Breaking strings on a new Kawai grand

Avery Todd avery@ev1.net
Wed, 05 Feb 2003 17:40:21 -0600


Hi David,

Beg to differ here about the hardness of hammers: :-)

Quote: "How's the voicing on the piano? In a high/hard use situation, hard, 
bright hammers can cause all kinds of broken string problems."

Avery

At 08:10 PM 02/04/03 -0500, you wrote:
>Byron-
>
>First, did you mean a model GE30? (5'5").  I don't see any GE3 on the 
>Kawai website.   No one has addressed the stringing scale, hardness of 
>hammers, shape and hardness of capo bar, angle of strings coming off capo 
>bar (any front duplex?) on this fairly short model piano  Why don't you 
>have her practice a bit next time you're there (before you tune)? It might 
>give you an idea of how much her style is contributing to the problem.  Of 
>no relevance to this issue, but out of curiosity, how would you describe 
>the degree of torque on the tuning pins?
>
>Good luck
>
>David Skolnik
>Hastings, NY
>
>
>At 12:52 PM 2/4/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>
>>I recently tuned a four-year-old Kawai GE3 and ended up replacing 13 
>>broken strings  (26 unisons). I found out that the client has broken 
>>twenty some strings since she bought the piano. She is a tiny (100 lbs) 
>>third year performance piano University student that is studying under a 
>>Russian instructor. The Russian instructor possibly explains the banging 
>>technique that she has acquired. She told me that she has broken strings 
>>on other pianos. All of the broken strings are in the high mid-treble and 
>>low high-treble and broken at the capo bar and some of the replaced 
>>strings have been broken.
>>
>>  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = 
>> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
>>
>>I realize that this piano would probably not have any problems in 95 
>>percent of the homes it would be placed in because the players would not 
>>pound so. However I'm wondering:
>>
>>
>>
>>1. Could it be a flaw in the piano design or construction?
>>
>>
>>
>>2. If anything can be done to make these strings less susceptible to 
>>breakage?
>>
>>
>>
>>Any insight would be appreciated. These strings are covered by warranty 
>>but the situation is not good because she has to practice on a piano with 
>>missing strings or newly replaced (constantly going flat) strings.
>>
>>
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>
>>
>>Byron Quam piano tuning and repair
>>
>>Vancouver BC
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives



This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC