I can't imagine an old upright not being able to take the additional tension of 3 or 5 Hz, provided that the structure is still sound. I mean, pianos back then were not engineered so close to the point of imploding, and were very likely way overbuilt. And since the strings have been replaced I'd not worry about them breaking either. Tom Cole 37 years and no broken uprights yet. Jack Wells wrote: > I recently tuned a Marshall & Wendell upright for a new customer. It > had 85 keys and bi-chord plain wire in the 3rd and 4th octaves. It > had been re-strung, new felt, etc. and was in good condition. > > I couldn't determine its age, but it was a good 40 cents below A440. > I did a pitch raise to A438 to avoid overpulling the strings, then > fine tuned. It all went well. > > Upon further research, I determined that the piano was probably built > in the 1890s (Serial # 12095). > > Question: Since std pitch was A435 in late 1800s, will A438 put too > much tension on the plate over time? > > I will gladly do a free pitch lower and tuning to rectify this if it > is advisable. > I posted this to "ask the expert" on PTG, and they said to direct > technical inquiries here. > > Thanks, Jack Wells Associate Member, PTG > > -- > Be Yourself @ mail.com! > Choose From 200+ Email Addresses > Get a *Free* Account at www.mail.com <http://www.mail.com/Product.aspx>!
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