This place might be worth checking out. Next time I'm in Chinatown for dim sum I will. Some years ago I went there and discovered that Erhu bows don't work for bass viols; I had forgotten about that place since then.
http://www.clarionmusic.com/ Ron- That is Rakov, not Batov? I would be very interested in his strings also. (treble trouble, as usual) > David: > You would do well to contact Alexander Rakov, the silk string > specialist who contributes regularly to this list. I've tried his silk > strings on my six-course lute and found the trebles to be, well, silky > and also clear and strong. They are remarkably consistent and the > basses far more responsive than gut basses I have used. > Best wishes, > Ron Andrico > www.mignarda.com > > Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:49:26 +0100 > > To: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu > > From: davidvanooi...@gmail.com > > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Q on odd tunings for plucked instruments > > > California has a lively community of koto and shamisen players, it > > shouldn't be too difficult to find some thinner gauges, silk strings > > for shamisen to try out on your mandolin or lute. > > > > David -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html