Source for strings in US

[Paul]

Hello,
Does anybody know of a reliable source for concert zither srings in the US? I've looked all over the web and I can only find sources in Germany. Under normal conditions I would just order from there but under these COVID conditions, I'm afraid it will take forever to get here......

Thanks,
Paul

[kenbloom]

I've been getting mine from Anne Prinz. You can e-mail her at atozthatisme@aol.com. I've always used Bergfe strings and they do very well on my zithers. These days it's Bergfe green. Grreat sound, lower tension. There are other places but Anne is reliable. When you e-mail her, she may not get back to you immediately. Be patient.

Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org

[Paul]

Thanks for the reply! I will contact her.
You are using the Bergfee green. Those are the all nylon silk ones, correct? Are the frettboard strings also nylon silk?

[kenbloom]

The fretboard strings are steel and phosphor bronze. You can get a D string which is either bronze wond on a steel core or the plain phosphor bronze wire. I prefer the bronze wire myself. I wear through the winding on the steel core wond string too quickly and I like the tone of the plain bronze wire.

Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.org

[Rudy Mueller]

Agreed. Bergfee green are really pleasant.

If you are changing strings for the first time, you may want to first tune up with whatever strings you have, then replace and tune the new strings one at a time. We have all probably broken a brand new string by over-tightening.

On the accompaniment strings, every fourth string starting with "f" is red.

Take your time; you do not have to do this in one sitting; I usually do a full set over 3-4 days, tuning, tuning, tuning as I go.

Old zither? This my also be an opportunity to clean out the sound box if there are no or few strings around the sound hole. I have used a "jury-rigged" flexible hose on a vacuum cleaner, and even a leaf-blower firmly fixed to a work bench. DO NOT USE A "HEAT GUN" - THE HEAT WILL OPEN UP THE GLUE JOINTS. BE SURE TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT FIRMLY FIXED OR FIRMLY HELD IN PLACE. These instruments are amazingly light-weight, and a leaf-blower can/will send them flying.

Don't want to risk a flying zither? Another handy cleaning tool is a strip of felt glued to a thin flexible strip of plastic, thin enough to get under the ribs to the edges of the sound box.

Rudi

[Kennethpauls]

Cleaning the soundbox sounds like a great idea; I never thought of it- all that accumulated dust..
I happen to get a lot of pleasure removing all the strings and then polishing/conditioning the wood, and then chrome polish on the metal plate covering the mechanics before restringing the whole instrument. And yes, it can cost you a string that was over-wound if not careful. When I’m not impatient, I slowly wind the strings up to their pitch over time to allow them to stretch. Tune-up, wait, then tune-up some more. Also, I prefer Lenzner Fisoma these days, especially for the Perfekta since there is so much tension on the contrabass cross-strings.

[Rudy Mueller]

A few years back our daughter purchased an F. Seith (27 string accompaniment) for me, that came without a case ("etui" in German??). I used a leaf blower on it; some of the "dust kitties" that came flying out out were the size of walnuts! I have since built a case for this treasure. The six string griffbeett "oldie" we keep in Essenheim is also presently without a case; ouch! These were purchased on e-bay.de.

I usually do not put the zither back into the case when not in use, but rather insert one heavy felt mat (cut to fit the area... ) under the strings and over the sound hole, and then also a heavy terry cloth towel over the entire instrument, in a effort to keep out the dust. The top cover is kept away from the humidifying cloths kept over the corner edges of the table.

Rudi

[Paul]

I have since bought a set of replacement strings. Now I have one problem: one of the strings is too fat to fit through the hole on the string holder. Does any body know, can I just drill it out a little so the string fits, or is that a no-no?

Thanks!

[Rudy Mueller]

Was it originally strung "Viennese" and then strung "Munich" , or vice versa?

[Dave]

Paul, what type of strings were on the instrument when you obtained it? I wonder if it's an older zither, where steel strings were expected. Could you post a pic of the problem area, and also one of your instrument?