Friction/Buzz at Agraffes

Jeannie Grassi jgrassi@silverlink.net
Mon Mar 6 13:25 MST 2000


Ray and List,
Boy, I was just about to compose a post on this very topic, but Ray beat me
to it.  Maybe all the responses will be helpful to both of us.
I tuned a 1983 Steinway L a couple of weeks ago that appeared to have been
well taken care of prior to a four-year lapse in tuning.  I did a 16 cent
pitch raise and as I raised the pitch in the tenor section, note for note,
the strings began to jangle and vibrate and sound absolutely horrid.  I
thought, at first that maybe the problem was with the bridge pins.  But
later came back to the agraffes.  I lifted, shifted, prodded and prayed over
each one and could not create any appreciable change.  Are there any other
tricks I might try short of removing all of these strings and dealing with
the agraffes that way?
Could this be due to the kink in the wire from the piano having set below
pitch for that four year period?  Could it be from someone over-zealously
lifting the strings and introducing a kink?  Help!
Jeannie

Jeannie Grassi, RPT
mailto:jgrassi@silverlink.net


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-caut@ptg.org [mailto:owner-caut@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Ray
Bentley
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 9:58 AM
To: caut@ptg.org
Subject: Friction/Buzz at Agraffes


Has anyone else found strings to buzz at the agraffe?  I have a piano that
seems to.  I can usually stop the buzz by raising and lowering the pitch,
thereby moving the string back and forth through the agraffe.  These strings
also pop loose at the agraffe during tuning.  It doesn't seem to matter how
long it has been since the previous tuning, they still pop during tuning.
Has anyone tried clp or something else there with success.  Also there are a
few pianos that don't render well.  That is, the friction at the capo bar is
such that when you pull a string up, it continues to raise with firm blows,
and vice versa.  Any cure for this?

Thanks to all.

Ray T. Bentley, RPT
Lewis and Clark Community College
Godfrey, IL



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