[CAUT] Stuart & Son on NPR

[Ed Sutton]

Fred-

I've tuned a piano with the pressed metal Avisus agraffe. It was definitely an economy production piano, and sounded horrible, much worse than the average 85 year old piano. The sound was very evenly horrible.

Ed Sutton

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Fred Sturm 
  To: caut at ptg.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 10:59 PM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] Stuart & Son on NPR


  On Jan 19, 2011, at 7:18 PM, Edward Sambell wrote:


    What of the effect of no downbearing load? And side bearing of the bridge pins exerts a twisting forse on the bridge. Alfred Knight recognized this in his verticals; the bass bridges have the bottom half of the bridge pins leaning at the opposite angle.

    Ted Sambell


  Yes, lots of variables, especially with the no downbearing design. The termination and coupling differs in many ways, including no more twisting force as you describe. It is entirely metal rather than wood and metal. Entirely horizontal rather than captured in a acute angle between a metal pin and wood. Coupled between two horizontal fixtures rather than two angled vertical fixtures. 
  The patent Ron posted is quite interesting in that it emphasizes the production value of the invention: a fixture stamped out of sheet metal and bent, with the addition of up to three rods either round or part round. Saves the time and effort of marking out, drilling, notching, installing bridge pins, replacing it with marking and screwing a fixture to the bridge top. Stringing is far easier than with an agraffe that requires threading: just string normally and install the down pressing rod. All in all, a way to make pianos more inexpensively. One of thousands of such ideas, most of which have virtually disappeared.

  Regards,
  Fred Sturm
  fssturm at unm.edu
  "I am only interested in music that is better than it can be played." Schnabel

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