[pianotech] Increasing bridge height

[Ron Nossaman]

Will Truitt wrote:
> 1.       The current bass string heights are 198 mm. on note 1 and 
> 200mm. on note 20.
>
> 4.       With this piano, I will definitely taper the bore within each 
> section, as the high point on the treble plane is 195 mm. at note 51 and 
> the low point is 188.5 mm. at note 88.  That being 6.5 mm. difference, 
> it seems to me that the over and undercentering  issues trump the hammer 
> leverage one you raised in terms of what we would actually feel and be 
> able to regulate with the least compromise.

Ok, we now have the #1, and #20 heights, the #88 height, the 
bridge height at #88 and #21, and the unspecified highest 
point  of the plain wire strings. What's the string height of 
#21? Or did I miss that?


>  It seems to me that if I 
> had to choose a poison, proper bore distance, albeit a longer one, would 
> be the best choice to make.    

Whatever you decide. I'm still trying to figure out where you 
plan to set the plate and bridge heights, and why. Are you 
planning on boring hammers to accommodate what's there without 
changing bridge or plate heights?


>By the way, I found some notes that I 
> took in Bruce Clark’s WNG class last year in Nashua.  This is what I 
> wrote, and I hope I have understood Bruce correctly in his comment, 
> “Pianos play better with a shorter hammer bore, all else being equal, 
> because the center of mass is better located with a short bore than a 
> longer one.”  The operative phrase here is “all else being equal”.  OK, 
> Ron, now you can chime in your charming and curmudgeonly fashion Jand 
> say, “Since when is ANYTHING equal in a Steinway!”

I'm wondering how it matters if the bore is a tad shorter or 
longer if the hammer hits the string squarely and is 
reasonably well aligned with it's vertical travel. What does 
"play better" mean?
Ron N