Fluorocarbon versus gut strings

[Angela Biggs]

My Sylvan is currently strung with wire and nylon, and it’s time to get new strings. I played an older-model L&H Troubadour last summer; it was strung with gut where mine is nylon, and I fell in love with the soft feel and warm tone of those gut strings. I checked with the maker of my harp, and he said that he has strung Sylvans with the higher-tension gut with no problems.

However, when I touched base with Vermont Strings this week, they said they don’t carry gut. Instead, they carry fluorocarbon, which apparently has a tone midway between warm gut and bright nylon. It’s just as expensive as gut, though. They also mentioned that gut has a shelf life, whereas fluorocarbon does not.

I’m not sure I want to spend the extra money on strings I’ve never touched or heard (about $100 more to upgrade those 19 strings). Have any of you used both gut and fluorocarbon? Which do you prefer, and why? I was willing to pay for the gut, but do you think fluorocarbon is worth the extra cost?

Thank you!
Angela

[Allison Stevick]

I don’t have the answers, but I’m posting because I want to know what people think about this, too!

[Tacye]

If you prefer the tone of gut, which I do, why would you want a tone midway between what you like and nylon? My preference is strongly with gut generally, but I wanted a bit more bite out of the bottom gut string so use a Savarez KF (which may be the fluorocarbon in question) 5th A string on my pedal harp.

If you want to try the fluorocarbon you could take the hit on postage and order a couple of strings to try – and perhaps a couple of gut?

[Angela Biggs]

Hi Tacye – I’m asking about fluorocarbon because VT Strings doesn’t carry gut. I’m happy with the company – they’ve always been responsive, informative, and quick to ship, with reasonable shipping costs – and I’d like to continue my relationship with them. I’m still quite pleased with the sound of my harp, even strung with nylon; I just thought I might try to make it better. Your suggestion to order a couple of fluorocarbon strings is a very good one! I think I’ll go do that. right now.

[katie-buckley]

I think the best idea would be to try and find someone who has a similar instrument and is strung with the fluorocarbon. I have them on my electric harp, but, obviously I can’t compare them to the gut strings on my acoustic instruments. AH! Tough one! I hope you find someone with some more experience. Honestly, I love how long they last!! But I would never give up my gut on acoustic instruments 😀

[Angela Biggs]

Hi Katie,
That’s a good suggestion, but here is zero chance of finding someone even in the twinstate area with a similar harp, much less one that is strung with fluorocarbon. 🙂 The woman at VT Strings was very detailed in her warnings about not bringing the strings up to pitch too quickly, and pulling them away from the bridge pin during the initial wind so that they don’t fray; I’m not so sure they’ll be the right fit for me. But I ordered the four shortest strings in the fluorocarbon range on my harp, and with shipping it’s only a $26 experiment.

I’ve waited two years to restring my harp, but I was ready to change them out at about 18 months. Though fluorocarbon may last longer, it’s so expensive that it would have to last a *lot* longer to justify the price. I’ll primarily be making the decision based on feel and tone. And apparently I’m going to be paying close attention to what happens when I try to install the strings!

[bernhard-schmidt]

Hallo Angela,
from your post I do not see which range of your harp will be restrung with Carbon strings.
Of course the Carbon string have extreme durability.

Because the density and weight of the carbon strings is different from nylon, they are much thinner in relation with equal tension (as nylon). Approximately 22 % less in diameter

It feels especially very sharp in the treble on the fingers.
Carbon has its best use when changing the deeper area of the harp.
Where nylon becomes too thick and inflexible.

Nylon = 0.60 = carbon = 0.47 mm
Nylon = 0.66 = carbon = 0.52 mm

In this case, the tension of Nylon and Carbon is equal by a given tone.

If one exchanges 0,60 mm Nylon with carbon 0.60 mm, it has correspondingly higher Tension on the string.

Many do not consider this when changing strings.

Best regards

[katie-buckley]

Hi Angela,
Ahhh, I understand that completely. I’d love to hear about your results after you change them! 🙂

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