dented piano wireOFF LIST

[Ron Nossaman]

At 05:11 PM 8/9/99 -0600, you wrote:
>At 06:04 PM 8/8/99 -0700, you wrote:
>
>>Many of you have noticed when destringing a piano that the indentation of
>>the string marks on the bridge surface is deeper near the bridge pins than
>>at the middle of the bridge. You have also noticed that the indentation
>>usually extends out beyond the tangency with the bridge pins. 
>
>
>OFFLIST PRIVATE DUMMY QUESTION:
>Whoa. Brain bubble, Dr. Jim....
>	I remember seeing something about why we don't cap with a slight convex,
>years ago. But... why not a very slight concave? Linear, of course, perp to
>the wire, and probably... oh.... on an arc of less than 10 degrees relative
>to the width of the top of the bridge. 'Course, that would get wierd where
>the bridge pin distance varies, like around the tenor/treble breaks,
>but.... wouldn't it help? Especially on the more stable, (like vertically
>laminated) bridge caps?
>
>Who knows? I don't. Just a thought.
>
>SeeYa,
>Guy
>


It might help, but it seems to me that the edge would be somewhat more
delicate and more quickly crushed in service. So why don't we leave the
bridge top flat and notch down perpendicular to the top a millimeter or so
before scooping out the notch so the bridge top string termination point
stays at the pin even as the grooves deepen at the edges? I've seen bridges
done this way. Why wouldn't this help, especially with the much more stable
*horizontally* laminated bridge caps?  %-)

I'm glad your gear slipped, Guy, I think it's a good point for discussion.

 Ron N