1st octave gut strings

[Sidney Dharmavaram]

I never even knew that you could get gut strings in the first octave until recently.

[carl-swanson]

They break a lot. More in the summer months when it is hot and humid. I just don’t think it is worth putting them up there. They break too quickly and I just think nylon sounds better that high up.

Years ago I did some research on the making of gut strings. I read several articles from industrial encyclopedias that were printed in the 1890’s, and which described in great detail how gut strings were made. All of these articles referred to the thinest strings as ‘chanterelles’, and said that the best chanterelles came from Naples Italy. The reason they were such good strings was that they came from sheep that were emaciated and disease ridden and therefore had the toughest gut.

[Sid Humphreys]

Sidney,

I use Bow Brand Gut in my first octive, and while they tend to break more than the others I’ll tell you that since I restrung in January that 00G has been replaced three time and 1E twice and 1B twice. There is still plenty left before I restring again in January. The harp (L&H 23) is played 3-4 hours daily and leaves the house once -twice a week. This year has been exceptional as far as breakage and tuning go probably due to having a humidifyer in the cold months and dehumidifyer for the summer. Trying to keep the humididty around 50% has helped very much. Hope this helps.

Sid

[Sidney Dharmavaram]

Thanks for the info.

[Patti Newson]

May I ask why you used Bow Brand.

[Briggsie B. Peawiggle]

I had Bow brand on my harp once….only once. I really dislike them. I know a lot of people really like them, but on my Camac Athena they do not sound nearly as resonant and nice as Vanderbilts or Camacs. I use Pirastro at the top two octaves (nylons).

Briggs

[barbara-low]

Lenore, I’ve seen your other posts asking about Bow Brands. Don’t put any string on your harp until you check with a dealer or manufacuturer of your harp. If you get the go-ahead, you might consider purchasing an octave to see if you like the sound enough to change out all your strings. Be aware that when you change brands/type of material used, the harp may possibly have to be regulated because differences in string diameter can cause strings to buzz and/or be out of tune when levers are engaged.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Boyau? Who are they?

It’s no wonder university harps sitting unattended all summer break strings. With no tuning and all the changes in humidity and temperature after several months of many people playing them it is no wonder. I think it is a complete waste to use gut strings in the first and second octaves unless you are very wealthy or want dull notes.

[Sid Humphreys]

Saul, I pointed out to you before, stop lableling gut in top octives as dull! I think they sound rich. And I could accuse you of being cheap for using nylon and they sound tinny

[Fearghal McCartan]

I use Bow-Brand gut up there and haven’t had a single issue – they have a lovely tone on my Arianna. My problem octave is 2nd Octave – almost all strings that have gone on the harp have been there. I have had each string go at least once now and a couple go twice over the past 2 years. Most breaks were due to temp/humidity changes such as transporting

[Christian Frederick]

Saul said: “I think it is a complete waste to use gut strings in the first and
second octaves unless you are very wealthy or want dull notes.”

Saul, I think you are 100% correct! I don’t think it has anything to do with price, but I feel nylon is superior in the top two octaves on a concert grand pedal harp. Also, I don’t understand why Lyon & Healy started using gut in octave 2 in recent years… nylon strings are much better because they resonate better in the high register and they don’t break so easily. The only negative is they really need to be changed every 6-12 months as they tend to loose their elasticity.

[barbara-low]

I believe the choice of string material depends on how well the harp responds to the material used. So many factors, both objective and subjective, play into how a harp sounds that blanket statements should be taken with a grain of salt. An even tone and responsiveness throughout the harp is generally thought of as the quality desired. Use the material that gives you what you want.

(Dull notes are not always because of the string used.)

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

What I mean by dull is the reduced presence of overtones, and the shortened sustaining of the note. Nylons can sound tinny, and it can be frustrating, but a lot of that has to do with how hard the surface of your skin is.

[Karen Johns]

I agree with you Saul- I have noticed this dulling (I prefer to call it mellowing) affect the gut strings have in the baritone range of my lever harp. I wondered how to explain why this is, but your assessment of the

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

There are some other threads where people like Carl Swanson, Sam Milligan

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