Another type of bridge agraffe - Schumann

[Phillip Ford]

>  > Interesting.  Does it in fact provide two termination points?  It almost
>>  looks like one.  On the speaking length side it looks like the metal is
>cut
>
>As far as I know yes.
>
>>  away to provide clearance for the strings and the strings are only
>>  contacting at the end of the sheet metal bend, on the hitch pin side.

As I looked at the pictures some more and manipulated them a bit 
(blew them up, changed brightness and contrast, etc.) I wasn't sure 
if my initial conclusion was correct.

One option seems to be what I said in the last post:  clearance 
around the string on the speaking side, with the strings only 
contacting the termination at the end of the metal bend on the 
backscale side, although strictly speaking, it's not (only) the 
backscale side, since the one contact point would act like a fret, 
and determine both the speaking length and the back length.  This 
arrangement would require an up bearing by the string in order to 
function.

Option two.  It looks like there could be a separate piece (a piece 
of rod or some such) in the area where the sheet metal curves around, 
just behind the front face where the cutouts for string clearance 
are.  In which case it would have two contact points, as you said.  I 
suppose this could function with either downbearing or upbearing, but 
one would assume that it was intended to have downbearing in the 
conventional manner.

>It's
>>  a bit hard to tell as the pictures are fairly small.  Any chance of a
>>  larger or more close up photo?
>
>I'll try to get better ones, but this is not my own piano, so it will take a
>while.

That would be great.  Perhaps a picture more from the side of the 
termination would make things clearer.  Could you also ask your 
correspondent if there is upbearing or downbearing on the bridge?

Regards,

Phil Ford

>
>>  Also, in order for this termination to function, it looks like the strings
>>  would have to have an up bearing on the bridge.  Is that correct?  Does
>the
>>  soundboard have a positive crown or a reverse crown?
>
>Don't know, but I assume it started with positive crown.
>
>
>  Calin Tantareanu
>----------------------------------------------------
>  e-mail: dnu@fx.ro
>  http://calintantareanu.tripod.com
>----------------------------------------------------