In the matter of setting the tuning pin height by "pre-installing" the tuning pins, no one has mentioned that different string diameters will make a difference to tuning pin height if you want to do a first-class stringing job. One procedure was to use the tuning pin height on c88 and duplicate that for the rest of the tuning pins. Another contribution mentioned leveling the strings as they came off the tuning pin. Both good suggestions, but put them together and you'll have trouble. When string diameter changes from 0.775mm on #13 wire down to the tenor, then even to 1.600mm for some bass string cores, if the _tuning pin height_ is the same, the wire will be much lower coming off the tuning pins with the fatter strings. Does it make a difference? Our experience is that it does. I like Susan Kline's method of waiting until coils are raised and set, the strings are up to tension with a chipping, then the pins are tapped to their final height. Here is what Susan wrote: I think its better to leave the pins a shade high when you drive them in the first time, then use the Instacoiler, neaten the coils (they'll need a lot less neatening than with other methods), then do a rough chipping, and THEN level them the last bit with the shank and punch. That way they end up _really_ uniform in height. We speed up the leveling process by setting the first and last tuning pins of each row in each section (usually six pins) and simply using a straight edge to level the rest of the rows. We can work with several pins at once and do not get near the newly refinished plate with any guage, metal or wood. Joel Rappaport Round Rock, Texas
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