Universal Bass String Deadness

[Clyde Hollinger]

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Friends,

I have also noticed the deadness Terry refers to.  I assumed it was a
flaw in the replacement string, but now I hear several people say it's
because the string may be more than eight months without tension.

Since it's hard to do any bona fide research on such a question, here's
another angle to consider.  Suppose a bass string tears and lies in the
bottom of the piano for two years.  Finally a piano technician is called
to tune the piano.  He splices the string and reinstalls it.  Can anyone
relate to such a scenario?  And if so, did you ever notice deadness in
*that* string, which would also have been without tension for some time
and is decades old?

Is it a factor that the hex core goes across the upper (in a vertical)
termination point, whereas in a custom-made string the core is round?
But the deadness is a problem only *some* of the time.

I try to keep a complete set of universal replacement strings on hand.
I certainly am not going to discard them all after 6-8 months and get
new ones.  Should one use them only in an emergency with the full intent
of replacing it with a custom string ASAP?  As Terry said, the
situations where I use these strings are nearly always on pianos that
are so worn-out or low quality that I have a problem justifying the cost
of a custom replacement.  And yes, I am splicing more strings than I did
in the past, although I still dislike the looks of it, and occasionally
a splice won't hold.

Regards,
Clyde Hollinger, RPT
Lititz, PA, USA

Wimblees@AOL.COM wrote:

> In a message dated 12/23/01 2:56:27 PM !!!First Boot!!!,
> mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com writes:
>
>
>
>> Now why in the world would a 6 - 8 month-old bass string in a box be
>> useless, and a 20 year old bass string on a piano be expected to
>> sound reasonably good?
>>
>> Terry Farrell
>>
>
> I think it is the lack of tension on the string. Perhaps more moisture
> and dirt gets in them sitting in the back of my van. I don't know all
> the answers. All I know is that universals more than 8 months old are
> usually dead, or at least not as good as a newer one.
>
> Wim

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