Strings riding up (was Tuning stability)

[Ron Nossaman]

>Is it possible that some wiggle room behind the bridge
>pin is both inevitable and beneficial?

Inevitable, probably, beneficial, possibly. It doesn't seem to be a problem 
tonally until the primary termination, the pin, loses support and rigidity. 
It isn't a problem at the capo, or with agraffed bridges. All you need is a 
solid termination. This is why I don't recommend seating strings on 
bridges. It doesn't fix the loose pin that's most likely what is making the 
problem audible.


>   Is it possible that there is a
>continuous rattle going on just behind the bridge pin, but it is so high 
>frequency
>that we don't hear it?

Or do we? What's that source of that fuzzy indistinct tone that we've been 
reading about that improves when the string is seated?


>  I also wonder if
>the increasing width of the groove we see near the pin may be caused in 
>part by
>string movements.

That's the pin migrating in the cap, mostly. When you see those wide 
tracks, you also can see the oval hole the bridge pin is in. Where the pin 
is still tight at the bridge surface, those grooves are narrow.


>Because the old groove has
>already been compressed, and also because I epoxy the new pins, in the 
>style of
>Bill Spurlock's articles, I believe my resurfaced bridge top is more 
>stable than a
>new bridge top.

I expect you're right. And since I've gone to using laminated caps wherever 
possible, and epoxy pins in, I believe my new bridge tops are more stable 
than either.

Ron N