At 17:44 07.09.95, Mark Dierauf wrote:
|: To all those who believe that Steinway stringing scales should be inviolate,
|: here are measurements from an original Steinway model "O" #200532, the set of
|: "duplicate" strings that I recieved for this piano when I ordered a stock set
|: of "O" strings from Mapes, and the optimized strings that I designed using
|: Rescale software. Measurements are for core and overall diameter (OD). After
|: calculating the actual copper sizes used by Mapes, it would appear that they
|: change wire sizes as infrequently as possible, which certainly facilitates
|: their manufacture. Not that I mean to pick on Mapes, I would assume most
|: other suppliers do this as well. My point is that these strings *were*
|: redesigned.
Several points:
a) Did you measure the strings on any other model Os produced in the same
week and find the scales identical?
b) Have you compared this "original" scale with other Os from different
periods and different factories?
c) Have you actually asked Mapes to make you a single-covered string of
.219" on a #24 core? -- you must like listening to bad language or
something!
d) Why, when every respectable piano maker in the world has always made a
jump both in core gauge and in tension between singles and bichords, do you
choose to carry an unbroken progression of core gauges through the break?
Very few stringmakers use half sizes and some do not even keep them in
stock. This has always applied. I personally do use half sizes and save
only seconds by not doing so but traditionally the bass string maker does
not bother with half sizes. I justify stocking half sizes by keeping 1/2
kg coils rather than 5 kg. coils and selling coils to the trade - this way
the extra bother is balanced by the profit made on sales of plain wire.
Mapes will almost certainly be working to a scale supplied to them by
Steinway, which will specify the cores and the covers and no more.
Variations will occur for the following reasons:
a) Some stringmakers wind more tightly than others, hence thinner strings
b) A new pair of gloves will result in thinner strings
c) Copper is not drawn to very exact tolerances, so there can be variations
of several thou from bobbin to bobbin. No stringmaker is going to measure
the copper before winding it and make adjustments to the scale to achieve
some ideal o/d when this is not going to make a scrap of difference to the
tone.
I have one customer who always sends me exact specifications for every set
and insists on vetting the calcs before we proceed. Occasionally I send
him a set without having shown him the calcs beforehand. If I make an
error in the calcs (which I then detect and correct as I am making the
strings) he will always comment that such and such a note sounds queer
because he has seen a glitch in the printout. He has *no idea* how often I
deliberately stray from the specs to see if he notices, because he only
notices when the printout tells him the note sounds wrong.
JD
Note# Original Mapes Rescale
Core OD Core OD Core OD
1 .059 .213 .064 .225 .055 .219
2 .055 .209 .059 .216 .055 .214
3 .055 .202 .055 .202 .055 .207
4 .051 .198 .055 .203 .051 .194
5 .049 .190 .051 .192 .051 .185
6 .049 .181 .049 .190 .051 .179
7 .047 .179 .049 .179 .051 .173
8 .047 .173 .049 .172 .049 .165
9 .047 .163 .047 .171 .048 .156
10 .047 .155 .045 .169 .047 .151
11 .042 .135 .042 .135 .047 .127
12 .042 .129 .042 .130 .046 .126
13 .042 .123 .042 .123 .045 .119
14 .042 .119 .042 .118 .044 .112
15 .042 .113 .040 .117 .043 .111
16 .040 .104 .040 .111 .043 .105
17 .040 .097 .040 .102 .042 .098
18 .040 .098 .040 .098 .042 .098
19 .040 .094 .040 .098 .041 .091
20 .040 .094 .040 .094 .041 .091
21 .040 .092 .040 .094 .039 .085
22 .040 .088 .040 .090 .039 .085
23 .038 .081 .038 .086 .038 .079
24 .038 .077 .038 .080 .038 .079
25 .038 .077 .038 .076 .037 .073
26 .038 .073 .038 .072 .037 .070
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