[CAUT] Protek against string falseness

[Kidwell, Ted W]

Hi Ric,

I sounds like you are not livening the bass strings first, is that right? You are not removing an end and running a loose granny knot back and forth to clean and "liven" the string? You are just adding the Protek to the string in its existing condition?

Thanks.

Ted

Ted Kidwell, RPT
California State University, Sacramento
Capistrano Hall, rm. 153
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819-6015
916.278.6737




-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Richard Brekne
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:31 AM
To: caut at ptg.org; Pianotech List
Subject: [CAUT] Protek against string falseness

Hi

The last few months I've been experimenting a bit with using Protek on
some old beaters I have around town to minimize the amount of falseness
in strings.  Adding Protek to the windings of wound strings most
definitely can affect the para inharmonicity of bass strings to the
positive at least in the short run... that is to say at least over a
period of some few days. Adding a few drops to the bridge pins cleans up
several types of falseness to a very significant degree. If one adds
liberally then at first, and especially in the 4th to 5th registers then
a temporary and slight deadening effect to the string is experienced...
but this quickly disappears and the end result is a cleaner and slightly
less bright sound. Curiously in the highest notes it seems to add very
significant amounts of clarity and apparent sustain.

None of this has been measured or subjected to any good scientific
method or experiments... just some informal checking spurred by the use
of other chemical additives to bridge pins that has been discussed...
looking for convenient alternatives as it were.

Questions tho... does anyone know or care to speculate on what exactly a
few drops of Proteck does long term to the wood of the bridge ?  And for
that matter what longer term affects adding Protek to bass string
windings would have on bass strings ?

Cheers and thanks
RicB