[CAUT] breaking strings

[David Love]

Take a magnifying glass and see if you can see nicks in the strings at the
becket.  Whoever restrung it may have been a bit overzealous with a "coil
setter" also known as a becket breaker, depending on how it's used.  If
that's the case, hopefully only a handful were nicked and have already let
go.  Otherwise, you might mark the ones you see nicks on with chalk and see
if they aren't the ones to let go in the future.  If they do, I suppose you
could try and identify them and replace those strings.  

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

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Karen
Lindsley
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 6:41 AM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: [CAUT] breaking strings

The v-bar was not shaped before restringing.  The breakage occurs at
the becket, and usually in the upper 5th and the 6th octaves.  The
angles from the v-bar to the tuning pin seem rather severe to me, but
more so in the bass where there isn't a problem.

On Nov 13, 2007 5:32 AM, Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu> wrote:
> Hi Karen,
>
> Sometimes (most?) the "original scale" is simply wrong. Also, where does
the string break? (At the becket, hitch, other?) This may give another clue.
Is any angle too acute?
>
> Jim Busby BYU
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Karen Lindsley
> Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 11:34 PM
> To: College and University Technicians
> Subject: [CAUT] breaking strings
>
> I have a customer with a Doll and Sons small grand piano.  It was
> recently restrung using the original string gauges and pattern.  The
> upper treble is very sensitive to tuning and strings have broken
> during two of the last four tunings at intervals of six months.  I
> went to tune it again and another string had broken since my last
> tuning.  Any ideas?  Can I change the string size and get more
> elasticity out of the strings?
> Thanks for your input.
> Karen
>
>