> Again, I'm embarrassed not to remember details from your presentation at > Nashville, Ron, but as I recall, you said it was futile to seat the > strings at all, since they'll just climb the pins anyway from normal > playing? > > --Cy-- No! Strings won't climb bridge pins at all unless there is enough negative bearing to counteract the clamping effect of the pin angle and offset angle. This is virtually never in real world situations. To assume that strings climb bridge pins is contrary to geometry, physics, and logic. If a string isn't touching the cap at the pin, it's because the cap has already crushed at the edge. The string is on the cap quite solidly just a bit back from the notch where the cap isn't as badly crushed. Caps are crushed to dysfunction at the notch by three primary mechanisms - cyclic dimensional changes of the cap with humidity swings, technicians seating strings at any and every excuse, and technicians driving in bridge pins with the string under tension. Here's the mantra... Strings don't climb bridge pins, and seating neither pins, nor strings cures the cause of false beats. It just does further damage to the cap.
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