Description

66C is a set of single treble strings for historical guitars from Aquila Corde Armoniche's Gut & Silk 900 series, designed for guitars used between approximately 1870 and 1946. The set consists of gut trebles.

Overview of Aquila Corde Armoniche's Gut & Silk 900 series for historical guitars

Until the mid-20th century, guitar strings were exclusively made of gut for the trebles and silk-core wound strings for the basses. The acoustic performance of such a setup was quite different from that of modern sets. It was characterized by a marked tonal presence and brilliance from the gut treble strings (certainly superior to nylon and, in some ways, more similar to PVDF or Carbon in the high E string), while the basses, conversely, had an exquisitely vocal nature, meaning a less brilliant and sustained sound than modern nylon-wound basses, and more focused on the fundamental. This set (made in a single tension grade) precisely reproduces a historical string setup, typical of Llobet and Tárrega's time, using varnished gut for the trebles and silver-plated copper wound on silk basses as indicated by Pujol in his 1934 "Escuela Razonada de la Guitarra." The gut used for the trebles is stiff and very smooth, an exact replica of an Andrés Segovia guitar treble string that we studied. The strings are varnished (before 1950, only oiling was done): this is a modern solution that allows for greater string durability and tuning stability while having a smooth surface similar to modern plastic strings. The guitar nut must be adequately prepared and adapted, with only slightly incised grooves and no overly sharp bending points. The basses in this set are made of real silk which, being a natural substance produced by an insect, cannot be consistently regulated in its dimensions. Consequently, it may happen that the bass strings at the 12th fret may be flat or sharp by a certain amount. The accepted limit is 8 cents plus or minus. Beyond this value, the string is considered non-compliant and replaced. Please note that the degree of compensation introduced by the inclination of the bridge saddle, calibrated for modern nylon-core strings, may not apply to strings with a natural silk core.

Specifications of Aquila Corde Armoniche's 66C Gut & Silk 900 for historical guitars

Diameters: G 1.00 - B 0.82 - E 0.66