[Mark Pfannschmidt]

Hello Balfour,

You are indeed correct about the string gauges. Perhaps I will try the slightly lighter gauges, although I don’t want less sound and this harp is plenty bright. I believe this is a characteristic of French harps. It also projects well over all.

This particular Atlantide Prestige has the two reinforcing bars–one on each side of the string strip. It requires small dowels (about 1″) to be inserted into all of the knots.

I’m enjoying Nylgut in the 5th octave on this harp. Curtis at Aquila USA didn’t quite have everything in stock, I’m waiting on one more 220 (2.2mm) for the 5th octave A. I think that will help those 5th octave strings to project better on this harp. My gut strings were only 10 months old, so they were not particularly old.

Mark Pf…

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

Hello again Everyone,

I put Aquila New Nylgut (NGH) on my Camac Atlantide Prestige in December of 2025. I had already tried them down through the 3rd octave and really liked the sound. In December of 2025 I put them on the 4th octave. Wow! What a difference. I had been using Premier Gut, which is a great string, but I definitely liked the sound of the Nylgut strings on my French harp. The harp itself is a little brighter (I grew up on Lyon and Healy), but as with any instrument, you learn what you need to do with your fingers to get more of the sound you want.

After a year, my 5th octave gut strings are getting pretty dead. The 5th octave C, B and A on this harp are rather weak. I’m hoping that the Nylgut will help with projection for these notes. The original owner of this harp told me that her harp technician recommended Savarez nylon strings for those 3 strings and that she felt that helped to even out the sound between 5th octave D and the bass wires. I’m hoping that Nylgut will do the same thing!

Camac Harps has a column listing string gauges for Nylgut, but they must be a specially gauged string set. The specific gauges they mention are not available from Aquila or AquilaUSA. Nylgut string gauge numbers are in hundredths of a millimeter: 48 is .48 mm.

Here’s what I’ve been using:
String/NGH gauge
0G/48
0F/50 BLACK

1E/52
1D/54
1C/56 RED
1B/58
1A/62
1G/64
1F/68 BLACK

2E/73
2D/76
2C/79 RED
2B/85
2A/88
2G/91
2F/94 BLACK

3E/97
3D/100
3C/104 RED
3B/108
3A/116
3G/120
3F/124 BLACK

4E/128
4D/136
4C/145 RED
4B/150
4A/160
4G/170
4F/180 BLACK

5E/190
5D/200
5C/200 RED
5B/220
5A/220

I’ll post later about my reaction to putting Nylgut in the 5th octave.

FYI: Be aware that if you order Nylgut strings it can take several weeks before you receive your order. My last order was placed on April 8 and I didn’t receive it until June 20! Production delays in Italy are common. I normally expect to receive an order about 3-4 weeks ahead of time. My next harp recital is May 14, so if I can’t get Nylgut in the next 2 weeks (Curtis does have some gauges in stock) I may end up putting gut in the 5th octave just to have fresh strings. I’m guessing that there may not be much demand for 5th octave strings, but I hope I’m wrong.

Mark Pf…

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

Hello again Everyone,

I put Aquila New Nylgut (NGH) on my Camac Atlantide Prestige in December of 2025. I had already tried them down through the 3rd octave and really liked the sound. In December of 2025 I put them on the 4th octave. Wow! What a difference. I had been using Premier Gut, which is a great string, but I definitely liked the sound of the Nylgut strings on my French harp. The harp itself is a little brighter (I grew up on Lyon and Healy), but as with any instrument, you learn what you need to do with your fingers to get more of the sound you want.

After a year, my 5th octave gut strings are getting pretty dead. The 5th octave C, B and A on this harp are rather weak. I’m hoping that the Nylgut will help with projection for these notes. The original owner of this harp told me that her harp technician recommended Savarez nylon strings for those 3 strings and that she felt that helped to even out the sound between 5th octave D and the bass wires. I’m hoping that Nylgut will do the same thing!

Camac Harps has a column listing string gauges for Nylgut, but they must be a specially gauged string set. The specific gauges they mention are not available from Aquila or AquilaUSA. Nylgut string gauge numbers are in hundredths of a millimeter: 48 is .48 mm.

