I asked earlier in the week for opinions regarding your experiences with bass strings going dead due to foreign substance getting on them, and how fast the strings could be thus effected. Thanks to those who responded. Sadly, we have since discovered EIGHT more pianos similarly vandalized, a Baldwin grand, a Hamilton upright, and six Yamaha U1D's. The Baldwin grand was done the same as the S&S D, e.i., the bass strings were sprayed with an, as yet, unidentified substance. All the uprights were sprayed with the same stuff apparently, it being put on the bass strings and all the tuning pins and treble wire that show above the action when you lift the lid's. Detective work continues and samples of the stuff are being analyzed by the State Police Lab and by the Analytical Chemistry Dep't. at M.U. No suspects yet. Of course, I have locked down the building until this is all figured out. The stuff is *definitly* an aerosol and is caustic is nature. Has a peculure odor,too. It didn't take very much to do the damage, the pianos didn't get a good soaking. There are a zillion things I think its NOT. It's not spray polish,or any kind of spray lube(like WD-40). It's not particularly sticky,oily, and there is little residue of the substance itself. I'm leaning toward somthing like spray-on oven cleaner(caustic lye ?) . The thing that really gnaws at me is that whoever did this knew just what would cause the most damage with the least effort *and* where to put it. Film at 11. :( Paul Dempsey Marshall University wippen@aol.com
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