Warbling piano wire

[Brian Trout]

Hi Bill,

I suspect you'll find that there aren't a lot of easy answers to your
customer's problems.

There's probably a bridge that was notched and pinned poorly from the
beginning.  That's not a practical repair for most pianos in the caliber to
which you refer.

There could  be problems with the piano wire, and putting on some new
strings may help a bit, but again, I doubt it would be practical to go that
far with a Julius Baker console.

You mentioned the v-bar.  If that doesn't provide a sharp enough angle to
provide a good termination point, that will give some less than desirable
sounds.  But you said that looked pretty good.  Actually, if it's the kind
with the screws holding it in towards the plate, it's probably one of the
most easily adjusted factors.

Is there the possibility that the non-speaking parts of the strings are open
and ringing in sympathy with the speaking lengths?  just not in tune?  I do
know that these segments can cause some serious racket at times, and can be
extremely annoying.

Good luck.

Brian Trout
Quarryville, PA
btrout@desupernet.net

----- Original Message -----
From: <BSimon999@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 17, 1999 2:48 AM
Subject: Warbling piano wire


> Today I tuned (with a 75cts PR) a Julius Bauer console that had the most
> interesting, and lousy, strings of any piano I have ever tuned.
>
> 95% of the plain strings had a very fast false beat, giving each
individual
> string an annoying fast vibrato that muddied the tone produced. The SAT
had
> no trouble keying on the right partial, and the unisons would drop in and
go
> beatless as usual, but each string would sit there and warble like a bird.
A
> beatless unison sounded like three drunk birds, very far away, were trying
to
> harmonize with it. I will swear it wasn't the effect of a partial, or
> voicing.  The vibrato was apparent even when the string was plucked (at
> different points) and when I stuck a soft temperment strip between it and
the
> hammer.  The hammers are more dead than alive, the piano has no power at
all.
>  About one string in every octave sounded out clear as a bell. Go figure.
>
> I figured it was caused by some defect in the wire, but this effect was
new
> to me, and I ain't new.  Has anyone else ever had something like this? I
> would welcome any explanations or suggestions on what to try when I return
to
> it.
>
> Time constraints precluded me from a microscopic examination of the bridge
( 
> or seating the strings on the bridge)  but the v-bar looked all right.  I do 
> expect to see this piano again, as the owner was absolutely delighted with 
> the tuning to A440.  After all, it was the FIRST tuning since he bought it 
> 10? years ago.  (  Tuned,  it sounded awful. )
> 
> ( They said it was 12 years old, but I could find no serial numbers and the 
> Atlas only lists up to 1938 anyway. It looks like an Aeolian, but was 
> presumably made by Wurlitzer.)
> 
> Thank you for any input,
> 
> Bill Simon
> Phoenix
>