ECOLOGICAL CAMPAIGN FOR LUTES 2025
If you throw your synthetic lute strings in the plastic bin and place an order for historical gut strings (only via cart, no mail!) you will get 30% off! For information see Menu: Families of instruments - Lute family

NEWS FOR BASS VIOLA DA GAMBA: THE NEW MARAIS (brass) AND FORQUERAIS (silver with demi-filée) SETS ARE AVAILABLE
See Menu: Families of instruments - Viola da gamba family - Baroque bass

Premio Bonporti 16-19 October 2025 Rovereto (Italy): Violinists! Go with your harpsichordist or theorbist or harpist or cellist to the Premio Bonporti! Your accompanist will receive a grant. Deadline for applications 15 July. http://www.premiobonporti.it/

Oliatura delle corde in budello

 Oiling is an essential step in the traditional processing of strings for two reasons: the oil protects the string from humidity, the worst enemy of the gut, and makes it soft and supple.

Cordedrago uses exclusively extra virgin olive oil with "0" acidity, added with laurel oil, recommended by Philippe Savaresse in Dictionnaire des arts et manufactures, a preservative, which gives the strings a very pleasant scent, unfortunately not persistent: this treatment avoid the rancidity problems that often denounce ancient sources (after all, pork lard was also used at the time!).

In ancient times the strings were also completely immersed in the oil, obtaining an extraordinary softness of the string itself, but there were quite serious problems with some customers, who did not provide for an adequate removal of the excess fat at the point where the bow touches the gut, damaging the hair and making it useless.

Consequently, a superficial oiling was opted for, which is almost totally absorbed.

IT IS OTHERWISE ESSENTIAL THAT THE CORDEDRAGO CUSTOMERS WHO PLAY ARCH INSTRUMENTS PERSONALLY PROVIDE THE DEGREASING OF THE BUCKET WITH AVIO PETROL (USED TO PAD OUT CLOTHES) OR WITH ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL OR WITH SIMPLE ALCOHOL IN THE POINT IN WHICH THE BOW TOUCHES THE STRING.

No liability is accepted for damage resulting from failure to observe this practice.

 

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.