<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Mar 19, 2007, at 12:20 PM, Ron Nossaman wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">In the case of those myriad cases where touching the pin with the screwdriver and/or seating the string kills the beat, It *is* flagpoling. That's what causes the beat</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>That is what I thought.</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">But that is definitely hypothesis.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I have noticed that if the hole has been drilled too deep (or the pin cut too short) and the pin can't make contact, the falseness will not be eliminated.</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Jeff</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Only if the pin isn't tight in the cap at the cap surface. The pin won't stay bottomed in the hole in any case because the bridge height changes through seasonal humidity cycles. When it's dry, the bridge is shorter and the pin is bottomed in the hole. When it's humid, the bridge is taller, and the pin is short of the bottom of the hole. This is because the point of zero relative movement between the bridge and the pin is somewhere around the cap/root glue joint. Note that false beats are more numerous in dry seasons, when the pins are bottomed, and less numerous in humid seasons, when the pins are not.</FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>My recollections here are that the pins remain high when the bridge shrinks back down. Dry weather is when I seem to find pins floating up off the bottom needing to be tapped. Is it not plausible that increased downbearing in humid seasons is what reduces the falseness?</DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">I've written this all at great length and in excruciating detail about forty times over in the Pianotec archives, so until I get that series of Journal articles done and published, I'll direct you there.</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV>I am familiar with many of your writings on this subject on the lists, which is what changed my thinking on tapping strings at the bridge pins. I suppose I haven't read your descriptions of how you've come to these conclusions, which is why I asked. I unsubscribed from pianotech years ago.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It certainly seems that the pin needs to be anchored to help avoid wallowing out the hole.</DIV><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It won't wallow out of the hole even when it's loose enough to fall out if turned upside down with the string removed. If pins did that, we'd be sweeping them up off of the floor by the handful.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><DIV>It seems the pin would have to wallow the hole at the bottom if it is flagpoling at the top. That energy has to go somewhere.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Without having a cross section to study, or a teeny weeny camera to go in and inspect the hole, I'm imagining each end of the pin flagpoling with the string vibration, somewhat like holding a pencil in the middle and "flicking" it. Regardless of how many fingers or fists you hold it tightly with, the pointed end vibrates when you flick the eraser end unless the tip is anchored. But having the sharpened end anchored, the movement of the eraser end is further restricted (and sound is transmitted more solidly), regardless of how tightly it is held nearer to the eraser. The top of the pin cannot move nearly as much if the point is anchored at the bottom, regardless of how tight or loose it is at the cap.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>A simplified comparison for sure. But, such is my mind.</DIV><DIV>:u)</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Jeff</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Jeff Tanner, RPT</DIV><DIV>University of South Carolina</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>