Tenor Viol C-5 Pistoy

Product Description

This is a single length, 120cm (47"), Pistoy gut string available with either 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. A knot may be tied for you at an additional charge.

The Pistoy string is a unique development of Daniel Larson at Gamut Strings. It is named for the town in Italy which was famous for producing the best string for basses, being "flexible, smooth, and well twisted". Our reproduction is 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. When dry, the string is polished down to the specific gauge required by the instrument. The results are a very flexible string with a quick response and a full, round sound. This is not a polished catline as some think. At first glance this might look like such a thing. However, the Pistoy is fundamentally a different kind of string. It shares one trait with the catline in that the string is made with two directions of twist. This is where the similarity ends. The Pistoy has no space in the structure like the catline does and therefore has the same density as any plain gut string. The Pistoy is expensive to make because it takes a lot of time to sort the gut into small bundles to twist and retwist. The gain is in the flexibility. Even in thick strings the string remains supple and responsive. The string is characterized by a noticeable twist and flexible feel. The color ranges from clear white on thinner strings, (1.00 mm to 1.10 mm), to opaque yellow on thick strings.