[CAUT] Dead (New) bass strings

[Mark Cramer]

At the end of budget year, like many of you, I look for any supplies or "must have" tools I can buy up, just so... well you know, after all you are CAUTs!  ;>)

Of course there's nothing like having a small variety of shank/flange sets and/or 1/2 dozen sets of unbored hammers on hand, for when that rainy-day project finally comes along. This year however I was foisted by mine own pitard, when I realized I'd used up the last trickle of last year's budget on custom bass strings, for an instrument I'd done exactly the same thing for two years prior! 

So I'm sitting with two sets of identical bass-strings for one 1963 Baldwin L. (yes the same one we're monitoring seasonal bearing change on) One set is fresh, and the other is a March 05 vintage. Both sets have been kept sealed nonetheless, and are shiny and new looking.

Then it occurs to me that we happen to have a 1979 L, and it's earmarked for an action reconditioning and treble re-string... so why not?

Well the measurements worked out quite well, within 2 or 3mm if I recall, placing the winding just a wee bit closer to the bridge(s). And I can live with that. 

However, this is a "1979" Baldwin, and the strings were made for a "1963" model................. are you with me?

Anyhow after a few mixed results, we hit on a plan that seemed to work:

We clamped a tapered punch in a bench vise, placed the hitch-loop over it, then gently tapped the loop down with a hollow dowel until the loop enlarged to "Accujust" size. We allowed the string to rotate free and watched the deformation of the loop very carefully.

So far so good. The bass section sounds great!

However, the tenor wounds sounded a little dull on first raising. So we unhitched them and gave them a twist, pulled them up, listened, then un-hitched them and gave them another twist.

They sounded better for a moment, then became dull again. Whether due to their age, or our little "super-sizing" experiment, it seemed the windings may be slipping around the core.

So we twisted them again... what've we got to  lose?

Anyhow, they've been at pitch for a week or two now, and the tenor-wounds sound just fine; no discernable beats, no rattles and a very nice tone for this tricky-transitional area of the bridge. 

I'll certainly share results if things don't last. At this point though, I think worst case scenario would mean replacing the tenors, but not if they continue to sound this good.

And of course no one else will likely ever have repeat this experiment, because all of you keep the entire contents of your inventory fecklessly stored in your photographic memories...right down to the sizes of your Lo-Torque tuning-pins, eh Jim? ;>) 

best regards,
Mark Cramer,
Brandon University


PS In case anyone missed it, the strings were made for an older Baldwin with traditional hitch-pins (3-4mm diam) and the loops are (were) too small for the newer Accujust hitch pins (about 7mm diam).



    
     






    
  -----Original Message-----
  From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org]On Behalf Of Wimblees at aol.com
  Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2007 5:57 PM
  To: caut at ptg.org
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] Dead (New) bass strings


  In a message dated 8/16/07 12:37:12 P.M. Hawaiian Standard Time, jim_busby at byu.edu writes:
    Hi Wim,

     

    The straight set wasn’t wrapped and the color was a bit darker than the older wrapped set. Both fairly dead.  

     

    Regards,

    Jim

  It's the darker color that's a sign that something invaded the coils of the string. How it gets that way is a question left to metallurgists.

  Wim 






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