High-tension bass strings

[Tom Cole]

Newton Hunt wrote:
>
> Your system seems to be having trouble accepting mail.  I am sending this
> through pianotech in the hopes it will get to you this time (the third)
>
> Hi, Tom,
>
> Well, this is what you have.  Please note the BP% on not 31 is 85%.  BP%
> should never excede 75% or you will be in trouble.  Fortunately this is
> controllable in a wrapped string.  Inharmonicity is also uncontrolled.
>
>  N     speak  diam     INH      TEN     BP%   DIA   Unwrapped ends
>         mm                                     mm        mm
>  33     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  32  1003.3  0.0410   0.131  164.157  38.629  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  31  1006.6  0.0350   0.043  265.027  85.581  0.057  22.4  15.9
>  30     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  29     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  28     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  27     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  26  1041.4  0.0370   0.064  205.734  59.446  0.065  22.4  15.9
>  25  1013.0  0.0410   0.124  169.858  39.971  0.064  22.4  15.9
>  24     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>
> This is what you should have.  Tension is under control as is inharmonicity.
> If you send me all the specs, speaking lengths, core and wrap for first and
> last mono and bichors and steel lengths and sizes I can rescale the entire
> piano and provide you with a set of winding specs.
>
>  N    speak   diam    INH      TEN       BP%  DIA   Unwrapped ends
>        mm                                      mm         mm
>  33     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  32  1003.3  0.0410   0.131  164.157  38.629  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  31  1006.6  0.0430   0.149  175.640  37.576  0.045  12.7  12.7
>  30     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  29     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  28     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  27     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>  26  1041.4  0.0410   0.116  189.701  44.640  0.062  12.7  12.7
>  25  1013.0  0.0410   0.124  190.697  44.874  0.068  12.7  12.7
>  24     0.0  0.0000   0.000    0.000   0.000  0.000   0.0   0.0
>
> Have a nice day.
>
>     Newton
>     nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu
> .-


Hi, Newton,

I did, finally, get your post, as you can see. Sorry for the extra trouble.

Thanks very much for the data on the Chickering bass strings.
I now have something authoritative to take to the customer and I will need every bit of
back up that I can get. She just will not believe that the very fine technician who restrung
her piano would "put in bad bass strings". So, I'm hoping that the out-of-town expert will
be more convincing.

I know that the best thing would be to do as you suggested: rescale the entire piano, no
question. Mr. Chickering, after all, didn't have a computer. I also know that the
customer only wants to replace the strings that are broken. More likely I will do
something in between. Since notes 26 thru 31 are significantly out of spec
(inharmonicity, BP%, tension), could just these notes be redesigned? Is this a reasonable
alternative?

Again, appreciative of your consultation.

Tom Cole



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