[CAUT] Bass bridge, string scale, cantilevered bridge, tone

[John Delacour]

At 06:51 +1000 5/5/08, Ron Overs wrote:

>...Yes, the eye must be a very good fit or it will allow the eye to 
>slip and tighten on the pin. We make them so that the eye pushes on 
>easily by hand, but only just.

I think that's what was not clear the first time I tried it, but 
provided it is a good fit then presumably it does not tighten any 
more and is easy to remove if needs be, unlike the normal double eye.

>  Lou straightens the core wire and supplies it to me before the 
>strings are wound. I clean the polishing crud off the wire and make 
>the eyes, then take them back to Lou for the copper to be wound. I 
>believe it is very important to clean the grease and dirt off the 
>core before the copper is wound, or over a short time the core will 
>collect fine dust from the air and become tubby.
>If the core wire is dirty enough this can happen as early as a 
>couple of years after the strings are wound.

Possibly.  I always clean the steel when the string is stetched on 
the machine just before covering.  This also removes any marks from 
handling, which is most important.

>Using clean copper is just as important as cleaning the core wire. 
>Years ago here in the mid nineties, Lou was getting his copper drawn 
>by BHP in Port Kembla. The copper wire was good quality stuff but I 
>was suspicious that there was considerable residual 
>drawing-lubricant on the wire. Lou's strings at the time would get 
>tubby within a couple of years. However, he started getting his 
>copper supplies from Renner and the problem went away, but I still 
>clean the core wire for those sets which he winds for our own pianos.

Yes, I have used Degen wire (the stuff Renner supplies) almost from 
the beginning.  When I first set up I worked with an ex-employee of 
Parkes in England (originally Lou's relations) and we bought a small 
stock of the copper Parkes drew themselves.  Not only was the copper 
half-hard rather than soft like Degen's but it was so dirty the 
strings had to be cleaned on the machine after covering.  This he 
(and Parkes) did with a file card!!  They didn't wear gloves either 
but just finger-stools.  I very quickly changed all that and the 
collaboration lasted barely two months.  The quality of English bass 
strings when I set up was appalling and stuff from abroad was not 
brilliant either.

Thanks for the info.

JD
-- 
______________________________________________________________________
   Delacour Pianos  *  Silo  *  Deverel Farm  *  Milborne St. Andrew
                      Dorset DT11 0HX  *  England
                        Phone:  +44 1202 731031
          Mobile: +44 7801 310 689   *   Fax: +44 870 705 3241 
______________________________________________________________________