Why Strings Break

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 3/30/99 5:56:26 PM Central Standard Time,
nossaman@SOUTHWIND.NET writes:

<< I do. It's not exactly letting pitch down, just a bump. Just enough to hear
 a beat change. The pin doesn't move in the block, it's a quick flex. It has
 gotten to be so automatic, I don't usually pay it much attention, but I do
 it. Anyone else? >>

As I metioned yesterday, I almost never do.  After that, I was asked to tune
two old uprights, both approaching 100 years old.  One had been kept up to
pitch but the other had not been tuned since 1960 (39 years ago and a date
that was proclaimed with much confidence by the customer's elderly mother who
was present).  It was around 1/2 step low and very much out of tune.

I raised it to standard pitch with two rough tunings and a fine tuning, never
went backwards on a single string, and never broke any either.  They were
delighted.  I would only do the "back-up thing" if I saw that the strings and
pins were very rusty and the pitch was very low and my job was to raise it.  I
might also apply a bit of Pro-Tek to the pressure and V-bars in that instance.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin