This is a standard length, (48", 120cm), Gimped gut with the Pistoy twist, for extra flexibility. It is useful for those lute players who wish a little more brightness in the tone of the C-5 course, or desire a gut string which is thinner than standard gut. It is made with a copper wire twisted into the gut, polished smooth. It is available with a natural or varnish finish.
Standard-Gauges Lute Strings are available in three gauges, light, medium and heavy. If you require other gauges, please order from the "Custom Gauged Strings" section of the string store.
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.