Here’s what I’ve been using:
String/NGH gauge
0G/48
0F/50 BLACK

1E/52
1D/54
1C/56 RED
1B/58
1A/62
1G/64
1F/68 BLACK

2E/73
2D/76
2C/79 RED
2B/85
2A/88
2G/91
2F/94 BLACK

3E/97
3D/100
3C/104 RED
3B/108
3A/116
3G/120
3F/124 BLACK

4E/128
4D/136
4C/145 RED
4B/150
4A/160
4G/170
4F/180 BLACK

5E/190
5D/200
5C/200 RED
5B/220
5A/220

I’ll post later about my reaction to putting Nylgut in the 5th octave.

FYI: Be aware that if you order Nylgut strings it can take several weeks before you receive your order. My last order was placed on April 8 and I didn’t receive it until June 20! Production delays in Italy are common. I normally expect to receive an order about 3-4 weeks ahead of time. My next harp recital is May 14, so if I can’t get Nylgut in the next 2 weeks (Curtis does have some gauges in stock) I may end up putting gut in the 5th octave just to have fresh strings. I’m guessing that there may not be much demand for 5th octave strings, but I hope I’m wrong.

Mark Pf…

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

* Definitely work with a physical therapist and be sure they know that you’re a harpist. If you have a small lap harp, bring it in with you to a session or two. They can watch you play and work with you to develop strategies for getting back to playing. Listen to them when they tell you not to play. Also, those who aren’t harpists often don’t realize how much effort goes into playing the harp. The perception is that it has a gentle, soothing sound (read: doesn’t take much strength to play).

* As has been stated by others, be on the lookout for hidden tension. A few areas I’ve found in my own playing:

*** closing and holding tension in my hand. Release your fingers after you close them.

*** placing and clutching. Just let your fingers camp out on the strings with as little effort as is required to keep them in place.

*** tuning! This is a big one for me. I’ve observed in the last few days that I grip the tuning key as though I’m wrestling an alligator. I’m teaching myself to adjust the string and then release the hand. This is especially important for me when I’m on tiptoes to reach the lowest wires.

If you know a teacher who has a functional understanding of the physiology of the hand and arm, it might be really useful to invest in a lesson or two. Think of it as a technique checkup. Singers do this all the time. The rest of us can learn from them.

I wish you a speedy and lasting recovery!

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

Hello Everyone,

Unfortunately, I didn’t save my earlier post and when I went back to edit it, it had disappeared. So I’ll try to recap my experience.

NYLGUT STRINGS ON MY DUSTY STRINGS FH36B
My Dusty is designed for nylon strings, but also to allow the substitution of lever gut strings for many of the strings. Dusty doesn’t recommend gut on top (probably because they’re too likely to break) and they don’t recommend gut for 4th octave F to 5th octave B.

STRING GAUGES CHOSEN
Aquila engineered Nylgut to have the same tension and gauges as regular gut.

Below are the gauges of Aquila Nylgut I have on my harp. Nylgut gauge numbers are in hundredths of a millimeter. Dusty Strings recommended gut string gauges are given in parentheses. Because I chose to use Nylgut for everything except the bottom wires, I reduced the gauges for some of the 4th and 5th octave strings.

1st Octave:
#1 C 52 (0.52 mm) red
#2 B 54 natural
#3 A 56 natural
#4 G 58 natural
#5 F 60 black

2nd Octave:
#6 E 62 natural
#7 D 64 natural
#8 C 66 red (Dusty .66 mm)
#9 B 70 natural (Dusty .70)
#10 A 73 natural (Dusty .74)
#11 G 76 natural (Dusty .76)
#12 F 79 black (Dusty .80)

3rd Octave:
#13 E 82 natural (Dusty .82)
#14 D 85 natural (Dusty .84)
#15 C 88 red (Dusty .88)
#16 B 94 natural (Dusty .93)
#17 A 97 natural (Dusty .96)
#18 G 100 natural (Dusty 1.00)
#19 F 104 black (Dusty 1.05)

4th Octave:
#20 E 112 natural (Dusty 1.15)
#21 D 120 natural (Dusty 1.20)
#22 C 124 red (Dusty 1.24)
#23 B 128 natural (Dusty 1.30)
#24 A 132 natural (Dusty 1.40)
#25 G 136 natural (Dusty 1.52)
#26 F 140 black (Dusty doesn’t recommend lever gut after 4th octave G)

5th Octave:
#27 E 145 natural
#28 D 150 natural
#29 C 160 red
#30 B 170 natural

DRAWBACKS
My harp had to be regulated. Since this required changing some of the lever handles, I used this as an opportunity to replace all of them, since they were the original handles from 1991 and several of them had already broken and had been replaced. My luthier put me in touch with Robert at Loveland Harps and the whole set including expedited shipping cost only $90.

