In a message dated 95-08-17 21:49:53 EDT, Paul Dempsey writes: >We had a thread recently regarding various brands of piano wire available and >their merits and I was just wondering if any of you have any strong opinions >about Roslou's tinned ( vervinnt) wire versus their polished wire. >Obviously there are appearance differences but how about tonal considerations >,etc? > >Paul Dempsey >Marshall University >wippen@aol.com We used Roslou's tinned wire for many restorations in my shop, especially for instruments located near or on the coast and subject to salt air off the ocean. It did hold up better in these extreme conditions with less corrosion than polished wire. Unfortunitly there was a problem. After several years the tin would start to flake off the wire around bearing points. It even caused a rendering problem through the agraffes of some pianos. I stopped using it several years ago. As to the difference in tone, I believe there is one. It may be the tin plate wire is somewhat stiffer. It seemed to have more dominent high partials. I felt the tonal differences were minor though, especially compared to the flaking. BTW good string covers work best in high corosion areas. Much better then the tinned wire did. Scott Thile R.P.T. Murray State University (Murray, KY)
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