"I never break strings while tuning" - late submission

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

List friends and fiends,


I have to say that I also NEVER break strings while tuning!!!

When that recent thread was playing out I was too deep inside of bulk 
tuning to jump in.  I decided to run an experiment to see if my statement 
above was true.

In the last three days I have tuned 14 practice room consoles in 
preparation for the start of second semester next Wednesday. These beasties 
get tuned before each semester and again in the late spring before summer 
camps and vacation (mine).

So...
- mixture of Baldwin 243 and 242, Yamaha 202 and P2E.
- all had been tuned to A440Hz in late August at an ambient relative 
humidity averaging 60%.
- the humidity (indoors) this week has averaged 20% (high today outside, a 
balmy -4°F).
- all had slipped into the 434-436Hz range for A4.
- none have any humidity control systems in them... duh...

I used my RCT in standard pitch raise mode and watched the ¢ overpull.
- all got into the 16-18¢ overpull range going into the top octave.

As luck would have it,  _one_ string broke.  I did not break it.  It was 
that string's time to go. I merely assisted.

D#7 (#79) 14 ga on a Baldwin 243 broke before getting up to pitch, let 
alone any overpull.
I put in a new string and "prestretched" or "accelerated stretched" it to 
100¢ sharp. [now, two days later it is down to about 25¢ sharp.]

So... since, even in a pitchraise, I am unlikely to exceed 20% overpull and 
I can overpull a new string up 100¢ without breaking, I REFUSE to take the 
blame for breaking a string which is not even up to pitch.

My 2.47¢



Conrad Hoffsommer - Music Technician
Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045
Vox-(563)-387-1204 // Fax (563)-387-1076

- Education is what you get from reading the small print. Experience is 
what you get from not reading it.