Breaking Bass Strings on Samick

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
To: "Roger Jolly" <roger.j@sasktel.net>; <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 10:11 AM
Subject: Breaking Bass Strings on Samick

 . . . . . .
Then I noticed that the V-bar is quite tall and the bottom row of tuning
pins are at right angles to the plate - meaning that the string, between the
V-bar and the tuning pin, approaches the tuning pin at quite an acute angle
(guess - 70 or 80 degrees? - it's really quite an angle) rather than at a
right angle. So much so that on adjacent pins, I can see that the string is
starting to wind over the coil.

    I see that on many many consoles and virtually every spinet I tune.
Lots of them have such severely overlapped coils, I'm afraid to tune, never
mind raise pitch.  But I'll go for it anyhow, and most of them make it
through the pitch raise and the tuning.  But some don't and they break
strings.  Why?  I don't know.
    If a string does break that had overlapped coils, I'll back the pin out
so the string doesn't take such a sharp angle coming off the pin (leaves the
coil farther off the plate, as you were considering).
    But some break anyway because the angle they take going around the upper
plate bridge pin (or whatever it's called) is quite sharp.  Or, as you say,
maybe the scaling has them too close to breaking point.  Can't do much about
the latter cases.
    But don't install a string with a thicker core -- it's designed to be at
a lower pitch.  Try installing one with a thinner core, which is designed to
be at a higher pitch.
    Your other thought of plugging the hole and re-drilling at a different
angle would also work, seems to me.  Sorta drastic to have to do,but
whatever works or is necessary, right?
    I'm not Roger, but if it's 18 years old, there's probably no warranty
coverage.
    Does it have real hard hammers in that area?   --David Nereson, RPT