ECOLOGICAL CAMPAIGN FOR LUTES 2025
A 30% discount is available for orders of strings for all instruments of the lute family, provided that the order is placed via cart and then, as a reminder, the discount is requested via email. THE DISCOUNT WILL VOID IF INFORMATION IS REQUESTED BY TELEPHONE OR BY EMAIL.
If you need advice, as mentioned, the discount will VOID, but I am available to answer only one email free of charge, after the first one an advance payment of Euro 50 is required (unfortunately this is because in the past some lutenist customers have greatly abused my availability).
In order to avoid requesting information, we suggest using the following suggestions.
For those who want to order a complete set of lute strings, or simply buy individual strings, we kindly ask you to independently calculate the diameter of the strings based on your needs for tension, tuning, vibrating length, pitch, and this via an online string calculator, such as Niskanen lute string calculator.
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYPE OF STRING:
Gut strings for the lute family must be differentiated according to the various high, medium and low registers, as evidenced by historical sources, in particular Thomas Mace and John Dowland, who distinguish various sorts, or types of strings, which are proposed as follows.
For the cantini, or first strings, it is recommended to use the Ritorte di Salle, characterized by a high resistance to traction.
For the high and medium register and for the other octaves, the Cantini di Napoli are recommended, up to a maximum gauge of 105.
For the low strings, the Cordoncini di Roma are recommended up to 130 gauge and the Cordoni di Roma above all for free basses or for fretted basses only on lutes in which you want to play a repertoire up to the 16th century.
In general, however, for the low fretted octaves, we recommend the Copper loaded ones, which cost more than the bare gut strings, but being thinner, they are easier to play.
NOTE: the weighted strings are thinner than the bare gut ones by about 15-18%, but it is impossible to establish precisely what gauge they will have, which will certainly be higher than that of a string covered in metal wire. Therefore, it will be necessary to have a luthier enlarge the holes of the pegs and the bridge.
TO ORDER THE WEIGHTED STRINGS, YOU MUST COMMUNICATE THE THEORETICAL DIAMETER OF THE STRING, THAT IS, THAT OF THE BARE GUT STRING, calculated with the online string calculators. Obviously, the weighted string will have a smaller diameter according to the percentages already mentioned.
Once you have established the types of string, their gauge and their length, you can use the "add to cart" buttons in the "Prices" menu until you complete the order.
If you do not use the cart payment, but place the order by email, you are required to indicate, in addition to the gauge, type of string and length, also: name, surname, address, tax code (mandatory for Italian customers), VAT number if applicable, telephone number and email address.
FROM THIS YEAR WE ALSO PRODUCE BRASS LOADED STRINGS COLORED IN RED, THE Red Pistoys, ONLY FOR LUTE.
