Bass Viol C-4 Gimped

This is a single-length (48", 120cm) Gimped gut string with the Pistoy twist for extra flexibility. It is intended for those players who wish to play renaissance and early baroque performance practice and want the true gut tone.

Plain gut strings are available with a natural or varnish finish. Natural strings are hand-rubbed with a light oil. Varnished strings have three coats of finish before being hand polished with the oil. There is an additional charge for varnished strings. The string comes with plain, unknotted ends. Knots may be tied for you, and leather washers added for an additional charge.

Instructions on how to tie a string knot are on the back of each package.

Gimped strings were first mentioned in an advertisement in the 1664 edition of John Playford’s “Introduction to the Skill of Music.” The exact historical nature of these strings is not known; and the strings we produce are based on the descriptions of gimped lace of the period.

The Gimped string is characterized by the barber-pole or candy stripe appearance of the wire in the twist of the gut. The addition of wire into the gut gives extra density to the string so it can be thinner than a plain gut string of the same weight. The Gimped string, being thinner and having some metal content, offers a brighter tone and quicker response than a plain gut string of the same gauge density.

Gimped strings are gauged by the Equivalent Diameter system. This means that a given Gimped string is equal in weight to a certain gut diameter, but the actual diameter of the Gimped string is smaller due to the added weight of the wire. A Gimped string may be gauged at =1.50mm, but the actual diameter of the string is 1.10mm. The thinness of the wire gives a bright tone.

Two types of Gimped strings are available: Copper Gimped and Silver Gimped. The silver wire, being heavier than copper, allows the silver gimped string to be even thinner than the copper gimped string. This might be an advantage on shorter string lengths where you would want a thinner string for better tonal response.

The standard Gimped string has a copper wire twisted into it which gives a nice, bright tone. The string is also available with a sterling silver wire twisted into the gut for an additional charge, which gives some slightly different properties. Since silver is heavier than copper, the resulting silver string is a little thinner when the same gauge of silver Gimped and copper Gimped are compared together. Silver wire is also a little softer than copper, so the silver Gimped string is a little more flexible and has a slightly warmer tone than the same gauge in copper. The copper Gimped string is a natural gut color and the silver Gimped string is dyed black.

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Academie strings are manufactured in the USA by Gamut Music, Inc., a leader in the revival of early music strings and instruments. Gut strings are not intended to be used with fine tuners or string adjusters and those devices should be removed before installing the gut string on the instrument.

Gamut gut string gauges are approximate (≈) diameter. Meaning, that while a ≈0.60mm string is polished in the workshop to a diameter of 0.60mm, changes in ambient humidity, temperature, shipping, and storage can cause to string to expand or contract slightly.

Gimped gut strings and custom gauged equal tension strings are gauged with the equivalent-gauge (=) system. This means that the gauge listed, such as =1.50mm, indicates that the string is approximately equal in weight to a plain gut string of that diameter. Of course, because the wire is much heavier than gut, the string will be much thinner than a plain gut string.

More information about Gamut gut strings, string types, gauges, and string tensions can be found on our articles page. Not finding an answer to your question? Please contact us directly: support@gamutmusic.com.