Damper Configurations

[Ron Nossaman]

>Not to beat this one to death, but how about analyzing the scale to determine
>when to change from all tri's to tri's/flats, to flats?  That is, see where
>the
>tension maybe begins to decrease; or at the note that changes to the next
>lighter wire diameter, to help you determine when to make your change in
>damper
>felt.
>
>Vince


Hi Vince,
Yes, that's one of the sorts things I was considering with the original
post. Tensions should be pretty smooth through the tenor, so I would think
that wire size and speaking length would be bigger factors. Tension, length,
wire diameter... impedance! (duh, forehead smack) The string energy
potential decreases as the mass and length decrease, so it gets easier to
damp as you go up. Harold Conklin's characteristic impedance formula will
produce an adequate curve for prospecting purposes. I haven't approached
this with numbers before, but it seems like a fairly straightforward way to
establish some rough parameters. This looks like a cheap educational
opportunity. I'll play with it a bit and see what fits. Good thought.

 Ron