Restring and/or Rescale? 30 YO Yamaha C3

[Richard Brekne]

Hi

I've had several C3's under my care from that period and really cant say 
any of them have developed any kind of a chronic string breakage 
problem.  All of them that have been under heavy use have had hammer 
changes done, a few of them are on there 3rd set of hammers.  Old 
strings on a high tension scale will be subject to breakage to be 
sure... but new strings along with an appropriate dressing of the capo 
should prevent any recurrence all else being equal. 

I have had excellent results with Yamaha grands using Wurzen II felt 
from Renner Germany.  I suppose Ronsens in the states may be 
comparable... but I get the feeling from talk on the list they are a bit 
softer. Renner Blues may also be a good choice.  I also find that using 
the Steinway diamond shape works really quite well indeed, tho I have 
been taught both by the Academy and a couple voicing masters that 
Yamahas require a rounder shape.  My own experience tells me one can get 
greater dynamic range with the diamond shape, tho perhaps one has to opt 
for a slightly more rounded off fff sound.  Personally I like that 
especially on Yamahas because they easily sound crashy and noisy to my 
ears when the hammers are too hard.  The diamond shape seems to allow 
for a sound that swells nicely just after the attack. And if kept just 
under the icy/glassy sound at fff this combines to minimize string 
noise, phasing and other such extraneous noises.

Cheers
RicB


    The piano in question, a Yamaha C3 built in the first half of 1977 has
    developed a string breaking problem. It is in a public high school
    it has
    very light rust spots on some strings, mostly high treble. I
    rebushed keys,
    reshaped hammers and regulated it a year ago, probably the first
    regulation
    it had had since new. I have consulted with 3 different techs at
    Yamaha, all
    independently, all unaware of my having talked with the others. I
    got the
    same answer, metal fatigue of the strings due to the high tension
    scale. 2
    added that the problem may be exacerbated between the bench and the
    keyboard. Not only do I agree with the last statement but so does
    she, the
    vocal director, admits that she has a very heavy touch. However I
    have also
    had strings break when I was tuning, not while I was tuning them but
    after I
    had moved on and was a couple of strings away, no longer even on the
    unison.
    The director has had bass strings break while playing, 2 last year,
    one so
    far this year.

    My initial inclination was to look into rescaling it but after
    talking with
    a friend who has more experience with re-scaling than I do, perhaps that
    wouldn't be the best avenue. It was his feeling that perhaps the 30YO
    hammers may be the culprit. restringing may solve the breaking
    problem in
    the immediate future because it's new wire but with the old hammers the
    breakage will return before long.

    The piano, as I understand it, was designed primarily as a smaller stage
    piano, a concert instrument if you will. The school uses it 4 hours
    a day
    minimum in a classroom setting, very hard use. As it was put to me
    what they
    need with the re-string is a 99% classroom instrument and a 1% concert
    instrument.
    I have the great good fortune of the Superintendent of Schools for this
    district having been a former elementary music teacher and he worked
    his way
    through college doing "piece" work for a piano tech. Shop work, key
    bushings, flange bushings, repinning, etc. So he not only
    appreciates a fine
    working piano but knows all of the work and time that goes into
    making it
    that way.

    I am looking for advice from one and all. Anyone with any experience
    with
    this make and model or a similar one would be great but in lieu of
    that give
    me opinions.
    Thanks,

    Mike
    -- 
    Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The
    important thing
    is to not stop questioning.-- Albert Einstein