Strings
| We offer a selection of the finest hurdy-gurdy strings in the world, made by Savarez of France. |  |
Hurdy-gurdy strings should be replaced at least every year, or as soon as they start to fray or show dirtiness from being gripped to apply cotton. Remember to change the strings several days or a week before a concert or recording session, to give the strings time to stretch so they will stay in tune.
Please note: string prices are subject to price changes due to price increases by Savarez, changes in the dollar-to-Euro exchange, changes in shipping charges, and increases in fuel prices. While we will do our best to keep the prices of the strings stable and to keep the website updated, we cannot guarantee that the string price on the website is the current price. The actual price may differ from the prices you see here! To get the actual current price, please contact us.
String prices were increased substantially at the beginning of the year in 2008. We regret that the increase is so large, but the dollar has declined on the world market, resulting in our paying much more for strings than we had previously.
Plain gut strings
These strings are made of oiled sheep gut. They are rectified (finely polished) to bring them to a consistant diameter.
Because they are oiled, Savarez gut strings have a limited shelf life - the oil in old strings dries up and becomes crystalline. This leads to brittleness and false tones. If you have had "backup" strings in your case for several years, they are probably in need of replacement.
| Number | Description | Typical use | Price |
| BRH66 | Gut 0.66 mm | special order | $21.00 |
| BRH68 | Gut 0.68 mm | special order | $21.00 |
| BRH71 | Gut 0.71 mm | d" chanter light, g' trompette light | $22.00 |
| BRH74 | Gut 0.74 mm | d" chanter heavy, g' trompette heavy | $22.00 |
| BRH84 | Gut 0.84 mm | special order | $24.00 |
| BRH89 | Gut 0.89 mm | g' chanter light | $25.00 |
| BRH94 | Gut 0.94 mm | g' chanter std, d' trompette light, c' trompette light | $25.00 |
| BRH97 | Gut 0.97 mm | d' chanter light, d' trompette med, c' trompette | $27.00 |
| BRH99 | Gut 0.99 mm | d' chanter med, d' trompette heavy, c' tromp med | $28.00 |
| BRH104 | Gut 1.04 mm | d' chanter heavy, c' trompette heavy | $31.00 |
| BRH109 | Gut 1.09 mm | special order | $32.00 |
| BRH122 | Gut 1.22 mm | mouche light/med | $33.00 |
| BRH127 | Gut 1.27 mm | mouche heavy | $33.00 |
| BRH127 | Gut 1.32 mm | special order | $34.00 |
Wound strings
These strings are made of copper or a copper/silver alloy wire wrapped on a core of sheep gut.
Wound strings generally do not need to be replaced as often as plain gut strings. Be careful to use adequate cotton to protect the wheel surface from the wire wraps of these low strings.
| Number | Description | Typical use | Price |
| BFA422 | Silver on gut | petit bourdon light | $48.00 |
| BFA442 | Silver on gut | petit bourdon light | $43.00 |
| BFA482 | Silver on gut | petit bourdon light | $54.00 |
| BFC500 | Copper on gut | petit bourdon light | $37.00 |
| BFC530 | Copper on gut | petit bourdon | $39.00 |
| BFA532 | Silver on gut | petit bourdon | $56.00 |
| BFC570 | Copper on gut | petit bourdon | $44.00 |
| BFA1002 | Silver on gut | gros bourdon light | $59.00 |
| BFC1010 | Copper on gut | gros bourdon light | $46.00 |
| BFA1102 | Silver on gut | gros bourdon | $60.00 |
| BFC1120 | Copper on gut | gros bourdon | $48.00 |
| BFA1232 | Silver on gut | gros bourdon heavy | $67.00 |
| BFC1250 | Copper on gut | gros bourdon heavy |
$57.00 |
| BFA2242 | Silver on gut | extra low gros bourdon | $80.00 |
Wound strings for low chanter
These strings are made with a very fine silver wire wrapped on a synthetic core. They stay in tune very well, but their tone can be more temperamental than plain gut strings, and even the high tension (forte) strings vibrate farther than the gut, so that the string rattles or buzzes against the tangents. We were introduced to these strings by Pierre Imbert, who used one to produce an octave tuning in G, with the high chanter tuned to g' and the low chanter tuned to g.
| Number | Description | Typical use | Price |
| 733M | Viola G, medium | g chanter (Corelli Crystal) | $30.00 |
| 733F | Viola G, heavy | g chanter (Corelli Crystal) | $30.00 |
| 732M | Viola D, medium | d chanter (Corelli Crystal) | $30.00 |
To order, please call or email us. There is a flat $5.00 shipping/handling charge in the US and Canada, and $10.00 for overseas orders. We regret that we cannot guarantee that we will have all strings in stock at all times.
Please contact us if you have comments or questions about this page or other pages on this site.
Alden and Cali Hackmann
Olympic Musical Instruments
Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae.
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