<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV><DIV>On Apr 16, 2007, at 3:52 PM, RicB 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">I'm not sure it would... I just imagine that when the termination device gets significantly harder then the string material itself... the eventual wear and tear will take its toll on the string instead of the termination.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>This is one of the common trade-offs<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>with the front termination... in particular the capo.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Since you mentioned that Sauter uses very hard stuff indeed... I will most definitely keep an eye on the instrument in the years to come for this kind of breakage.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>I dont see it often... but once in a while I do see a string break at the bridge termination.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Just happened on a Bechstein I have the other day come to think of it, and I remember thinking it a bit odd.</FONT></P> <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'd like to hear why you think this wouldnt be a potential problem tho Fred.</FONT></P> <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">Cheers</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">RicB</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV>Hi Ric,</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>I've been skeptical about that "thing everybody knows" - that hardness of termination material has an effect on string breakage, usually referring to the capo - for years. I simply don't see a mechanism for hardness of the termination having any impact whatsoever. It would have an impact if you were hammering on the string with something massive and hard right at the termination. But you aren't. You are using a felt covered bit of wood on the end of a skinny dowel, and you are hitting the string away from the termination (except the top few unisons). In my experience, that makes me think of hammering a nail into the far end of a board that is clamped to the bench on its other end. So much springiness in the system, all parts of the system except the termination itself, that hardness just doesn't enter into the equation. Me, I'm pretty convinced that the major contributing factor for string breakage at the capo is sharpness of bend, together with number and force of blows applied. How hard or soft the metal is makes no difference to how the string bends around it (both relatively hard and relatively soft are equally "stable and firm" as "place keepers"). It is conceivable that wear and tear from tuning are greater from a hard termination than from a softer one, but I wouldn't bet on it. If the hard termination is more polished and less abrasive (which is likely), it might well cause less wear. The softer material is likely to have troughs/grooves, hence greater area in contact with the string, hence greater friction.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>Put the hardness at the bridge, where there is less rending of the string, and far less bend and direct impact from the hammer, and there is even less reason to predict a breakage increase.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>Maybe you can persuade me otherwise.<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>