<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16587" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I agree with Ed.  It's always best to diagnose the problem before attempting a fix.  In this case though I don't see how you can get around replacing the strings.  Both you and your customer saw crushed strings and crushed strings could be the cause of the problem.  The only way to eliminate crushed strings as the cause of the problem is to switch them out with new stings.  And new strings will almost certainly present a slightly new voicing so needling the hammers too much before you change strings could get you into trouble.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I guess I'm assuming that you have already checked for termination problems, sympathetic vibrations, and regulation problems.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Mitch Staples</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=781493922-28122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Ed Sutton<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, December 28, 2007 3:19 PM<BR><B>To:</B> College and University Technicians<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] bass strings<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wim-</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My preference is to diagnose until I get a real answer. A customer complained of "hissing" in her new M & H A.  As I tried muted the back scale she said "It's getting better."  When I muted the backscale to the top she said "Now it sounds clean."  I didn't hear it as "hissing," but my ears are 30 years older than hers.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Uneven hammer string contact or hard spots in the hammers could make odd sounds in the bi-chords.  You can mute off one of the bi-chords and play one at a time and ask if the sound is in the single string, or if it only happens when you play both together. If it always happens on the left string, there may be a hammer allignment problem causing the hammer to strike the string with its edge.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>You could measure the strings and perhaps find or disprove "crushing."</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you find individual odd sounding strings, you can try loosening them and turning the string. Perhaps some were turned and not others.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Replacing strings "to make the customer shut up" is...well, not very good service. But there are many dealers who think that's a solution.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ed Sutton</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=wimblees@aol.com href="mailto:wimblees@aol.com">Willem Blees</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, December 28, 2007 2:52 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] bass strings</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><WBR>The owner of the store is willing to put on new strings. But even if I replace just the few that are bothering him, what happens if he still doesn't like it? I guess, to answer my own question, it's voicing time. <BR><BR> <DIV style="CLEAR: both">Wim<BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: Jim Busby <<A href="mailto:jim_busby@byu.edu">jim_busby@byu.edu</A>><BR>To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org><BR>Sent: Fri, 28 Dec 2007 9:18 am<BR>Subject: Re: [CAUT] bass strings<BR><BR></DIV> <DIV id=AOLMsgPart_2_925e9f4c-3fcc-4932-8760-f6e095939a9e> <STYLE>#AOLMsgPart_2_925e9f4c-3fcc-4932-8760-f6e095939a9e P.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } LI.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } DIV.MsoNormal { FONT-SIZE: 12pt; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Times New Roman" } #AOLMsgPart_2_925e9f4c-3fcc-4932-8760-f6e095939a9e A:link { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlink { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } #AOLMsgPart_2_925e9f4c-3fcc-4932-8760-f6e095939a9e A:visited { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } SPAN.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { COLOR: blue; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } #AOLMsgPart_2_925e9f4c-3fcc-4932-8760-f6e095939a9e SPAN.EmailStyle17 { COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-style-type: personal-reply } #AOLMsgPart_2_925e9f4c-3fcc-4932-8760-f6e095939a9e DIV.Section1 { page: Section1 } </STYLE> <DIV class=Section1> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wim,</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I’d ask Bruce Clark (M&H). I’ve watched them at M&H put on a bass string, or set, then immediately listen to/critique it. If they don’t like what they hear they make more strings “on the spot” until they do like it. I was quite impressed with their “finickiness”. Bruce is a stickler for a good bass, even though he still disagrees with Del’s and Ron’s ideas of “backscale”, cantilevers and such. (go figure)</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Regard,</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Jim Busby BYU</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> <A href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org">caut-bounces@ptg.org</A> [<A href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org?">mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org</A>] <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Willem Blees<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Thursday, December 27, 2007 3:43 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> <A href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [CAUT] bass strings</SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A new customer bought a new M&H AA in August. When I tuned it yesterday, he complained about some tone problems in the last 7 bass notes, (G2 - B2). I was able to voice some of the problems away, but a couple of notes still bothered him. I asked that he play the piano for a while to see if the notes in question would get better with playing. The apartment in which he lives is small, and the piano sits next to an open window, which is very common here. <BR><BR>I don't hear what he is complaining about. So perhaps it is one of perception, more than actual sound. He noticed that the winding on some of the strings are a little different than on other strings. The best way I can describe it is that the windings look like they were "crushed" ever so slightly. You can see it only when you look at the strings at an angle, with the light from the window shining on the strings. <BR><BR>Would that cause the strings to have a different tone? </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<BR>Piano Tuner/Technician<BR>Honolulu, HI<BR>Author of <BR>The Business of Piano Tuning<BR>available from Potter Press<BR><A href="http://www.pianotuning.com/" target=_blank>www.pianotuning.com</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-TOP: 7.5pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">More new features than ever. 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