Academie Gut Contrabass 5ths Tuning Strings
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Academie Gut Contrabass 5ths Tuning Strings

5ths Tuning Contrabass Gut String Set

AcademieSKU: BS20L
1 review
Gauge: Light
Stopping End Washers: No Washers
String Varnish: No Varnish
Price:
$840.13 USD

Description

Contrabass 5ths Tuning Gut String Set Gauges
Contrabass a-1 Lyon
Light 1.78mm
Medium 1.82mm
Heavy 1.86mm
Contrabass d-2 Pistoy
Light 2.80mm
Medium 2.90mm
Heavy 3.00mm
Contrabass G-3 Gut/Silverplate
Light =4.37mm
Medium =4.49mm
Heavy =4.60mm
Contrabass C-4 Gut/Silverplate
Light =7.07mm
Medium =7.20mm
Heavy =7.35mm

 

    • 5ths Contrabass a-1: Lyon Gut / Single-Length, 78"/198cm

    • 5ths Contrabass d-2: Pistoy Gut / Single-Length, 78"/198cm

    • 5ths Contrabass G-3: Gut/Silverplate-Wound / Single-Length, 66.5"/169cm; Knot to Stocking, 54.5"/138cm; Stocking, 12"/30cm

    • 5ths Contrabass C-4: Gut/Silverplate-Wound / Single-Length, 66.5"/169cm; Knot to Stocking, 54.5"/138cm; Stocking, 12"/30cm

    • String Material: Beef Gut, Silverplate Wire

    • String Options: Stopping End Washer, Varnish

    • Tuning Designation: a=440

Plain gut strings come with unknotted ends; gut/metal-wound strings come with a stopping end washer. Bass strings are quite thick and sometimes stiff, and tying a knot can be complex and inelegant. The stopping end washer is a reliable solution to the problem of securing the string at the tailpiece. Instructions on how to tie a string knot are on the back of each package.

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.

Gamut Music

Tuning Considerations
Gamut Academie Gut 5ths Tuning Contrabass Strings are designed for modern performance practice at a=440.

Technical Considerations
The Lyon-style of gut string is a high twist, single spin construction that offers a tone that is full and warm with a powerful fundamental and complex, pleasing upper partials. The color tends towards opaque light to medium yellow.

Pistoy Gut strings are made of three strands of gut twisted in one direction, and then the three combined together by twisting in the other direction in rope fashion. The results is a very flexible string with a quick response and a full, round sound. The color ranges from clear white on thinner strings to opaque yellow on thicker strings.

Gut/Silverplate-Wound strings feature a gut core with silver-plated copper wire wound onto the gut in tandem with a thin silk layer between the core and the wire.

Gamut Music warranties Contrabass gut/metal-wound strings for a period of 6 months from the date of shipping.

All Gamut string set prices are based off of the individual string prices; there is no penalty for ordering strings à la carte.

Further Reading
Contrabass / Violone / Viennese Bass
Early Music / Historically Informed Performance
Historical String-Making
Care and Cleaning of Gut Strings
String Calculator

See full details on Gamut Music's Return Policy, String Warranty, and Shipping Information.


Hand-made 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 Gamut Music recommends removing those devices before installing the gut string on the instrument.

All Gamut Academie strings (pure gut and gut/metal-wound) are made with beef gut (bovine serosa) unless they specifically say "sheep gut." All pure gut Tricolore violin and viola strings are made with sheep gut; Dependable Coated Violin Strings, gut/metal-wound Tricolore, and all Red Diamond strings are made with beef gut.

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 conditions can cause the string to expand or contract slightly.

Gimped gut strings and gut/metal-wound 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 the care and cleaning of gut strings, Gamut Music string types, and string gauges and tensions can be found on our FAQ/Articles page. Not finding an answer to your question? Please contact us.