I currently use Nylgut strings for the top three courses of my Nahat (and copper wound for the basses). Tension is around 3,1kg.
The g and c' courses really sound fantastic with Nylgut, however I don't like the plain nylgut strings of the d-course (too thick, sounding dull). I
don't really like the sound of standard wound strings for the d-course either.
I see two possibilities from Aquila :
- A special kind of Nylgut (see here) with higher density, allowing smaller diameter for a given tension
- A special type of copper wound strings, called DE (see here) which is said to be close in sound to loaded gut (with more emphasis on the fundamental than standard wound strings).
Has anyone tried those strings? Or are there other alternatives ? (I don't think PVF
go along well with Nylgut).
thanks
Dan ameer - 4-5-2010 at 10:47 AM
With nylgut I usually use a nylon third course. It gets that nice old school tarab sound somewhat like Farid El Atrash.Danielo - 4-6-2010 at 12:25 AM
Thanks Ameer four your advice,
but aren't nylon d-strings even thicker than Nylgut ones?
Dan
ameer - 4-6-2010 at 08:00 AM
I haven't tried a nylgut D so I don't know, but I would say you could easily get away with a .034 D string as long as you didn't want to tune down.
Moreover even a .038 nylon D hardly sounds "dead" to my ears but a .034 would be better. This agrees with what I have been told by others who I asked:
a nylon D does not sound as dull as a nylgut D.Matthias - 4-6-2010 at 10:33 AM
- A special type of copper wound strings, called DE (see here) which is said to be close in sound to loaded gut (with more emphasis on the fundamental than standard wound strings).
Theese strings are constructed for longer strings length, like archlutes and chitarrone do have.
I the the near past I had some clients using these "DE-Type" strings instead of the "D-Type" strings - which are used in the Aquila aoud sets - as
they liked them more, even on the shorter and stopped stings. As it is always the case with strings finding a solution: try them, I by myself do not
know anybody who did this on an aoud.
Furthermore this kind of strings start with a gut eq diameter of 100 wich will give a tension of 34 Newton to your oud.
If you like to try theese strings, I have them on stock.
Regards Matthias
Danielo - 4-6-2010 at 10:39 AM
Dear Ameer,
thanks for your answer
You probably mean .034 inch, which is 0.86 mm?
A quick calculation leads to a tension of 1.9kg... (I use a standard tuning, giving a frequency of 147 Hz for the d strings).
The tension seems really way too low ? (even .038 gives 2,4kg).
thanks,
Dan
Danielo - 4-6-2010 at 10:43 AM
Dear Matthias,
thanks for your very helpful feedback!
About the tension issue, do you mean that with the strings available one cannot get
a tension smaller than 34 N ?
I may give the DE strings a try, I'll contact you shortly.
Danameer - 4-6-2010 at 06:21 PM
I dunno. I am something of a throwback and am apparently used to a much lower tension than most, so what seems normal to me could be abnormal to you.
I have to say though that using a .038" nylon D on a 60.5 CM scale length is slightly uncomfortable and sounds annoyingly tight.Matthias - 4-7-2010 at 02:49 AM
About the tension issue, do you mean that with the strings available one cannot get
a tension smaller than 34 N ?
Dear Danielo,
Give me the diameter of the actual plain Nylgut you used and intend to change. The NGWDE 100 is the thinnest string of this type, so no less tension
is ppossible with this string type.
I mean for yor Nahat a tension of 32 - 33 Newton should be enough.
