Gabler Stringing scale

[Mike Spalding]

Rex,

Assuming you have measured the string lengths correctly, this is a 
bizarre scale. It differs from most scales in that the string lengths 
increase more rapidly than usual from note 88 down to about note 45, 
then they decrease more rapidly than usual to the bottom end of the long 
bridge. Visualize it as the bridge taking a straighter path from 88 to 
29 than normal - it should have had a sharper curve and stayed closer to 
the belly rail as it came down through octaves 7, 6 and 5. That is why 
your tensions are so high, even with all that size 13 wire, up in 
octaves 5 & 6. The only way to improve this is to redesign the bridge. 
Do you know, did this piano have a history of string breakage?

Mike

Rex Roseman wrote:
>
> Dear list
>
> I am about to order strings for an E. Gabler & Bros. 5’ grand #177086. 
> The question I have is with the string sizes. They look very suspect 
> to me. The following are the wire sizes that I took off of the piano:
>
> 8 notes #12 ½ Wire
>
> 14 notes #13 Wire
>
> 4 notes #14 ½ Wire
>
> 6 notes #15 Wire
>
> 6 notes #16 ½ Wire
>
> 8 notes #17 Wire
>
> 6 notes #18 Wire
>
> 4 notes #19 Wire
>
> 4 notes #20 Wire
>
> My request is for some more experienced eyes to look this information 
> over and see if it looks as bizarre to you as it does to me, then to 
> make some suggestions as to how to proceed.
>
> Attached is a more detailed worksheet that I was using to try and 
> figure out if this could (or should) be smoothed out to a more 
> “normal” pattern.
>
> /For those who would like more information, read on, otherwise, skip 
> the next section./
>
> The piano was given to me for free a number of years ago and was torn 
> down to be rebuilt and then sat for a number of years. This to say 
> that at that time I was not a reader of this list and had not looked 
> into string scaling. I can’t even remember where I got the figures to 
> create the attached stringing chart. It may have been from my days of 
> harpsichord design. As you can see, I once tried to smooth out the 
> scaling using only my version of tension calculations. I now know that 
> there is much more involved and will need for someone to rescale this 
> piano if that is needed.
>
> The problem that I see is the extended use of the same wire sizes and 
> the pattern of jumping a size and a half at changes. When comparing 
> this to scale samples in “A Guide to Restringing” by John W. Travis, I 
> find nothing that looks anywhere close to what was on this piano.
>
> I don’t think that the piano has been restrung, so these may be the 
> original strings and there may be a good reason for this scaling.
>
> Thank you in advance for your input into this situation.
>
> Rex Roseman
>
> Roseman Piano Tuning
>