No link but you can find hemp coated strings on the instruments of most any classic rock band if you'd like to hear them...
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass Hemp strings?
- Thread starter Tommy el Gato
- Start date
No link but you can find hemp coated strings on the instruments of most any classic rock band if you'd like to hear them...
I heard some bass players from Seattle and Vancouver sat down after a concert to discuss hemp strings and they just wouldn't stop talking!
- Aug 1, 2005
- 3,546
- 1,421
- Disclosures
- Private Inventor - Bass Capos
Tynex covered hempcore strings. That would be an interesting synergism, considering the history of Dupont in the rope business.
Is it really true that Dupont was able to eradicate industrial hemp production in all western countries based on drug propaganda? I've heard this many times, and it sounds plausible, but I haven't seen convincing documentation.
This is promising. I suspect the tuning stability may even out as many strings do as they stretch out and break in. If you don't find it more work than you would like, sound clips would be awesome! I especially find the part about arco impressions interesting. I'm still interested to see how [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] would turn out. If you don't get the time/money/whatever, I might take that leap once your experiments and notations are done.
Are you trying to tell me that government officials and politicians are susceptible to human fault and greed just like the rest of humanity?
Psssshhhh... I call BS on that one!
Are you trying to tell me that government officials and politicians are susceptible to human fault and greed just like the rest of humanity?
Psssshhhh... I call BS on that one!
- Aug 1, 2005
- 3,546
- 1,421
- Disclosures
- Private Inventor - Bass Capos
I just wish farmers could get in on the agricultural side of thing, it could be such a productive industry.
Hemp is fairly easy to grow, requires little to no pesticide and NO herbicide, grows FAST, it's actually good for the soil, and can be grown just about anywhere we already grow corn and wheat.
I think I'm correct in saying that it also produces one of the longest natural fibers know to the plant kingdom, hence its large number of useful applications.
That's right. Though, it looks like a lot of industrial hemp is grown legally in Ontario.
Growing Industrial Hemp in Ontario
Growing Industrial Hemp in Ontario
Which doesn't make sense. But first, let me just clarify something here. I saw a lot of posters here making jokes about getting high with hemp. Just to clarify, you can't get high with hemp. Hemp has little to no THC level which is responsible for making users high. This differentiate hemp from marijuana. Just like what Ron Paul said, you would need to roll a joint the size of a telephone pole in order to feel a little high.
With that being said, the US already know that you can't get high from hemp and this is why it's legal to buy hemp products. So what's stopping them from legalizing growing hemp? I can only think of greed as the reason. If you grow hemp, you will depend on the government and self-serving corporations less. Here are just some things that you can get from hemp:
1. A healthy land where you can plant healthier crops.
2. Food and nutrition. Hemp seeds are known to provide a high amount of plant protein.
3. Fiber (This is why hemp strings are not that far-fetched.)
4. Wood replacement
Source: Link Removed
I just found this discussion of hemp to be used for strings.
I doubt that hemp can be used for string cores for the following reason:
The core of a string needs to hold the complete tension of the string. Silk cores are possible because silk is one very long fibre that can be cut in shorter pieces as needed. every fiber in a silk core has the total length of the string. There is no spinning of shorter fibres to a thicker twine. Not knowing much about hemp I doubt the plant fibers are as long and evenly as silk as needed for a double bass string. Twine holds tension as long as the fibres it is made of do not slip and the distributed tension won't break a fiber. If the fiber parts start to slip under tension the twine will break earlier or later. So if the friction between the fibers can not hold the same tension as the fiber itself (and I assume this is the case) this is the weak part. Maybe this explains why the the string stretches and breaks then. String stretching could be a consequence of the stretching of molecule-chains or the result of the slipping of shorter roped fiber parts. The latter will increase over time and break a string really soon, the former will stop stretching at some point or at least streching will be reduced over time.
There is a general problem with multifibler string cores. The stretching of the fibers must be the same ot the tension will distribute to a smaller number of them which may break the fibers under heavy tension, then the number of fibers might get too small to hold the tension at all and the string breaks. Maybe twisting the fibers may reduce this risk (but may reduce the maximum tension per fiber too).
Even gut strings have a limit of tension that makes them unusable for really thin strings and thin cores in wound gut strings under higher tension. Maybe this is the reason why my really thin viola da gamba high d gut string breaks rather often.
Single core strings have other risks.
I think hemp could be used for damping a string like silk, but it must be processed to a very evenly fibre to avoid bumps on your string surface.
I doubt that hemp can be used for string cores for the following reason:
The core of a string needs to hold the complete tension of the string. Silk cores are possible because silk is one very long fibre that can be cut in shorter pieces as needed. every fiber in a silk core has the total length of the string. There is no spinning of shorter fibres to a thicker twine. Not knowing much about hemp I doubt the plant fibers are as long and evenly as silk as needed for a double bass string. Twine holds tension as long as the fibres it is made of do not slip and the distributed tension won't break a fiber. If the fiber parts start to slip under tension the twine will break earlier or later. So if the friction between the fibers can not hold the same tension as the fiber itself (and I assume this is the case) this is the weak part. Maybe this explains why the the string stretches and breaks then. String stretching could be a consequence of the stretching of molecule-chains or the result of the slipping of shorter roped fiber parts. The latter will increase over time and break a string really soon, the former will stop stretching at some point or at least streching will be reduced over time.
There is a general problem with multifibler string cores. The stretching of the fibers must be the same ot the tension will distribute to a smaller number of them which may break the fibers under heavy tension, then the number of fibers might get too small to hold the tension at all and the string breaks. Maybe twisting the fibers may reduce this risk (but may reduce the maximum tension per fiber too).
Even gut strings have a limit of tension that makes them unusable for really thin strings and thin cores in wound gut strings under higher tension. Maybe this is the reason why my really thin viola da gamba high d gut string breaks rather often.
Single core strings have other risks.
I think hemp could be used for damping a string like silk, but it must be processed to a very evenly fibre to avoid bumps on your string surface.
