Description
These C-Alto Viol gauges assume a vibrating string length of 44cm.
| C-Alto Viol F-5 Gut/Silverplate Gauges |
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| Light | 0.82mm |
| Light+ | 0.84mm |
| Medium | 0.86mm |
| Medium+ | 0.88mm |
| Heavy | 0.90mm |
| Heavy+ | 0.92mm |
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String Length: Single-Length, 32.75"/81cm; Knot to Stocking, 27"/69cm; Stocking, 5.5"/14cm
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String Type: Gut/Metal-Wound
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String Material: Beef Gut/Silverplate Wire
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String Options: Underlayer
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Tuning Designation: a=415
Gamut Academie 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.
The end of the string that goes into the tailpiece comes with a 3-D Printed Ball End.
The effect of the silk underlayer is to increase the internal damping, giving the string a warmer tone. The addition of the underlayer also assists in stabilizing the string and increases its longevity.
Because of the plating, the wire is left round so that you can feel the texture of the tops of the wire. The tone is quick and bright.
Tuning Considerations
Gamut Academie Gut Alto Viol Strings are designed for Baroque instruments by those musicians playing historical performance practice at a=415, and are perfectly suitable for modern a=440 practice, but the result will be a little bit more tension at a=440.
Technical Considerations
The little black square in the string envelope is an anti-tarnish strip for mitigating tarnish.
All Gamut string set prices are based off of the individual string prices; there is no penalty for ordering strings à la carte.
Historical Considerations
One of the most common wires seen on historical strings is silver-plated copper. Before the advent of electroplating, wire was plated with silver through a chemical process, and there are extant strings of this type that were made for the violin family and keyboard instruments. The wire we use, like the historical examples, is left round on the core. If the wire were polished the plating would be removed.
Without the silk underlayer, the tone of the string is brighter and has more of the lush, ravishing tone attributed to historical times. According to our research, it is unlikely that an underlayer would have been used on wound music strings before about 1900 — and for those players who want to explore the true nature of historical strings, we offer these strings without this buffer layer.
Further Reading
Viola da Gamba / Viols
Early Music / Historically Informed Performance
Historical String-Making
Care and Cleaning of Gut Strings
String Calculator
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