Seating strings: what's the sound tell you?

Piano Forte Supply pianoforte@pianofortesupply.com
Wed, 13 Apr 2005 09:22:08 -0700


This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Tapping strings down to eliminate false beats is good - giving the 
bridge pins a tap is even better.  Tapping the bridge pins in just a 
fraction has several advantages: it positions the string at a "new" 
termination point on the bridge pin, and it pulls the string back down 
onto bridge.  One danger of tapping the string itself onto the bridge is 
embedding it too deeply into the the bridge cap, creating a poorly 
defined termination and associated tonal problems.

I am attaching a photo of a sliding weight impact hammer for tapping 
bridge pins.   I use it every time I tune a grand to eliminate false 
beats.  During tuning,  it is a simple unhanded operation to set the 
tool tip on the bridge pin of the offending string and give it a quick 
tap, without having to change my sitting position.  Then I pick up the 
tuning hammer and continue tuning again.


http://www.pianofortesupply.com/impacthammerinfo.html



Jurgen Goering
Piano Forte Supply
------------------------------
Cy Shuster wrote:

> First visit to a rebuilt 1917 S&S D, not well-maintained, and exposed 
> to humidity swings (10 years after a rebuild, and there's an 8-inch 
> crack right behind the bridge, about octave 6).  Lots of false beats 
> around C3, so I decided to seat the strings (tapping with a brass rod 
> right in front of the speaking length pin).
>  
> I was surprised at the variety of sounds I heard.  Mostly the note 
> sounded in a strange way, with sustain.  Sometimes the sustain was 
> shorter; this seemed to correlate to the string having climbed up the 
> pin.  Sometimes there was a loud thunk: the rod slipped off the string 
> and hit the bridge (oops!).
>  
> It seemed that one could gather valuable diagnostic information by 
> listening to the variety of sounds produced... if only I knew what to 
> listen for.
>  
> Suggestions?
>  
> --Cy Shuster--
> Bluefield, WV


---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment

--------------020501070802020805060708
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/51/b3/6d/cb/attachment.htm

--------------020501070802020805060708
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: impact3a.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 86067 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/e0/ce/f6/aa/impact3a.jpeg

--------------020501070802020805060708--

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--


This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC