Veritical Hitches

[David Love]

String heights at the top end are about 42mm (1 5/8"), 44mm in the tenor.
I'd like to install a 1/8" thicker pinblock and just raise the plate
elevation up a bit all around.  But I'd also like to get the bridge height
even a bit higher than that and that involves taking a bit off the underside
of the top treble strut.  Not a lot but about 2 or 3 mm just where the
bridge crosses.  Will that create a problem?  I see plate struts modified in
this way not periodically but have wondered about doing it myself.  

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 12:39 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Veritical Hitches


> What about the struts?  Does it add any stress there?  

Probably some, because of the torque leverage, but I doubt 
it's cause for concern.


>I have an older
> Steinway in the shop and the bridge is so darn low (about 23 mm in the
> treble) that I'm considering both raising the plate by installing a
thicker
> pinblock plus I might have to take a bit off the underside of the
uppermost
> strut where the bridge crosses under (a couple of mm's) to get the bridge
> height up and still have clearance.  Is that likely to create a structural
> weakness?
> 
> David Love

The relationship of the bridge top to the struts should be 
unchanged. Raising the plate end to accommodate a thicker 
bridge should leave you pretty much where you started - only 
taller. How are the string heights? I find a lot of Steinways 
with the high treble about 5mm lower than the rest of the 
tenor, and the treble bridge awfully short. If there's room, I 
try to level up the string height some and make the bridge to 
accommodate it.
Ron N