<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] Wire Stretch, was Hardness of termination vs string breakage</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> On 4/26/07 4:14 PM, "Jeff Tanner" <jtanner@mozart.sc.edu> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>If plain wire does not stretch as much as we traditionally give it credit, how would one explain the great difference in pitch change from wrapped wire to plain wire as changes in humidity affect tension change? Not just crossing from bass into low tenor, but it is just as much present when the first few strings of the low tenor are wrapped. Jeff </BLOCKQUOTE> Hi Jeff,     Wrapped strings are much closer to breaking point/higher tension than the neighbor plain wires. The lower tension wires take much less change in any factor (length, deflection, tension) to produce a given pitch change than the higher tension wires. Think about how much turn on the tuning pin it takes to raise that lowest plain wire 25 cents, compared to what it takes to raise the top wrapped string the same amount. Think about the same comparison when you are first chipping to pitch. Crank and crank on those wrapped strings, where a single yank gets the plain ones to pitch and past.      There are other ways of saying all this, which are probably more scientifically accurate, but this is the basic reason for that large pitch change in the lowest plain wires compared to wrapped, whatever might be happening in terms of SB rising, bridge growing, bridge lengthening, overall case expanding, etc. At least, this makes sense to me, and others seem to agree. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico </BODY> </HTML>