[pianotech] pick-a-little-talk-a-little

Tue Oct 6 14:58:00 MDT 2009

What's a becket?
  From: Paul T Williams 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 4:49 PM
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Subject: Re: [pianotech] pick-a-little-talk-a-little

  I think it was for the dude who "coined" the phrase with his own name!  1250 years ago or so. I could be mistaken, but Steve 
  Brady told me that when I started studying with him long....long ago! ;>) somebody way back when....;>) 

  Paul 

        From:  wimblees at aol.com  
        To:  pianotech at ptg.org  
        Date:  10/06/2009 01:12 PM  
        Subject:  Re: [pianotech] pick-a-little-talk-a-little 

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  I don't remember ever having a client 
  even say the word becket. 
  Which begs the question, why is it called a becket? 

  Wim

  -----Original Message-----
  From: Dempsey Jr., Paul E <dempsey at marshall.edu>
  To: pianotech at ptg.org <pianotech at ptg.org>
  Sent: Tue, Oct 6, 2009 6:15 am
  Subject: [pianotech] pick-a-little-talk-a-little

  My, my, my. Who would have thought that there would be this much to say about 
  beckets?
  When I was 17, one of my mentors was Mr. U. Glenn Jeffers, who was a former VP 
  of the old NAPT, or was it ASPT? Don't matter. By then it was PTG and he was in 
  that.

  He was the first person to say to me that one of the highest levels of 
  craftsmanship was to have all the beckets at the same position...preferably, at 
  three o'clock. Being a neophyte I took him at his word and have spent the last 
  45 YEARS trying to get all my beckets to lie at 3:00. A frustrating 45 years.

  I have re-strung hundreds of pianos, large and small, upright and grand, 
  countless single string replacements, and not one of them have had every becket 
  end up at the magic 3:00 position.

  Mow, many have, many at 2:00 and 1:00,1:30, 3:20, even 4:30. 
  Failure after failure. Woe.

  At least they always end up on the right hand side of the pin, always the 
  correct number of coils, coils always tight and square to the pin, excellent 
  torque....but those freakin' beckets.

  I probably would have shot myself in the eye by now except, shortly after Mr. 
  Jeffers' 
  pronouncement; I learned to think for myself.

  Precision placement of the beckets is nice if you can get it. If you're  
  compelled for it, go for it. I don't think it means squat.

  I just replaced a set of bass strings on a Yamaha grand that the owner had 
  killed with Pledge or something. I looked at every becket on the factory 
  stringing and they all were in the 1:00 to 4:00 position. 

  My new Bass strings were all in the 1:00 to 3:00 spot.

  I doubt that the customer will notice. I don't remember ever having a client 
  even say the word becket.

  Paul E. Dempsey, RPT
  Piano Technician Sr.
  Marshall University
  Huntington, WV
  304-696-5418
  304-617-1149

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