Buzzes

[Newton Hunt]

Dear List,
    I am always pleased to see a subject like this taken and worked over
like a cat and a mouse.  I do want to make a few more comments.
    Using piano wire under the strings to improve termination should be no
problem.  The reason brass, cast iron, felt, and wood are used to help
termination is simply because these materials are soft and easy to work.
Using hard steel would be costly to use.  Galling is possible but not a real
problem long term.  Another reason is that like materials are most likely to
oxidize together more readily that unlike materials.
    I think this rolled bridge happened after leaving the factory.  I think
it was caused by inadequate engineering or a substitution of inferior materi-
als instead of sticking with the original engineering specifications.  Any
rolled bridge is a result of the movement of the rim and a consequent flatten-
ing or sinking of the soundboard and since the belly rail is the weakest part
of the rim the movement is most likely there.
    I do not think spending money to unstring, remove plate, add a support
for the belly rail, recap bridges, restring, tune, tune, tune is going to
increase the value of this piano in keeping with the cost of a new instrument.
This Knabe's is just not worth it.  This piano is, after all, more than 20
years old.
    I was not able to check the crown without thread, four hands and a real
good set of cognizant eyes.  I don't think I needed to, the bearing told the
take all too well.
    I did not mention tightening the plate screws in my original post
because I do that so often it is like taking out the tuning hammer when I
tune.
    The plate was very secure, the bridge was pulling the strings down
instead of pushing them up.
    There were no sympathetic vibrations coming from any other source other
than poor termination of the strings.
    Even though this is a pretty little piano the cost to return ratio is
all wrong for a sanctuary and performance instrument.
    I am sending all the posts to the pastor for his information.
    Have a nice weekend all.
         Newton
         nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu