Today's Mystery - String Gone Flat

[Benny L. Tucker]

Terry,
    I've seen this type problem many times at the plant. It's what we call a
"short tail", when the string starts slipping out of the becket hole in the
pin.
    Most times it will hold for a while, but then when it does slip, it
slips baaad. Then when it's about to let go, it will be going down in pitch
as you're pulling sharp, and depending on the strength of your tuning blows,
you can actually make it "come loose", just by heavy pounding!!
    Happens all the time, and we usually just go ahead and replace the
string.
Hope this helps..

Benny L. Tucker
Yamaha Factory Tuner
Precision Piano Tuning & Repair
Thomaston, Ga.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 9:57 PM
Subject: Today's Mystery - String Gone Flat


> Tuned a 1960 Wurly spinet 2 months ago. 80 cent pitch raise and a tuning.
Piano in very good condition. Lady calls me up a couple days ago and says
one note has gone bad. She plays it over the phone and this thing is REALLY
baaaaad. She said piano had been fine for two months and then the other
morning the daughter went to practice and.... Yucko!
>
> I go there this morning and check it out. F4 has left string about 80
cents flat, center string about 60 cents flat and right string up to pitch.
(Left and center strings are contiguous.) All other strings are up to pitch.
Tuning pins are tight, hitch pin has not moved/broken, bridge pins appear
tight and unmoved, string not broke.
>
> So what is the deal? What happened?
>
> The only thing I can figure is something like the string was not seated
well on the hitch pin (or maybe a bridge pin) and had been close to moving
for years, and the added tension after the pitch raise made the string
closer to readjusting on the hitch pin, and finally it did and the string
went flat. That's all I can speculate. Anyone else?
>
> Terry Farrell
>
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