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Should i loosen off tension on the gut strings by a half turn
My 4th octave E string just broke overnight – the sound woke me up. The room it is in is one of the cooler rooms and isn’t subject to direct sunlight. These strings were new just over 9 months ago when i had the soundboard reinforced so the gut string wasn’t old. I haven’t played much in the last 6 months so the string hasn’t been constantly adjusted. These strings are around £14 each so should i slacken off tension on the gut strings just by a half turn each time I have finished playing or am not going to play for a while?
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3 Replies
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Dear Linda
this can happen suddenly and randomly. Gut is a natural product and it is sensitive to humidity and temperature changes. At my harp 3 strings broke in the same night and since then for over a year I had no problems with broken strings. I would not recommend to loosen the tension, only put the levers to a neutral position after playing.
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I have gut strings as well and they seem to do better in cooler (though not cold) temperatures. I have a whole set in reserve in case and for the eventuality that one breaks. However, I seem to have trouble with only one string in particular. #7. I’ve replaced it 3 times in the last year.
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If its the same gut string the problem could be the eyelet needs sanding, there is sanding string on the Atlanta Harp Centre site, I have the L&H Ogden gut strings on 3 octaves and have just had my luthier replace them with nylon TuxedoDeb (debeveritt@
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