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A 'real' gut string. I think

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Ferret

Byron Bay Australia

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September 23, 2013 - 8:37 pm

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I found this in my violin stuff cupboard.

I think that it is a 'real' gut string. I don't really know as I've never seen one before. dunno

I'm not going to try and straighten it out as it looks rather fragile

Its marked "Made in Italy" and "Caution, tune slowly''.

Anyone know about these things?

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Gut-String1-1.jpg (35 KB)

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Fiddlerman

Fort Lauderdale

September 23, 2013 - 10:57 pm

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Looks pretty old. Hard to read the label from this picture. Does it say May on the front of the package? I can see that it is a G string but can't read the rest of that little label. What are they called?

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Fiddlestix

Michigan, USA

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September 24, 2013 - 1:16 am

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Was pretty cheap at the time, $ 2.00.

HDuaneaz

Chandler, Arizona

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September 24, 2013 - 2:33 am

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Cool!

Duane

"Violin is one of the joys of my life."

Ferret

Byron Bay Australia

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September 24, 2013 - 5:37 am

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@Fiddlerman

Hi FM

Here are some close-ups of the labels

The brand is Melyca

The packaging is rather Art Deco '1930s and 1940s' in design. That could give a hint as to its vintage.

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lable.jpg (28 KB)
lable1.jpg (24 KB)

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Fiddlerman

Fort Lauderdale

September 24, 2013 - 7:29 am

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It's definitely a keeper. Real cool. I would frame it. :-)

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

coolpinkone

California, the place of my heart

September 24, 2013 - 1:19 pm

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Very cool Ferret. What a little treasure.

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Crazymotive

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October 8, 2013 - 12:42 pm

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Interesting..Definitely a vintage keepsake. You definitely won't find new pure gut strings for that price today.

BTW There are still a few companies furnishing new pure unwound gut strings. Sometimes they are favored by musicians who specialize in baroque music (or so I heard). I have never used them but one of these days I would like to try them just for fun and to get a idea of the feel and sound they produce.

When I was a kid either steel core wound strings or gut core wound strings were still popular as synthetic core strings were not yet as popular as they are today.