbo at least partially with it.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Chris
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --- Donatella Galletti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>>>>>> My Hasenfuss- Weigert baroque is also "factory
>>>>>> tuned", as a gambist joking
>>>>>> told me. I hardly ever need to tune , especially if
>>>>>> I don't change keys or
>>>>>> if the weather is not too wet. I use a mixture of
>>>>>> Aquila and Pyramid
>>>>>> strings.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> (Ok, "hardly ever" means every two, three days, but
>>>>>> I've just had a
>>>>>> wonderful wine with a dessert which is a specialty
>>>>>> from Piedmont and I feel
>>>>>> quite optimistic...)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Donatella
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://web.tiscali.it/awebd
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>> From: "Michael Thames" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>> To: "LUTE-LIST" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>; "Roman
>>>>>> Turovsky"
>>>>>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 7:52 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: lute outreach
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 1. Carbon strings held tuning throughout the
>>>>>> 10-hour >overnight ride to
>>>>>>>> Cleveland. 11th course octave was a little flat
>>>>>> in the >morning. I didn't
>>>>>>>> touch a peg for the rest of the weekend
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So let me get this straight, your saying over a
>>>>>> three day period from
>>>>>> NY.
>>>>>>> In different rooms, hotel, houses, concert hall
>>>>>> etc. you didn't touch a
>>>>>> peg
>>>>>>> other than your 11th course. You are either
>>>>>> "pitch challenged", or prone
>>>>>> to
>>>>>>> spinning tall tales, most likely both!
>>>>>>> Michael Thames
>>>>>>> www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>>>> From: "Roman Turovsky" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>>>>>> To: "LUTE-LIST" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
>>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 9:28 AM
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: lute outreach
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> P.S.
>>>>>>>> 2 interesting details:
>>>>>>>> 1. Carbon strings held tuning throughout the
>>>>>> 10-hour overnight ride to
>>>>>>>> Cleveland. 11th course octave was a little flat
>>>>>> in the morning. I didn't
>>>>>>>> touch a peg for the rest of the weekend.
>>>>>>>> 2. Our program is on a controversial side, and
>>>>>> it might (and should)
>>>>>> have
>>>>>>>> caused considerable consternation on the part of
>>>>>> clergy of 4
>>>>>> denominations
>>>>>>>> present (including an archbishop). But
>>>>>> Mar'jana's act consisted largely
>>>>>>> from
>>>>>>>> the songs she collected at the Carpathian
>>>>>> fertility rites, which are
>>>>>>>> basically Pagan, and outright scabrous. Imagine
>>>>>> what was going on in
>>>>>>>> celibate heads.
>>>>>>>> RT
>>>>>>>> ______________
>>>>>>>> Roman M. Turovsky
>>>>>>>> http://polyhymnion.org/swv
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> To get on or off this list see list information
>>>>>> at
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> To get on or off this list see list information at
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Edward Martin
>>>> 2817 East 2nd Street
>>>> Duluth, Minnesota 55812
>>>> e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>> voice: (218) 728-1202
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>
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