Concur with Edward and Howard. And will add that on both lute and harp (opposites in the way the tension is applied, parallel versus semi-perpendicular) the lose of one string is a tiny fraction of total tension. And that a release of tension (stress actually) won't hurt the instrument - in fact it is a good idea to relax the strings on either before shipping them, one never knows what heat or cold may meet the instrument in the back of a truck or the hold of an aircraft. I wouldn't suggest taking a knife to all the strings at once and having a catastrophic release of stress on the soundboard - but I'd guess that it wouldn't matter. The wood has a memory, but it could be overflexed if one cut the strings every day then brought it to pitch with new strings. Sort of like flexing a paper clip that could be destructive.
Enough, I think I'm trying to say that the sudden minor flexing of the wood can't make a hill of beans, and even major flexing would only matter if it were repetitive. Best, Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Leonard Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Lute List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2005 8:09 PM Subject: [LUTE] Maintenance--strings > Strings break--its a given. Very often it's unexpected. When the > string pops, there is a very sudden change in the tension on the instrument. > Can this be damaging? Is it better for the lute itself for one simply to > change a string when it shows acoustic or (especially with gut) visible > signs of wear (aside from the comfort of knowing you've got a solid string > for that up-coming concert)? Or, is it safe for the sake of economics just > to wait until it breaks? > I'm not talking about having to put up with increasingly untrue > strings or any aesthetic aspects of the problem--just the wear and tear on > the lute. > > Thanks and regards, > Leonard Williams > > PS--I just lost a gut treble, and the replacement was up to pitch and stable > enough to play a few short dances without retuning within about an hour and > a half. One of the nice things about gut, which otherwise can be like wet > spaghetti in this humid weather. > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
