For some people the guitar is an enjoyable hobby, for others it’s an art. But if you delve deeper into the subject you’ll realize the considerable volume of waste produced by string instruments. In fact, strings are not recyclable; they end up in landfills.
As an aficionado of all things organic and gardening I stumbled upon this article (http://www.lepotiblog.com/des-cordes-de-guitares-vegetales) in one of the French blogs I regularly follow. It’s about musical instrument strings made with castor oil. Yup, you heard that right! It completely grabbed my attention and curiosity so much, I’m talking about it here. The blog managed to crack open the details of classical guitar strings Aquila Perla 37C made from plant-based nylon. Although the description of the product is slightly inaccurate since it’s not entirely “bio”, meaning organic, it still is a step in the right direction. Using 63% plant derived material (that is in fact, castor oil. Castor is not a well-regarded plant due to its legendary laxative properties!), it clearly demonstrates a decreased use of hydrocarbon and the company can be congratulated for this and for supporting the environment. Now in 2016 we can be “green” guitarists, which is not too shabby, is it?
But How Do The Strings Sound?
Here’s a video demonstration I borrowed from the Potiblog:
The sound is truly interesting, even while it’s slightly understated, but I need to try them myself to establish my own opinion; It heavily depends on the guitar used and the songs played. In any case, for less than €10 per set of strings, it’s worth the cost, at least one time just to get an idea.
Being an experienced manufacturer of strings, Aquila speculated (with reason) that the quality of the product is of utmost importance, especially being cognisant of the fact that their strings for classical guitar and ukulele are becoming popular with musicians who are somewhat “pro – environment.”
In summary, you understand now that I’m passionate about the music I play every day and that the guitar is a fun escape for me. I will not hesitate to regularly talk about it in order to share my discoveries with you. And you? What instruments are you interested in?