BENEFITS
The Nylgut strings are a little warmer and more resonant, which I like better since I am primarily a classical harpist.

I also love the way the strings LOOK. The non-colored strings are called “natural” and it is a creamy off-white–quite opaque. This greatly enhances the visibility of the strings in any lighting.

I also love the fact that I can use them in the 1st octave without fear of breakage. I have had them on for 6 months and I haven’t broken any strings, except at first when I was learning how to install them (see below).

INSTALLATION OF THE HIGHEST STRINGS
Aquila recommends that the highest strings (1st/2nd octave) be brought up to pitch gradually. They have a great YouTube video about how to change their strings. Look at it before you install the 1st/2nd octave strings.

To highlight a few things from my experience: don’t tune the 1st octave strings up to pitch right away. Tune them about 1.5 steps lower, wait a few hours (or overnight) and then bring them up to pitch. If you change them every 6-12 months I don’t think you’re likely to break any strings. They aren’t subject to changes in humidity, unlike gut strings.

When first installed they will probably have 5-6 windings. DON’T TRIM THE ENDS! Leave the extra length on the tuning pin for 24-36 hours–they really s-t-r-e-t-c-h. I wind the extra string length in a small circle to keep them out of the way and leave them on the harp during the stretching period (my harp looks like she has a curly hairdo).

After about 24-36 hours, unwind the string and reinstall it. (At this point you can bring them immediately up to pitch.) I find that I typically take up about an inch (about 2 cm). After I reinstall the string, I have 3-4 windings on the tuning peg. With the highest strings, if they have 4-5 windings, I just leave them. Once any reinstallation is complete, trim any extra length as you normally would.

VALUE
Nylgut comes in 120 cm lengths up to 1.45 mm and 180 cm lengths starting at 1.50 mm. If I tie my knots carefully, I can get 4-5 strings in the 1st octave, 3 strings in the 2nd octave, 2 in the 3rd octave and 1 in the 4th and 5th octaves.

As of this writing (June 1, 2025)
1st octave strings are $3.50 each ($17.50 for 5 strings)
2nd octave strings are $3.85 each ($26.95 for 7 strings)
3rd octave strings also $3.85 each ($26.95 for 7 strings)
4th octave strings are $5.05 each ($35.35 for 7 strings)
5th octave E/D/C are $9.70 each ($29.10 for 3 strings)
5th octave B is $12.00
Total cost for 30 Nylgut strings: $147.85

If you change your strings once a year and change the 1st-3rd octaves twice a year, you have a full year’s supply of strings (except wires) for about $160 (including about $9 shipping). That’s much less than half the cost of natural gut.

CONCLUSION
I’m glad I tried Nylgut; I won’t go back to nylon; and for me, natural gut is too expensive. I love the sound and the strings stabilize in about a week. Unlike natural gut, they are not affected by changes in humidity.

Lastly, I really like that I can order exactly the gauges I want. However, it took me several hours to determine what those gauges should be. I had to hunt for information.

Curtis at AquilaUSA is working to keep the most popular gauges and colors in stock, but you may have to wait several weeks for your order if some of the strings have to come from Italy.

I hope this is helpful,

Mark Pf…

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

SILKGUT
Silkgut is a different string. (I first became aware of them when I bought a Harp-E kit. It is the standard string for the Harp-E.) Silkgut and Nylgut are both made by Aquila Corde. Nylgut has two co-branded versions: one by Bow Brand and the other by Sipario. Silkgut also has more standard translucent white appearance like nylon. I prefer the greater visibility of Nylgut.

NYLGUT
Aquila Corde sells Nylgut directly. (For those of us in the US, there is a US distributor.) Nylgut was engineered for historic harps, but they can be used in place of gut for any harp. I’m getting ready to put Nylgut on the rest of my Dusty FH36B. (I had already checked with Dusty and they told me that my particular harp was built for optional lever gut strings from second octave C to 4th octave G.) I’ve used it in the middle register and like it overall–it’s a little bit warmer. I had to regulate my harp after switching from Nylon to Silkgut and/or Nylgut. The gauges are significantly smaller than nylon.

