Wild Strings

[jpiesik@arinc.com]

    The pin block is indeed mushy;  however, the tuning pins are VERY tight
    and not loose at all (I haven't checked the bridge pins, though).

    I, too, wondered why not mute out the duplex with stringing braid?  But,
    according to Don, the character and singing tone of the piano may be
    lost if the duplex were permanently muted.  I guess I can always try it
    both ways.

    John Piesik (JP)

Actually, if the false beats are, in fact, originating from the duplex
sections of the strings, it might be a good idea to permanently mute out the
offenders with felt. The thought being that no duplex segment is better than
an out-of-tune segment. Further, I believe that the original poster said that
the tuning pins were "mushy". Loose tuning pins and loose bridge pins often
go together. So it might be worthwhile to lower the tension on the offending
strings and check the tightness of the bridge pins. You can't have an effec-
tive termination point if the bridge pin is loose. I know that it's a lot to
expect, but one would think that after spending 30K on a piano, that it
would not only look great sitting on the stage, but also be tunable as well.
I guess you can't have EVERYTHING!

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net
On Mon, 3 Jun 1996 jpiesik@arinc.com wrote:

>     Don Mannino had a very good suggestion:  mute the duplex sections of the
>     strings in the "wild areas" before tuning.  (Seems that the wild
>     banshees sometimes like to roost in the duplex areas.)  Use masking
>     tape, and remove the tape when completed.  Any "wildness" should be
>     calmed down enough to allow a decent tuning.  What happens after the
>     tape is removed is, well, endearing to the piano.  (Of course,
>     addressing all the string termination points should be done, too.)
>
>     This method of muting the duplex sections in this manner to help
>     control wild beats was something new to me - thought I'd pass it on.
>
>     JP
>
>