[CAUT] Flight of the Broken Bass Sting?

[Barbara Richmond]

Jeff,

It has happened to me once (so far)--in 24 years.  Lower bass of an 8' Seiler.  It shot out, flew across the room and hit an armoire.  Fortunately, it was a French country painted style (flowers, etc) and I could see no damage.  Whew!  I didn't want to have the opportunity to find out how good my liability insurance was.

That was the only bass string that ever broke on that particular piano while I was tuning it (after that I treated it like an old rusty stringed piano and let down the tension a bit on each string before tuning (and crossed my fingers).  I moved away from the area and when I came back, the custmer called and asked me to service the piano again.  Apparently the piano had been through some rough times--lots of broken strings (while tuning).  It had just come back from restringing when I serviced it again.  The customer told me that he had called Seiler about the problem and they told him that string breakage wouldn't be a problem if the tuner let the tension down on the string first.

I've talked to other techs who say they routinely use the let-it-down-first technique and report they don't break many strings.  Well, I haven't used the technique exclusively, but I haven't broken a lot of strings either.  I'd be interested in hearing opinions on it.

Fairy tales, do come true--it could happen to you...but, I'd rather not have it happen again.  I think I'll start keeping the lid down while tuning the bass.

Barbara Richmond
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jeff Olson 
  To: College and University Technicians 
  Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:01 AM
  Subject: [CAUT] Flight of the Broken Bass Sting? (was:: Adams 1/4 tone sharppiano)


  I've broken a lot of grand piano bass strings -- always the string and/or piano's fault, I assure you! -- and must confess to never having observed them flying free of the piano.  I remember one snapping back in my general direction once when the hitch loop snapped, but it never quite made it to my face, strinking (I think) the top of the partly opened lid before that.

  On the theory that confession's good for the soul, I suppose I should also admit that I have trouble visualizing a bass string flying free in the manner that seems to hold such terror on this list.  Seems like there's a fair number of obstacles to doing that, and I'm not sure that a bass string possesses the kind of mass/elastic energy -- or whatever physics/technical term applies -- to achieve such flight in any case.

  But as someone who humbly bows before simple empirical fact, at least when one slaps me in the face, I would certainly defer to those who've personally witnessed a bass string take majestic flight from a grand piano.  Any chance someone here might describe such an event?  (I've got an old grand I'm seriously considering popping some strings on for experimental purposes.)

  Best,

  Jeff
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20060325/dfac3e27/attachment.html