REGULATION
I had already planned to change the cams on the Loveland levers. The harp was built in the early 90s and still had the original cams; I had two of the cams crack while practicing and I didn’t want that to happen when I was performing!. I worked with a local luthier (Rick Kemper in Silver Spring, MD) to order the cams. Changing them took (quite) a few hours, but that is done. Then came the work of regulation. I was really grateful for Steve Moss’s book: How to Regulate Your Lever Harp, Book One: The Loveland Lever.

GAUGES
Dusty Strings lists the gauges they recommend for gut strings in the description for each string on their string ordering page. Aquila Corde says they have engineered Nylgut to have the same tension and density as regular gut; you should use the same gauges for Nylgut as for regular gut.

Regarding gauges: I’m working out a few kinks. I’m trying out slightly lighter gauges for some of the 4th/5th octave strings. I’ll post more after I’ve evaluated them. I guessed on gauges for the top 5 strings by choosing to go up in decreasing gauges: Dusty recommends 0.62 mm for the 2nd octave E, so I just decreased by .02 mm per string (Nylgut gauges are in parenthesis–as you can see, you just take the gauge and remove the decimal):

1C – 0.52 mm (52 red)
1B – 0.54 mm (54 natural)
1A – 0.56 mm (56 natural)
1G – 0.58 mm (58 natural)
1F – 0.60 mm (60 black)

I just received my order from Curtis last Saturday, so I’m working on the task of restringing.

Another benefit of Nylgut: The upper strings come in 120 cm lengths (about 4 feet), which is enough length that I can get 3-5 lengths out of one string if I tie my knots carefully and rewind after about 24 hours. I regain 1 to 1.5 extra inches (3-4 cm) when I do this. The lower strings (starting at 150 / 1.50 mm) come in 180 cm lengths, which means I can get two strings out of many of them.

Happy harping!
Mark Pf…

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

Balfour,

I have found with my Nylgut NGH strings that I have to leave them on for about 24 hours and then reinstall them (that is, I wind up the extra length and leave it on the harp–I call this a “bad hair day”). I end up pulling about 1.25 inches (about 3 cm) through the tuning pin and then rewinding. While I could leave 4-5 wraps around the tuning pin, for some strings I end up getting an additional length by taking up that extra bit. That leaves me with about 3 wraps around the tuning pin. I did have to re-regulate my harp, but I was also initially going from nylon to Nylgut. I have also used Silkgut (another Aquila Corde string brand) and like them just as well, but I prefer the look of the Nylgut NGH for the non-colored strings.

Also, be prepared that it might take a while for your strings to arrive. Curtis cannot stock every gauge in every color–there are 45 different gauges from 34-240 (.34mm – 2.40 mm) and three colors (natural, red, and black). They were designed to be a more stable solution than gut for historic harps, but work perfectly well on modern harps that are designed for lever or pedal tension gut.

You do have to know the gauges that you want, but there have been several postings earlier in this thread about string gauges for various harps and Dusty Strings lists their string gauges in various places. For Dusty gut gauges, look at the order page for their gut strings. The gauges are listed there.

Mark Pf…

[Mark Pfannschmidt]

I have been using the Nylgut NGH strings on my Dusty Strings FH36B (which was designed to be able to use gut strings as an alternative to nylon for some of the strings–but check with Dusty Strings to be sure about your harp). I have used gauges closest to Dusty’s gauges and I love the sound! I have also put them on my Dusty Strings Boulevard Classic 34.

I also love the visibility of the non-colored strings.

I just put in an order for more. The lower gauges (up to 145) come in 120 cm lengths and the higher gauges (150 and above) come in 180 cm lengths. The gauge numbers are in hundredths of millimeters, e. g. 145 is 1.45 mm.

As has been stated, Aquila Corde has designed Nylgut strings to be the same gauge and tension as gut strings. Since they are available in a wide variety of gauges, they can be used as a substitute for lever OR pedal tension gut, provided that you know the proper gauges to order.

Any gauge string can be ordered in black, red, or natural, which is a very light beige and is opaque.

By the way, don’t order other Nylgut strings for other instruments (for example, theorbo). Curtis from Aquila USA told me they are a different material. The NGH are specifically designed for harps.

Mark Pf…

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Mark Pfannschmidt.

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