broken Kawai strings

[PNHISTIC1@AOL.COM]

List, and Kawai reps therein,

In the last 3 months, I have tuned many Kawai pianos, both at one of the 
stores I work for and at customer's homes.  Most are quite pleasant to work 
on, if a bit sharp when uncrated.

Today I had a warranty tuning on a Kawai K-50e, a higher end upright piano.  
I seated the strings, then started tuning.  It was about 10-15 cents sharp 
throughout.  While coming back down the treble strings, a 15 gauge wire 
broke, right next to the break.  I'd say that this was an anomaly, but two 
months ago, the same thing happened on a 606 console, that time on note #88.  
I was pleased that, in both cases, the strings were not in an understrung 
section.  Replacements were relatively easy to deal with.

Does anyone know what kind of wire Kawai uses?  Do they make their own?  Are 
there defective batches?  In my off and on tuning career of the last 20+ 
years, those are the only strings I've ever broken on new pianos.  And is 
this covered under the manufacturer's warranty???

Thanks,

Dave Stahl