about Nylgut

[Jody Stecher]

The following link pertaining to the chemistry and properties of Nylgut (but which kind?) just appeared in another musical instrument forum: 

https://www.google.fr/patents/US5900314?dq=%22aquila+corde%22&h...

I found it interesting that the first quality listed was its ability to resist breakage and also that it is not quite up to the standard of "polyamide" strings but very close. 

[Greg Adams]

Cool. Will take a look. I wonder if anyone else on this forum has been exploring the Savarez Carbon series strings. I have lately been experimenting with .33mm and .37mm as first and fifth strings, .41mm for second, .45mm for third, and D'Addario NYL020W Classical Nylon Silverwoulnd for the fourth.

[John Cohen]

Greg, you know I've used the Savarez strings.  They sound pretty good, but they are slippery and hard to tie.  I've also had these break on me more than any other type of string, usually after a peg slips a couple of times.  They don't like being tuned up and down repeatedly and sometimes break.   

I got my hands on a bunch of older LaBella 17 sets (the ones that actually have a .017 first string, not the newer ones that are .019 and rectified) and they are the best strings I've used.

[Joel Hooks]

PBT= Polyester!  I knew it.  I had my suspicions as they were very squeaky when I had used them in the past.  They also do not have the slickness of PVC (which I thought they were for a while).

From now on I will call them polyester strings.