Diapason Copper Gimped 1.52mm

Product Description

This is an extra log, (90", 228cm), Gimped gut 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. It is made with a copper wire twisted into the gut, polished smooth.

Gimped strings were first mentioned in an advertisement in the 1664 addition 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 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.

The large diameter of the string may necessitate adjustment of the tailpiece tor bridge to allow the string a large enough hole to pass through.

It comes with a natural, hand-rubbed finish but it can be varnished for an additional charge.

The gimped string is characterized by the barber-pole or candy stripe appearance of the wire in the twist of the gut. Gimped strings are gauged by the equivalent diameter system. This means that a given string is equal in weight to a certain gut diameter but the actual diameter of the string is smaller due to the added weight of the wire. A gimped string may be gauged at = 1.50 mm but the actual diameter of the string is 1.10 mm. The thinness and wire give a bright tone.

• Gimped strings are best used for:
• Archlute: extended bass strings
• Theorbo: Extended bass strings
• Lawthenwercke bass strings