BAROQUE VIOLIN STRINGS (stringing type after 1690 ca., calculated for a pitch standard of 415 Hz) - HV gut (2X) Light 104 HV Medium 108 HV Heavy 112 HV Aquila Product Information The origin of the employment of gut to make musical strings is lost in the mists of time. Along the centuries manufacturing techniques were gradually refined until they reached the perfection unanimously recognized as the trademark of Italian and French stringmakers in the 17th to 19th century. The scope of our work, supported by constant research and painstaking experimentation, is to offer natural gut strings produced by modern craftsmen working in the ancient Italian/French string-makers manufacturing criteria that for centuries has been passed on from one generation to the next, sure to offer you the very best of our tradition and aiming to reach the magic of sound that only gut, of all materials, can achieve. BEEF GUT STRINGS, TYPE HV Smooth gut strings with varnished surface. The type of varnish we use is the result of careful research to ensure perfect compatibility with the elasticity of the gut, excellent contact with the horsehair of the bow, maximum protection against mechanical wear and tear and fold and, finally, great stability at changes in humidity. IMPORTANT Gut is liable to suffer from cutting edges. Before stringing the instrument do make sure the nut and bridge are free from sharp edges and the nut grooves not too deep and perfectly smooth. You can get rid of sharp edges with very fine grit sandpaper (600, for example) or the finest steelwool (000). The best sound quality develops when the strings have completely set, which may ordinarily take sometime. To achieve a stable intonation in just a few minutes you can repeatedly pinch each string at midlength with your fingers, pull it decidedly sideways and tune it up again. Stop when the string does not pull out of tune anymore.