pianotech-digest V1997 #294 reply

[Les Smith]

On Wed, 19 Nov 1997, pianoman wrote:

> I think a lot of people put in the braid because it looks cosmetically
> good.  That portion of the string looks kind of bare without something to
> dress it up.  I have seen many pianos with the braid intertwined in the
> duplex portion which defeats the purpose but does quieten some noisy
> sections down to a manageable level.

Of course, in some old, small, "cheapie" grands, leaving out the stringing
braid may have saved the manufacturer several cents at the wholesale level
and if they were basically turning out  piano-shaped plant-stands every
little bit of profit counted. OTOH, if you were really building a junker,
maybe the hope was that by using a wide, brilliant-scarlet stringing braid
throughout PLUS lining the inside perimeter of the case with a matching
scarlet cord, you might thereby be able distract the owner's attention
from true, dismal quality of the "instrument". Manufacturers at the bottom
of the barrel faced having to make constant important decisions, just like
the guys at the top.

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net