ga-1 / ways to improve scale

[Lesher, Trent J.]

Hi Michael & List,
 
You wrote "The modern steel strings were so designed in order
to increase the power output of the piano. Start putting in low tensile iron
strings in a piano and there will be a remarkable down-turn in power...Has 
anyone tried using thorn needles on their CDs yet?"
 
Do you know this for a fact?  I wasn't totally ignorant of this about the history of the development of the piano, but do you get the advantages of all that power when the string is at relatively low tension compared to its elastic limit -- maybe close to only half the stress on the material compared to the most stressed string on the piano?  I said I was only talking about this for the problem areas in a small piano.  Some of these alternative strings aren't SO drastically different from modern wires, but they would be stressed at a higher percent of their elastic limit.  As I understand it, some of the strings also have a composition similar to modern wire but are annealed or cooked differently.  
 
I am thinking that a combination of the increased gross tension that the iron plate made possible (which in itself could have been accomplished with old type wires of a larger guage), along with the longer string lengths made possible by a material that could remain within its elastic limits with higher tensions for a given guage, had a lot to do with the increased power.  But in parts of a scale that don't have the the benefit of the longer strings, or a particularly high gross tension, what's the big benefit to modern wire?  The alternative string would still be the same length, could be the same guage and tension, too.  Okay, so maybe the increased stiffness of the new material makes it brighter and raises the Q factor too.  Still, from what I understand so far, the only benefit that (might) remain would be higher stiffness (= higher inharmonicity, a common problem at the break of small pianos) and higher Q.  If it is really known that the loss of output with such strings would be so great as to cancel out any advantages, then I've definitely learned something important from you.  But from your post it's not clear that the quantitative and qualitative trade-offs are as ludicrous as you paint them to be.
 
Best regards,
 
Trent Lesher

	-----Original Message----- 
	From: Michael Gamble [mailto:michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk] 
	Sent: Wed 2/4/2004 3:37 PM 
	To: Pianotech 
	Cc: 
	Subject: Re: ga-1 / ways to improve scale
	
	

	Hello Trent L and List
	You said: " I started to wonder about using softer steel or iron wires, such
	as the ones offered for the restoration of pianos that originally did not
	use modern steel music wire.  Since then, I have heard of at least one
	"historic wire" manufacturer recommending exactly that -- mixing modern and
	historic wire types in a modern piano to achieve better tone in the lowest
	plain strings and a better break."
	So.... we go backwards! The modern steel strings were so designed in order
	to increase the power output of the piano. Start putting in low tensile iron
	strings in a piano and there will be a remarkable down-turn in power. So we
	go backwards. Has anyone tried using thorn needles on their CDs yet? ;-)
	Regards
	Michael G (UK)

	

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

	 

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