Tricolore ViolaGut String Set Gauges Viola a-1 Sheep Gut Light 0.76mm Medium 0.78mm Heavy 0.80mm Viola d-2 Sheep Gut Light 1.04mm Medium 1.06mm Heavy 1.08mm Viola G-3 Gut/Silver Light 0.84mm Medium 0.86mm Heavy 0.88mm Viola C-4 Gut/Silver Light 1.08mm Medium 1.10mm Heavy 1.12mm Viola a-1: Sheep Gut / Single-Length, 32"/80cm Viola d-2: Sheep Gut / Single-Length, 32"/80cm Viola G-3: Gut/Silver-Wound / Single-Length, 25.5"/65cm; Knot to Stocking, 19.5"/49.5cm; Stocking, 6"/15cm Viola C-4: Gut/Silver-Wound / Single-Length, 25.5"/65cm; Knot to Stocking, 19.5"/49.5cm; Stocking, 6"/15cm String Material: Sheep Gut, Beef Gut, Silver Wire String Options: Varnish Tuning Designation: a=440 These strings come with a 3-D Printed Ball End. Plain gut strings are available with a natural or varnish finish. Natural strings are hand-rubbed with a light oil. Varnished strings have three coats of finish before being hand-polished with the oil. Technical ConsiderationsTricolore plain gut strings are made with sheep gut; gut/metal-wound Tricolore strings are made with beef gut. Tricolore Gut/Silver-Wound strings feature a gut core with sterling silver wire wound onto the gut in tandem with a thin silk layer between the core and the wire. All Gamut string set prices are based off of the individual string prices; there is no penalty for ordering strings à la carte. Historical ConsiderationsSheep gut is the classical material that has for centuries been used to make music strings. One of our clients with a poetic flair describes sheep gut as having a "golden" tone and beef gut having a "silver" tone. Modern tailpieces are made with wider string slots than those of the early 20th century and a gut knot is no longer big enough to hold the string in place. The 3-D Printed Ball End will keep the string from pulling through the tailpiece. The Tricolore brand, used by many famous violin soloists, was one of the most well-known violin strings made in the 20th century. These strings were developed by the Perfection Musical String Co. The machines we use at Gamut Music were purchased from the Perfection Company, along with the formulations used to make Tricolore strings. These strings are accurate replications of the ones that filled American concert halls with sound in the 20th century. Further ReadingViola (Baroque, Classical)Tricolore Strings ReturnHistorical String-Making Care and Cleaning of Gut Strings String Calculator