Equal Tension Cello Gut String Set

Tuning Considerations
Gamut Academie Gut Cello 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 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.

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.

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.

Because of the added diameter of equal tension strings, your instrument may need some adjustment at the tailpiece, bridge, or nut to allow for the extra mass of the strings. The instrument may also need sound post or other adjustments to bring out the most responsive tone.

These are our standard recommended gauges for this instrument. For gauges outside of this range, see our Custom Gauged Strings section.

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.

Equal Tension is a concept that was used on violins historically, and the idea is that each string on the instrument has an equal amount of tension. The customary way to tension strings is to decrease the tension from the top string, which has the most tension, to the bottom string in decreasing amounts on each string. From the 16th to 19th centuries there are writers who mention or recommend equal tension, and this seems to have been one aesthetic that some players used. Regardless of the extent of the historical use, many modern players find that this system of string allows a quicker and louder response from the instrument. The extra tension on the lower strings allows the bow to play more on top of the strings resulting in quicker bowing.

Further Reading
Cello / Violoncello / Cello da Spalla
What is Equal Tension?
Early Music / Historically Informed Performance
Historical String-Making
Care and Cleaning of Gut Strings
String Calculator