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Where Did “Catgut” Come From?
In the world of musical strings, the term "catgut" is a misnomer; it does not actually involve cats.
Historically, strings for musical instruments were indeed made from the intestines of various animals, including sheep, cows, and goats. The term "catgut" likely originated from the word "kitgut" or "kitstring," where "kit" refers to a pocket fiddle, or Pochette — a small violin-like instrument.
The use of animal intestines for strings dates back many centuries. These strings, particularly those made from sheep intestines, were valued for their warm and rich tone. The term "catgut" persisted despite not having any direct association with cats, and it became a colloquial and somewhat confusing name for these strings.
“No aid to surgery has had such a chequered career as catgut.” - [PDF] The Story of Catgut - Eldred J. Holder, Ph.D., B. Pharm, Ph.C. (Edin.). Post Graduate Medical Journal, September 1949.
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Hand-made in the USA by Gamut Music, Inc., a leader in the revival of early music strings and instruments. Gut strings are not intended to be used with fine tuners or string adjusters, and those devices should be removed before installing the gut string on the instrument.
All Gamut Academie strings (pure gut and gut/metal-wound) are made with beef serosa unless they specifically say "Sheep Gut." All pure gut Tricolore violin and viola strings are made with sheep gut; gut/metal-wound Tricolore and all Red Diamond strings are made with beef serosa.
Gamut gut string gauges are approximate (≈) diameter. Meaning, that while a ≈0.60mm string is polished in the workshop to a diameter of 0.60mm, changes in ambient humidity, temperature, shipping, and storage conditions can cause to string to expand or contract slightly.
Gimped gut strings and custom gauged equal tension strings are gauged with the equivalent-gauge (=) system. This means that the gauge listed, such as =1.50mm, indicates that the string is approximately equal in weight to a plain gut string of that diameter. Of course, because the wire is much heavier than gut, the string will be much thinner than a plain gut string.
More information about Gamut gut strings, string types, gauges, and string tensions can be found on our FAQ/Articles page. Not finding an answer to your question? Please contact us directly: support@gamutmusic.com.