[pianotech] Tapping Bridge Pins?

[Ron Nossaman]

Floyd Gadd wrote:
> I read tonight on the CAUT list some strong cautions against tapping 
> bridge pins.  Do these cautions apply to pianos like this, which were 
> obviously built in a hurry?  I feel like I'm simply doing what should 
> have been done before the piano left the factory.

Yes, it applies to everything. The friction between a string 
and bridge pin is typically over 15lbs. That's what it takes 
to slide a string on a bridge pin in any direction (relative 
to tension and side bearing angle). Tapping bridge pins is 
equivalent to seating strings with a 15lb force, which will 
crush the bridge cap. There is absolutely no acoustic reason 
for seating bridge pins, and every reason not to as an 
avoidance of damaging the cap.
Ron N