tubby bass string replacement tip

[Peter Burns]

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Hi,  If the new string was just as tubby and with a lack of overall =
sustain, I'd be inclined to check the bridge. Is it coming away =
slightly?  I use a blunt tool to press down on the bridge whilst playing =
notes in that area.  If the sound improves or becomes clearer, it's the =
bridge or soundboard that's at fault.  If that makes no difference, it's =
probably in the string.
Good luck!  =20
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Tvak@aol.com=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2003 2:46 PM
  Subject: tubby bass string replacement tip


  List

  I'm sure you've experienced replacing a string on a piano that has =
dead, tubby bass strings, ending up with a piano that has one bright, =
loud, sustaining key in the bass, next to the dull thuds on either side. =
 Perhaps there are other solutions to this problem (other than replacing =
the whole set), but I stumbled across something today that I thought I'd =
share.  (Purists read no further lest you be tarnished by the =
following.)

  I was called in to tune the piano at a restaurant, and replace a bass =
string which had broken.  The piano was a Story & Clark (Samick) and is =
full of false beats in the treble and dead, tubby bass strings.  When I =
mic-ed the broken string, I found that I did not have one that size.  It =
was larger than a #1 Schaff universal replacement.  My original plan was =
to replace the string with a universal and order a duplicate of the =
original to replace the universal.  But not having a universal the =
correct size, I thought I would just leave it as is, and return ASAP =
with the dupe.

  But then I noticed the damper felt was becoming deformed from the =
hammer repeatedly striking it.  Without a string there, the damper would =
eventually become unusable and need to be replaced, because obviously =
the piano player could not stop himself from playing that low G, even if =
there was no sound. =20

  So I decided to replace it with the largest string I had and hope that =
it didn't sound too awful.

  Well, when I tuned up the new string I was surprised to find that it =
matched its tubby neighbors perfectly.  Because the string was too =
small, the tension had to be lower to obtain the correct pitch.  Because =
of the lower tension, it sounded just as tubby as the rest of the =
section.

  So, I'm considering leaving the universal in there, and not replacing =
it with a correctly sized string.  After all, a perfect duplicate of the =
original will stick out like a sore thumb.

  Expecting flames from this one, I'd never do it on a Steinway, honest, =


  Tom Sivak 
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