Tying a knot for plain gut string

June 16, 2016 at 05:16 PM · I would think that a figure 8 knot would work. A google search should turn up how to tie one.

June 16, 2016 at 05:54 PM · If you buy a string from Gamut, it will come with a step-by-step instruction how to tie a knot.

This photo is as close as I could find online:

http://www.wikihow.com/images/4/42/Looppull.png

The loop (on the left) is not the best example. It should be a bit bigger.

Make sure to make a "mushroom" at the end by burning the string for a second; otherwise it may slip through the knot.

I also moisten the end (involved in tying a knot) a little to avoid sharp angles or string "breaking".

If you want a really neat little loop, use a thin metal rod (such as in screwdriver) as a template.

Last, but not the least: practice with a rope a few times before you try with real thing. It is not difficult to do it once you know, but very easy to destroy your string in the beginning!

June 20, 2016 at 10:08 PM · An alternative to the "looppull" was taught to me by a luthier when I bought my first set of plain gut strings from him. I'll first describe fitting a gut E using this alternative, and then will consider the other strings.

A plain gut E out of the packet feels fairly stiff and almost rigid, not the best material for making fine knots or loops - this applies even more so to the plain A and D - so I make pliable the last 2 inches of the E (or other string) by firmly massaging (bending it) with my fingers until that whole 2 inches feels as pliable as a piece of cotton twine - it takes about half a minute or less to do this.

The next step is to pass that pliable end down through the hole in the tailpiece so that it comes from under the tailpiece towards the bridge. Then make a loop in the pliable end, and pass the free end of the string twice through the loop. Pull on the free end to tighten the loop and then pass the far end (the peg end) of the string through the loop and then to the scroll to wind it on its peg.

When tensioning the E on the peg the loop at the tailpiece end contracts and tightens around the string. You may hear little creaking noises from the string as this happens, which is normal. Passing the free end of the string twice through the loop in the previous stage is very important and ensures that the loop won't untie.

I find that a gut E installed in this manner is stable well within the hour, and the loop never comes undone.

With a plain gut A I don't always fit it loop-wise as with the E but tighten the loop by pulling on it so as to make it into a firm knot. I find the knot holds perfectly - and, with the thick A, looks tidier than a looped fitting. Incidentally, my experience is that there is no noticeable difference in string tone between looped and knotted.

Never use a knot, as opposed to a loop, to secure a gut E. It just won't work and will pull through the hole in the tailpiece, unless perhaps you're using a baroque tailpiece in which the holes are just large enough for the string to pass through.

I always knot a gut D in the same way as the A.

The covered gut G is usually provided with a loop, which you can use either as a loop per se or as a built-in knot (my preference).

Some brands of covered gut G (Savarez, for example) come in double length, so they need to be cut in half before use. One normally uses the half with the loop first, but when it comes to using the other half (which has no loop) then a simple knot is all that is needed to hold the string securely in the tailpiece.

With making a loop or knot as I have described it does not seem to be necessary to make a "mushroom" in the string end. I've never needed one to stop a loop or knot from pulling through. A "mushroom" may of course be desirable with other methods of fitting gut strings.

June 21, 2016 at 12:17 PM · Hi thanks for the responses. I used the overhand knot with leather washer (available through Gamut) and seems to work very well :)