[pianotech] Baldwin R question

[David Dunn]

Hello folks,
This is my first time posting a question here, and I¹d like to start by
saying thanks to all of you for the helpful information I¹ve gathered here
over the past three years.

I¹m servicing a Baldwin R from 1999 which has had overly hardened hammers
and thus a propensity to breaking strings (plain wire and bass strings).  I
replaced a whole mess of both back in Dec/Jan, and reshaped the hammers
while I was at it.  The player in the house is a dedicated practicer,
currently putting in ca. 10 hours/day (in between his So/Jr years of high
school), and has started to break bass strings again.  I¹m going to either
be reshaping again (definitely needed) or getting the owner (Dad) to spring
for a new set (what is really needed...).  However, there is a weirdness:
The strings that have broken in the last month are among the ones I have
replaced six months ago, and they have all broken at the bridge pin
(speaking length) termination, rather than the agraffe, as was the case with
the original strings that broke.  The replacement strings are from Schaff,
using their scale #11 ­ the only Baldwin R scale they have.  I had them make
the replacements from this scale, as the owner had already disposed of the
originals before I came on the scene (he was...ahem...a Œdo it yourself¹er
before I convinced him of the error of his ways).  The replacements matched
(at least in those I was able to compare, e.g. when replacing one of a
bichord pair) very closely in every respect except the wrap length, which is
shorter than the original strings¹ by a significant amount (3/8-1/2² or
more).  Has Baldwin changed the R scale over the years?  If so, how can I
get this information, and pass it on to the string maker for the
down-the-road benefit of us all?

Thanks in advance!

David Dunn, RPT

 
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