----- Original Message ----- From: Conrad Hoffsommer <hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: March 02, 2000 3:43 AM Subject: Re: On a Scale of One > I also have a CF Stein 5'2" here which says it has an "Equitension Scale". > Scanning down that printout I see tensions from 170-200 in tenor section, > and 140-182 in upper sections. _Average_ tensions for tenor section is > 172, and treble is 174, so that is about the same. Bass section average is > 208 and top treble is 160 - definitely not "equi". Maybe some things are > more equal than others?? ;-} -------------------------------------------------------- Until fairly recently stringing scales were a vague sort of thing with many piano builders. (With some, it still is.) 'Equitension' may have appeared only on the original designer's or draftsman's table, assuming that there was a designer involved, of course. There may not have been. According to those writing about such things in the 1920's very few manufacturers actually developed their own stringing scales. Most were blatant copies or adaptations of existing scales that somebody in the company either liked or could easily--i.e., cheaply--get their hands on. You know, sort of like piano building these days. Nearly all of the 'new' pianos coming out of China are copies of some existing piano. And the piano inside may have no relationship at all to the name outside. The same has been--and still is, to some extent--true in other countries. Even if there was a designer involved, what appeared on his drafting table may not be quite what showed up on the final product. There was a rather cavalier attitude toward bridge shape and placement with some of these old builders. Including some very respected names in the industry. As may be, for whatever reason what appeared cast into the plate or boldly claimed in the marketing literature most often had very little to do with what was actually taking place on the factory floor or being shipped out the door. Even when considering instruments built by conscientious builders, we have to remember that by the late 1920's and probably well into the late 1940's there still existed no mathematical means of calculating the tension of wrapped strings. The only way to tell what one had for a bass string scale was to actually spin the string and pull it to pitch on a test jig of some sort and measure it mechanically. This was a time consuming and tedious process and was not often done. More frequently the string winder was given some string lengths or a pattern and told to wrap the strings appropriately. The string winder would give the manufacturer a string set based on what he was wrapping for other manufacturers using either the same scale (see the above) or one that was at least very similar. Since the string winder would have no knowledge of the tenor section characteristics, the bass strings may or may not blend with and be appropriate for the piano. It the match was really bad, the manufacturer might go back to the string winder and ask for some adjustments, which would also be made on a trial and error basis. But still today when we order new strings for an old 1902 Bauble Creek Model XLNT we will get them faithfully copied unless we take the time to rescale them. Even then you will run across the string winder that would rather do them the old way and will refuse to wrap to a more appropriate scale. Ah, life in the piano world. Progress is sometimes more regressive than it is progressive. Del
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