Classical Guitars before nylon?

[dafduc]

What did they used to use?

 

[shawn gibson]

gut?

i think...or heard, maybe another old wives tale.

 

[Kelly5150]

Maybe cat gut, I've heard that saying...

 

[philboyd studge]

Catgut, or kidgut actually, the dried and twisted intestines of sheep. Same fate for horses and donkeys for larger strings.

 

[xalien]

From this web page:

http://www.classicalguitarmidi.com/history/guitar_history.html

"Treble strings were made of gut (superseded by more durable nylon after World War II), bass strings from metal wound on silk (or, more recently, nylon floss). "

 

[dafduc]

Thanks guys!

 

[ambi]

yea, gut and silk with a thin wire.

 

[Tom Hicks]

Ever play gut? Talk about slipping! Add to that the friction pegs they used before geared machine heads (like a violin). Hoo boy!!
The lute had 14 strings, six double courses plus two singles. So multiply your tuning problems times 14. The old saying was that the lute players spent far more time tuning up than performing. Makes even the slowest wanker today look like Speedy Gonzales by comparison when it comes to tuning up.
Humidity kills gut, also. So, the weather plays a big part.

 

[eyeslikefire]

A lot of people today still refer to the classical guitar as a "gut string guitar".

 

[bongolation]

I've read that so-called "catgut" was never actually made from the guts of cats.

Why they ever called it that, I can't imagine. As has been pointed out, a lot of other types of guts were used, though.

Somehow, my kitty seems relieved.

 

[philboyd studge]

I've read that so-called "catgut" was never actually made from the guts of cats.

Why they ever called it that, I can't imagine. As has been pointed out, a lot of other types of guts were used, though.

Somehow, my kitty seems relieved.

I think it just sort of evolved from 'kid-gut' (baby goat).

 

[philboyd studge]

I have a question.

On a nylon string guitar, why do the unwound strings go sharp when temperature suddenly rises and go flat when temperature suddenly falls? You'd think it would be the other way around.

 

[creosote]

How can unwound strings go sharp or flat????

Maybe it's because the neck expnads or contracts with the heat/cold????

 

[Tom Hicks]

Nylon is solid whereas gut is porous. Humidity will make gut go slack. Tension will do the same to nylon (it streaches).

 

[LI_Slim]

My Martin classical, which was made in 1970 -- not exactly ancient -- is stamped inside: "use only gut or nylon strings".

 

[Chrisjob]

I think Phil was refering to the top three strings which are strictly nylon- no metal winding on top


But I still don't have an answer to his question.....

 

[philboyd studge]

How can unwound strings go sharp or flat????

Maybe it's because the neck expnads or contracts with the heat/cold????

I use a wireless and am often putting the guitar through temp changes of 30 or more degress here in the desert from inside and outside situations. The G string changes the most, instantly a half tone with a severe change, followed by the B and E.

Any steel string guitar will be effected under these circumstances, but not like this. It's not the guitar, I've got three nylons that do the same thing. What bothers me is why the strings go sharp when they get hotter and flat when it gets colder.