Bass strings

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Ricard de La Rosa wrote:

> Hey guys, pardon me for being late on the string thing, but what's wrong with Dave
> Johnson at Schaff?  He seems to be able to get the job done.  I have been out of the
> loop on these "twisty things" for about 20 years or so.   Please let me know what
> the fuss is about.  Probably something "highly tech" in the wind?  Yes?  Does anyone
> try to improve on Steinway stringing scales anymore?  I used to do it all the time
> but realized what I really had way back then was "too much time on my hands."
>
> Has the re-scaling world really come full circle with computer assisted scales?  Bet
> it is wonderful.  Whatever happened to Jim Donelson (SF Chapter) and his String
> Tension Handbook, once so vital in the 70s?  Does anyone refer to it anymore?
>
> Thanks for indulgine me,
>
> Ricard de La Rosa

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I cannot speak for others, but, yes, every piano that goes through our shop gets a new
stringing scale.  I'm pretty picky about the scaling of the bass strings that go on our
pianos.  I expect the strings to be wound EXACTLY the way I order them.  I want no
modifications of any kind being done by the winder.

I use a template I put together for Excel.  It serves my needs fairly well.  But then my
needs are probably a bit different than most -- some of my work is on new designs as
well as some rescaling of older pianos.  There are several commercial bass string
scaling programs out there now.  I've not used any of them so I can't say how good -- or
not good -- they are.

The book, 'String Tension Handbook,' was probably useful in its day, but it has been
made obsolete by the programmable calculator and especially the computer.

Del.