FAC ??s

[Jim Coleman, Sr.]

Hi Jim:

It's not your imagination. The FAC numbers usually get smaller. You 
remember how we seat the strings around the hitch pins, we seat them
at the bridge pins, we level them under the Capo bar, we lift 
strings at the agraffes etc.?  Due to the stiffness of wire, the wire
thinks its is shorter at first. It thinks that its termination at the
bridge pin is somewhere in the bend in front of the bridge pin. As the
bend straightens out, it finally realizes that its termination is 
actually at the bridge pin, therefore the string now faces reality and
it knows that it is longer than at first perceived, so it will now give
you a lower inharmonicity reading or stretch number. By the way, the
tuning will then be more stable.

Of course, in the above, you may have noticed my tongue firmly planted
in right cheek. But, there is probably more truth than humor in the 
above.

Jim Coleman, Sr.

On Wed, 26 Nov 1997 JIMRPT@aol.com wrote:

> Dr C., List;
>   In the last several stringing jobs, during the tuning process, and using
> the SAT, I have noticed that as the strings start settling down and the
> tunings become more and more stable the FAC numbers change, usually getting
> much closer together.
>   Why?
>  Is it due to more accurate FAC readings as the strings settle in?
> Is this just my imagination ?
> Jim Bryant (FL)
> HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING Y'ALL
>