<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Bob,<DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>I happen to be placing an order to Hubbard just now, and looking in their catalogue, they say that 13.5" is the maximum length for c" (which I think translates to C5) in low tensile wire, 16" for high tensile, both at 440. So you might measure to see. </DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>About string breakage with messy coils, often if coils cross one another or the string crosses a bent down bit of becket wire (especially as in the ones without becket holes, where the end of the string is held in place by friction of having the coils wound over it), there will be breakage problems if this occurs just where the wire is leaving the tuning pin. Which is an execution problem, not a design problem. Depending on era, a Zuckermann is quite likely to have low tensile strings on becket-less tuning pins. In changing a string (or stringing), to avoid the described problem, bend up or break off the last bit of the end of the string before you get to the final coil around the pin, so the coils aren't crossing it any more.</DIV><DIV><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>I guess I'd be surprised if even a very green kit builder put a bridge on far enough from where the plan template wanted it to cause this problem. I'd be much less surprised to see stringing style as the culprit.<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; "><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>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><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Sep 21, 2007, at 12:38 PM, <A href="mailto:ITUNEPIANO@aol.com">ITUNEPIANO@aol.com</A> wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <FONT id="role_document" face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2"> <DIV>A local church has a Zuckerman, Double Choir Harpsichord. I don't know if this was a kit or not, but the coils on the pins are not very neat, so I suspect it's a kit. When I tune it to A-440, strings break. I've currently tuned it to A-415 (one semi-tone flat), but the music director isn't happy transposing everything. I'm betting the bridge is in the wrong place, causing the string tension to reach the breaking point at A-440. I'd be interested in any suggestions on a cost-effective fix. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT lang="0" face="Arial" size="2" family="SANSSERIF" ptsize="10">Bob Maret, RPT<BR>Piano Technician<BR></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's new at <A title="http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170" href="http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170" target="_blank">AOL.com</A> and <A title="http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169" href="http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169" target="_blank">Make AOL Your Homepage</A>.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>