String breakage

[Vincent E. Mrykalo]

Lance,
It really depends on who is regularly playing the piano (if its in a 
studio).  There is one prof. who after 4 years, needed to have the 
capo section restrung because of breakage.  OTOH, another's has been 
doing well for ten years.  So I'd expect that in the concert hall, 
you would just have to judge that when they start breaking, you 
should plan to do at least the capo section sometime during the year.
Once they start breaking, really no amount of shaping/voicing is 
going to help much.  So the key is probably keeping them shaped and 
voiced before strings start to break to get the longest life out of 
the strings.

>Hi,
>I'd like some feedback on everyone's experience with piano wire life/string
>breakage and the need to restring pianos.  I have a University with several
>Steinway and a few Baldwin D's and B's and they are breaking strings in the
>treble.  I actually occasionally break them myself when tuning and broke one
>once when I was string voicing/leveling.  They break at the V-bar. Many of
>these pianos are only 7-15 years old.  I used to think it was from worn
>hammers hitting the wire too close to the bar, but even after filing, they
>are breaking.  Breakage is over more than one wire gauge.  These pianos get
>heavy but probably not unusual University use.  Thanks in advance.
>Questions:
>-Does the wire get weakened at the V-bar over time?
>-Is it expedited when the hammers aren't filed regularly?
>-How often should a University teaching piano need restringing?
>-Should they be always completely restrung or just areas where they are
>breaking?  Same pins in a partly restrung area?
>
>Lance Lafargue, RPT
>Mandeville, LA
>New Orleans Chapter, PTG
>lancelafargue@bellsouth.net
>985.72P.IANO
>
>_______________________________________________
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-- 
Vince Mrykalo RPT MPT
Senior Piano Technician
Crane School of Music