<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV><DIV>On Apr 16, 2007, at 11:10 AM, Alan McCoy 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">BTW, regarding that nick in the side of the bridge pins (caused by the</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">string digging into it) that was the topic of a thread awhile back. Anyone</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">have any thoughts as to the effects of this nick on tone and tuning? I'm</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">guessing that the effect is negative for both (based on absolutely no</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">experiment!)<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>But if my guess is correct, would a harder material for bridge</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">pins be a good idea? Bridge pins are probably #2 steel plated with either</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">copper or nickel, and nickel is harder than copper, right?</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV>Hi Alan,</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>Sauter uses titanium bridge pins on premium pianos (at least the concert grand, maybe a smaller one as well). That's one hard metal. Ulrich Sauter thinks it makes a difference. They also use titanium for a couple other bearing points, and ebony bridge cap in the high treble (again, concert grand). The ebony is dense, hard, and probably the least hygroscopically active (reaction to humidity change) wood around. Me, I was quite impressed by the Sauter concert grand at Rochester. Wish I'd had more time to spend with it. A real showcase of solid termination, and the crystal clear sound you get from it.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>As for finding titanium pins on the open market, it ain't gonna happen. Sauter has them made to order by a jeweler, as I recall. It's not easy material to work with. Maybe there is something intermediate out there that could be used, if there was enough demand.<BR><DIV><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV><DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></DIV><BR></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></BODY></HTML>