Yow-yow-yowing bass strings

[tune4u@earthlink.net]

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Ah, you were so close to naming it. It's called longitudinal =
inharmonicity, When strings vibrate, they don't just go up and down, as =
sketches of string motion are drawn. They move in all directions, very =
complex. Simply put, the strings in question are some combination of =
damaged, poorly made, dirty, corroded, stretched out, or just old. The =
motion in one or more directions is hampered in some way so the string =
harmonics are "fighting" each other, i.e., not matching up, going out of =
phase.

The possibilities can think of for the B=F6sendorfer strings sounding =
cleaner would be: Are they newer? Are they premium quality strings? Have =
they been treated better, over time--kept in tune, etc? And do the =
string termination and bridge designs of the B=F6sendorfer make a =
difference (no experience on this one--precious few B=F6sendorfers here =
in the Ozarks)

If every customer were bothered by single string wah-wahs and were =
willing to pay to replace them, we'd all be very, very wealthy people!, =
methinks!

Alan Barnard
Salem, MO
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: BobDavis88@aol.com=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 4:20 PM
  Subject: Yow-yow-yowing bass strings


  Friends,

  Hep!   Hep!   (Okay, I grew up in Texas)

  I need an accurate scientific explanation for why SOME single bass =
strings go yow-yow-yow, when played by themselves.

  A new customer I am about to go see, with a new Steinway B, said he =
wanted me to maybe replace some bass strings that were "wobbling." I =
thought, okay, unisons or voicing, but then he said they were singles. I =
realized I had accepted that sound for decades, and just tuned around =
it, considering it a shortcoming of shorter scales. Later that day, I =
listened to 5 B's, 4 L's, and a D, as well as a 7'4" Boesendorfer.

  All the Steinways had yowing singles, but not necessarily on the same =
notes. Some notes would be clear. The D was the best of the Steinways, =
reasonably clear, and the B=F6sendorfer was extremely clean.

  The Steinways are single-wrapped and the B=F6s is double-wrapped, but =
I also listened to some 126 cm Bostons, which are double-wrapped, and =
they had random wows too.

  I've always chalked it up to "inharmonicity" or longitudinal waves or =
something like that, but I realized that doesn't really work, and now =
it's driving me crazy not to be able accurately to explain this. What is =
happening, and why is the B=F6sendorfer so clean?

  Wobbling in Stockton CA,
  Bob Davis



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