not the typical tuning problem at the break

[Gene Nelson]

How worn are the hammers? What is the condition of the bass bridge? Either or both acting together could be affecting what you are describing. A third possibility is the strings have been replaced with a lesser quality product and that's why they look so good!? 

Hammers are ok, bass bridge - no splits and strings have nice offset across it, string's windings have the flattened sweadging at the agraffe end and fancy curl like twist at the bridge end that is typical of that piano - I do not think thay are original but could be wrong - what I mean by in good shape is the lack of crud and dirt build up that is consistent with the tubby sound - they are clean but aged, not the nice shiny copper but the copper color is visible.
Gene
-- 
Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Magness 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 11:46 AM
  Subject: Re: not the typical tuning problem at the break





  On 8/28/07, Gene Nelson <nelsong at pbic.net> wrote: 
    Have a client with a 1900 Bechstein 7'
    The board is dead and needs replacement. Bass strings appear in good shape -not full of crud and clean looking- but are a little tubby sounding.
    While tuning several of the top bass bichords I can tune the unisons very well, however - when the unisons are in tune, one string of the unison will be quite a bit out of tune with all adjacent intervals - 3rds, 10ths, 6ths, octaves etc. If I tune the intervals to sound ok then the unison is out of tune as one of the strings will agree with intervals and the other will not. 
    The tuning ends up sounding ok but I have not been to resolve this to my satisfaction. 
    I have tuned it aurally and with a SAT - the aural tunings work better but it is easy to get lost using either - afraid of breaking a string.
    I have tried alternative techniques like focusing ear and SAT on fundamental frequency rather than the partials with the same resultant issues.
    Anyone else ever experience this?
    Gene Nelson
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