[CAUT] restrung D

[Fred Sturm]

On Apr 16, 2007, at 3:52 PM, RicB wrote:

> I'm not sure it would... I just imagine that when the termination  
> device gets significantly harder then the string material itself...  
> the eventual wear and tear will take its toll on the string instead  
> of the termination.  This is one of the common trade-offs  with the  
> front termination... in particular the capo.
> Since you mentioned that Sauter uses very hard stuff indeed... I  
> will most definitely keep an eye on the instrument in the years to  
> come for this kind of breakage.  I dont see it often... but once in  
> a while I do see a string break at the bridge termination.  Just  
> happened on a Bechstein I have the other day come to think of it,  
> and I remember thinking it a bit odd.
>
> I'd like to hear why you think this wouldnt be a potential problem  
> tho Fred.
>
> Cheers
> RicB

Hi Ric,
	I've been skeptical about that "thing everybody knows" - that  
hardness of termination material has an effect on string breakage,  
usually referring to the capo - for years. I simply don't see a  
mechanism for hardness of the termination having any impact  
whatsoever. It would have an impact if you were hammering on the  
string with something massive and hard right at the termination. But  
you aren't. You are using a felt covered bit of wood on the end of a  
skinny dowel, and you are hitting the string away from the  
termination (except the top few unisons). In my experience, that  
makes me think of hammering a nail into the far end of a board that  
is clamped to the bench on its other end. So much springiness in the  
system, all parts of the system except the termination itself, that  
hardness just doesn't enter into the equation. Me, I'm pretty  
convinced that the major contributing factor for string breakage at  
the capo is sharpness of bend, together with number and force of  
blows applied. How hard or soft the metal is makes no difference to  
how the string bends around it (both relatively hard and relatively  
soft are equally "stable and firm" as "place keepers"). It is  
conceivable that wear and tear from tuning are greater from a hard  
termination than from a softer one, but I wouldn't bet on it. If the  
hard termination is more polished and less abrasive (which is  
likely), it might well cause less wear. The softer material is likely  
to have troughs/grooves, hence greater area in contact with the  
string, hence greater friction.
	Put the hardness at the bridge, where there is less rending of the  
string, and far less bend and direct impact from the hammer, and  
there is even less reason to predict a breakage increase.
	Maybe you can persuade me otherwise.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



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