Hello, Dave! Thanks for your note. Some people are surprised to hear this, that 70 cm is too long for 415, f (treble). In our times, we are so used to using synthetic strings for a baroque lute, so when we go to gut, we encounter frustration over trebles that break quickly, and will not last.
Years ago, there has been research on the upper limits of gut trebles, by Eph Segerman, and he concluded this, in that we try to extend the upper limits of gut. For example, a renaissance lute at "g" in 440 has an upper limit of roughly 59 cm. If you go with a longer length, you must lower the pitch; if you do not, you will result in breaking trebles. Simply making a thinner treble does not make it work. For baroque lutes, 67 to 68 cm is the upper limit for f at 415. If you go 70 cm (my 13 course) or certainly your 75 cm lute, a gut treble will break prematurely. It is simply that a treble string has fewer gut fibers, that cannot last at higher tensions. So, the upper limit (baroque lute at a = 415) is around 68 cm- beyond that, gut trebles do not last. I certainly can use a gut treble, but I must lower the pitch of the treble. Earlier this year, I actually had a gut treble on my 68 cm lute that lasted & did not fray for 5-6 months!!!! The reason is because it was short enough for that pitch, to be supported. Certainly, you can use a synthetic treble at your mensur for 415, as the upper limits of synthetics exceed those of gut. I have tried for many, many years with my 70 cm baroque lute to get a treble (any brand... it does not matter) to last at 415, & it does not. If you get lucky, you might get a week or 2, but doubtful, from a gut treble. If I want to play my 70 cm lute at 415, I use a nylon or nylgut treble. In answering your question, yes, gut trebles are comfortable, but they will not last at 415 at that length. You need to string it perhaps more than a semitone or lower (a = 392) for that long neck to work. In my opinion, whether or not one uses gut, I think lutes sound best when strung at or near the upper limit of gut. So, try your lute at a = 392 - you might love it! What do the old sources & treatises state? Something like, "tune the lute treble as high as it can go before it breaks". Case in point. The best, Ed At 10:34 AM 12/8/2007 -0500, David Rastall wrote: >On Dec 8, 2007, at 9:37 AM, Edward Martin wrote: > > > I have an 11 course 67.5 cm mensur, tuned at 415. I also have a > > 70.5 cm > > mensur lute, tuned at around 405-410 (I would like to tune at 415, > > but it > > is too long to accommodate a treble). > >Hi Ed, > >I'm surprised to hear you say that 70.5 cm is too long for 415. My >13-course is 75.5 cm and it's quite comfortable at 415. It's not >strung in gut, though. In fact, I've never had gut strings on this >lute. I've been thinking lately about changing over to gut on this >lute. Would gut trebles really be that uncomfortable at 75.5? > >David Rastall >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > >-- > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > >-- >No virus found in this incoming message. >Checked by AVG Free Edition. >Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.17/1177 - Release Date: >12/7/2007 1:11 PM Edward Martin 2817 East 2nd Street Duluth, Minnesota 55812 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] voice: (218) 728-1202
