One old-time approach to trying to break up the corrosion in a dying bass string, and hence improve its tone (hopefully), is to lower the tension on it enough that you can remove it from its hitch-pin. Next, put a tight loop in the string, about six-eight inches in diameter, and then run the loop up and down the string, from one end to the other about half a dozen times or so. When re-attaching the string to it's hitch pin, try to add a few more twists than you found there original- ly, (in the direction of the winding, of course!). In some cases this proceedure actually works! It's at least worth a try. Most supply houses sell a special spring-loaded tool for twisting bass strings that really works quite well, and can save your fingers, too! Les Smith lessmith@buffnet.net On Sun, 6 Apr 1997, Al Jeschke wrote: > > The main reason for loss of tone in iron wound strings is because of > corrosion between the iron winding. The same holds true for copper wound > strings, except, copper is less quickly to take on corrosion. If the > winding corrosion is broken up, you will regain most, or at least a good > portion of the lost tone. There is always some loss of tone as the result > of the increased stiffness and the loss of elasticity of the aging core wire > under tension. > > Al Jeschke > Calgary, Alberta, Canada > jeschkea@cadvision.com > > > >---------- > >> From: Newton Hunt <nhunt@jagat.com> > >> To: pianotech@byu.edu > >> Subject: Re: wrong? > >> Date: Sunday, April 06, 1997 7:20 PM > >> > >> >Dear list, > >> > Have I been wrong all these years thinking that the winding was iron? > >> >Let me know please > >> >James Grebe from St. Louis > >> >pianoman@inlink.com > >> > > >> > >> Soft iron. It is less dense than copper so a larger winding can be use > >as > >> opposed to a too thin copper winding. Often gives a sweet mellow sound. > >> Iron strings do loose tone faster than copper. Aluminum is and has been > >> used when copper is just too thin to wind.. > >> > >> Newton > >> nhunt@jagat.com > >> Dear list, > >I have been vindicated. My further query is why would iron, not steel, > >wound strings sound very good at first but change to losing their tone. Is > >it because of tarnish that would settle in on soft iron very quickly or > >some other reason? > >thanks, > >James Grebe from St. Louis > >pianoman@inlink.com > > > > > > > >
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