<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF">Hi Henry,</font><br> <br> <div style="font-family:helvetica,arial;font-size:10pt;color:black">-----Original Message-----<br> From: Dr. Henry Nicolaides <drsnic4@hotmail.com><br> To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org><br> Sent: Fri, Mar 18, 2011 8:25 am<br> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Stwy A (6' 1") speaking lengths<br> <br> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"> <style>#AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 td{color: black;} #AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } #AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 body.hmmessage { font-size: 10pt; font-family:Tahoma } </style> Hi Alan,<br> <br> It is interesting.  I think there are specs and then there is the real world in dealing with variables in manufacturing and assembly.  I was advised by one of the bass string makers, Arledge I think, to ALWAYS measure when ordering bass strings.  He had observed differences enough to feel that there would be an improvement from the "stock" sets made according to factory specs.</div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font></div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF">I've heard Arledge say that there re rather large variations in bass string speaking lengths on certain brands (and he has a pretty good pool of samples at this point).  Since he tries to leave a minimal amount of exposed core wire in the speaking length, precise measurements of the particular piano for which he is asked to make bass strings is a must.</font><br> </font><br> Reminds me of the saying "close enough for government work".  Maybe this partly explains that all pianos of a given model are inherently the same but distinctly different.<br> <br> </div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF">Yes, although there may be others on this list who have informed opinions about how significant variations in speaking length are and, moreover, what is more desirable (and why!).</font></font></div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font>Henry </div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font></div> <div id="AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0000FF">Alan</font><br> </font><br> <hr id="stopSpelling">To: <a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</a><br> From: <a href="mailto:reggaepass@aol.com">reggaepass@aol.com</a><br> Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:57:41 -0400<br> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Stwy A (6' 1") speaking lengths<br> <br> <font color="black" face="arial" size="2"><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi Henry,</font> <div><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br> </font></div> <div><font class="ecxApple-style-span" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks for both sets of numbers.  Interesting, for the lowest three samples the speaking lengths in the piano you have is 2 to 9 mm longer than the specs in the manual, C 88 being 1 mm shorter (is 48 mm about as short as short as C 88 gets, on any piano?).<br> </font><br> <div style="clear: both;"></div> Alan Eder<br> <br> <div style="font-family: helvetica,arial; font-size: 10pt; color: black;">-----Original Message-----<br> From: Dr. Henry Nicolaides <<a href="mailto:drsnic4@hotmail.com">drsnic4@hotmail.com</a>><br> To: College and University Technicians <<a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</a>><br> Sent: Fri, Mar 18, 2011 4:37 am<br> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Stwy A (6' 1") speaking lengths<br> <br> <div id="ecxAOLMsgPart_1_5d2ec9d3-fa7c-4aaf-bcbc-d1789b5db9fa"> <style>#AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 td{color: black;} #AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 .ExternalClass #ecxAOLMsgPart_1_5d2ec9d3-fa7c-4aaf-bcbc-d1789b5db9fa td {color:black;} #AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 .ExternalClass #ecxAOLMsgPart_1_5d2ec9d3-fa7c-4aaf-bcbc-d1789b5db9fa .ecxhmmessage P {padding:0px;} #AOLMsgPart_1_3c7b37c6-d393-495b-bc1d-7464cdaf5d53 .ExternalClass #ecxAOLMsgPart_1_5d2ec9d3-fa7c-4aaf-bcbc-d1789b5db9fa body.ecxhmmessage {font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;} </style> Alan,<br> <br> >From Max Matthias book <u>Steinway Service Manual</u>,  he references Scales of Grand Models: note # 1 being 1454, #20 being 1024, #21 being 1272, and #88 being 49 mm.  We have an "A" serial number 279282 (circa 1935) that measures comparatively.  From the middle of the agraffe or V bar as in #88: #1 measures 1459, #2 measures 1026, #21 measures 1281, and #88 measures 48mm.<br> <br> Henry Nicolaides<br> <br> <br> <hr id="ecxstopSpelling">To: <a href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</a><br> From: <a href="mailto:reggaepass@aol.com">reggaepass@aol.com</a><br> Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:14:22 -0400<br> Subject: [CAUT] Stwy A (6' 1") speaking lengths<br> <br> <font color="black" face="arial" size="2"> <div style="padding: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-style: none; background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; color: black;"> <div style="font-family: helvetica,arial; font-size: 10pt; color: black;"> <div id="ecxAOLMsgPart_1_78c7d2b5-6df5-4a9b-8d7a-2c89d29581a2"><font color="black" face="arial" size="2">Greetings List, <div><br> </div> <div>Does anyone have information about speaking lengths (particularly notes nos. 1, 20, 21 and 88) for Steinway model A, 6' 1" (1913).  This could be information either from Steinway itself, or from observation, or even your own notion of what might work best.  The project in question does not involve adding a transition bridge or rescaling, but comparing the original condition of a piano getting a new board and bridge caps with other iterations of the same model.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>Many thanks,</div> <div><br> </div> <div>Alan Eder<br> </div> </font></div> </div> </div> <br> <div style="clear: both;"></div> </font> </div> </div> </div> </font> </div>  </div> </font>