Re: technical string question

On 28 Nov 2003 10:01:09 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Dale) wrote:

>I'm doing some research for a sf novel, and have a reference question
>for you guys:
>
>what sort of steel is used for modern strings?  Is it straight iron
>steel, or a stainless variety?

It is usually chrome steel and some brands even plug that into their
trade name e.g. "chromecore". Some will be coated with other metals
notably gold...extremely thin gold...since the cost differential
between coated and non coated is rather small.  I don't know if chrome
steel is considered to be part of the stainless family. I do know that
never in my violinistic career have I ever had a steel string rust. (I
only use steel strings for my E string.)  All the others are synthetic
core.

In very general terms, Violin E strings are usually just drawn metal.
In the other three strings any variety of materials can be used as a
core over which aluminum or silver covers are wound.  This core can be
gut, steel, or increasingly a synthetic core (Perlon is one
tradename). Pure gut strings are fairly rare except for the early
music crowd although players of a certain age (myself included as a
kid 50 years ago) can remember when the A string was usually unwound
gut.  Steel strings have been the norm for the E string since early in
the 20th century.

I might add that until you asked that question, I never even gave it
the slightest thought.

Jon Teske, violinist
>
>your help would be greatly appreciated
>----
>Dale