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I've been really putting off changing this top d'amore string for quite some time.... it hadn't quite snapped yet, but as I'm playing on it more to learn a concerto in this coming month... it is starting to fray too much to be able to respond quickly and strongly enough. And when I opened up the case a few days ago... well, this was way too much!
Now, in Europe I would have been changing these quite often enough... but gut strings are a little bit more expensive here in Australia, and I've been rationing out the changing to what is needed instead of sticking to a regular schedule.... plus, just more than a touch of procrastinating and getting swamped by other things. But... when you are needing to get the maximum performance and response out of an instrument, it just gets too annoying to ignore!
So... off comes the string!
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Now... as I rummaged around my set of strings that I keep in the d'amore case, I found that I didn't have a single top playing string left. BUT... I did remember that it used the same gauge as the ones that I use on my violins. Except... which violin! The higher pitch one (440/430) uses the the thinner 60 gauge, whilst the lower pitch one (415) uses the thicker 64/66 gauge. You would think that this would be a good thing to write down somewhere... seeing as I do this every bloody time I change a string or when I go to do a stocktake and string order! Definitely, I'm doing it this time!... just after this post, and doing the shopping, and the gardening, picking up the kids, writing some invoices, writing some emails, and cooking dinner....
...well, this would be easy if I could remember where I had stashed my digital calipers, then I could just measure the gauge of the old string and I would be on my way! Except, our house is still a little bit in disarray... we are getting there, but there are many things that haven't found a proper place in the house. But given that the pitch of the top playing string is a tone under the top violin string (D instead of E), it should require a thicker string... so, I went with the 64 gauge... I probably could have even gone for the the 66, but just in case... I stayed a little safer. Anyway, for the gut strings, as thick as possible whilst still getting a decent response reaction is the best!
... the only thing is, with the longer string length of the d'amore, I'm was hoping that it wouldn't eat up the complete double length of the new spare string. You can get two violin lengths from the package.... it would be annoying to have to waste the rest if I didn't have to. And thankfully, a violin length was just enough!
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With the mechanical pegs, it can be quite annoying to wind the strings on... and when you have one of the outer strings in the pegbox (the top treble is that right-most one...), it can also be quite tricky to wind it on and not have it grind and bunch against the wood of the pegbox. You can, but then every time you turn the peg, you are starting to shear the string which makes it more likely to snap... if you don't get completely stuck altogether!
... so, a little trick with a toothpick (a very useful and near essential tool for also tuning the sympathetic strings, and plugging little holes with stuff to stop rattling!) is to push the string into the middle whilst winding, so that the string coils outwards from the centre of the peg... giving you more than enough winding travel to stay well away from the wood of the box. You also do need to allow it to travel to the wood in the end, so that the string isn't under some weird cross tension at the nut of the fingerboard (the bottom right, where it cross the black bit!).
So... strung up and ready to play! Thankfully, I have a friend who is in Europe at the moment, and I have placed a large order of gut strings... so, I don't feel too bad about depleting my stock now. Thinking about that... I probably should change a few more on the other instruments... after all, these gut strings won't keep forever, they do get brittle in storage! Definitely not a fine wine!
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