It's modern and it needs stringing with proper cast steel wire. Bechstein is a maker, like Steinway, who never went for very high tensions. ***** On what basis do you make this statement? Why does it need proper cast steel wire? >(I have talked to Absolute Sound folks, and I get the feeling their >recommendations are just "shooting from the hip".) They should know the specifications and the applications of their product. *****They recommended their "regular" strength stainless wire, but either they could not explain why, or I could not understand why. Yes, I agree they should know the specifications and the applications of their product, but I have learned that it is often good to question and understand a recommendation. After all, if you go to a Ford automobile dealership and ask whether you should buy a Ford or a Chevy.......see my point! Thanks. Terry Farrell ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Delacour" <JD@Pianomaker.co.uk> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 12:14 PM Subject: Re: Standard Pitch 1870 to Present At 08:10 18/09/01 -0400, Farrell wrote: >3) I would like to try the new stainless steel Absolute Sound wire. They >make two strengths - regular strength for "older pianos" and high strength >for "modern pianos". Get them to send you a list of their authenticated breaking strains for each wire size, then read Dolge's book and see how these compare with Poehlmann's wire in 1867 and 1893. From experience I reckon Röslau wire is little more than HALF as strong as Poehlmann's in 1893 and certain European pianos (eg. Blüthner, Schiedmayer, Grotrian) built for Poehlmann wire need to be rescaled in the bass if the replacements made on Röslau are not to break for a certainty. I use a wire from another German maker but I'm not yet convinced it's any better overall. If anyone can tell me of a maker that can produce wire of Poehlmann's quality, I shall be greatly indebted to him. > So I have a square I am restringing. I also have a 1900 >Bechstein that I will be restringing. Is my Bechstein an older piano? Yes. >Is it modern? Looks modern also to me. It's modern and it needs stringing with proper cast steel wire. Bechstein is a maker, like Steinway, who never went for very high tensions. >(I have talked to Absolute Sound folks, and I get the feeling their >recommendations are just "shooting from the hip".) They should know the specifications and the applications of their product. > Should the selection of the string type depend on a stringing >scale analysis (by a knowledgeable analyst - not me)? Are we getting into >"low tension scales" and "high tension scales" with this? Are these two >general classifications where these two types of strings would be used? What >is a "low" and "high"? I would not use the expression "low tension" in relation to a "modern" piano. Rather I would speak of "usual" tensions and "high" or "abnormal" tensions. Grand pianos with "usual" tension will have tensions in the range 150 lb. to 175 lb. through most of the plain wire scale, often tapering off to 100 - 120 in the low tenor and down to 130 - 150 in the extreme treble. You can expect the bichords on such pianos to be 180 - 220 with the highest single 220 - 280lb. falling off towards the bass (the shorter the piano, the greater the fall). Between the "usual" and the "high" I would place certain makers whose long bridge, instead of straightening out, is curved outwards in the mid range. This is found in several of the Leipzig and Dresden (remember Dresden these days!) makers. This results in tensions up to 250 lbs. in the tenor to mid-range. Such pianos will not necessarily have correspondingly high tensions in the covered string range. I would place makers such as Schiedmayer in the "high" to "abnormal" category. Luckily there were not too many makers who worshipped at the alter of high tension -- or maybe they've all been junked. These pianos are designed for tensions on the long bridge of 190 - 200 lb., bichords at say 250 lb. and singles up to 400 lbs with cores to match. I keep a memento of a Schiedmayer baby grand bottom string which is triple-covered and 11mm. in diameter on a No. 26 core! In spite of what Ron writes, I have never come across any evidence to support the myth that high tension means more power. On the contrary I have rescaled the bass section of numberless pianos whose sound was dull and lifeless simply through excessive tension. A lighter, more "usual" scaling completely transforms them and if anything lends more power. Steinway's detractors in the early days (1867 etc) complained that the Americans were intent solely on volume of sound and "powerfulness" and the Steinway was indeed a very powerful instrument; and yet examination of the scale of any Steinway will quite clearly show that high tensions are never used -- if anything the tension in the bichords for example is exceptionally low. In my opinion the old Steinways have both exceptional power and exceptional richness of tone. One of their main detractors was, of course, Broadwood, and Broadwood's was one firm that certainly later fell into the high tension trap -- if any rule at all can be detected in Broadwood's myriad designs. One thing is for certain - high tension never did any favours for the English makers. The great Brinsmead achieved incredible power and quality of tone by using regular tensions on a properly built framing with a properly thought-out soundboard and rib pattern. JD
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