Restringing just the bass

[Wimblees@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-06-11 13:29:26 EDT, you write:

<< A question. The reason I was always told not to pull the bass strings
 very sharp was because of the possibility of the windings coming loose &
 buzzing. Maybe even later down the road. Is that not a possibility? Just
 curious.
 
Avery:

As I said, I never have any problems doing this. When I chip tune the whole
piano after restringing, I start one note high. By that I mean, I look on the
action to see which note is the first in the treble section. I then play a
note on an intune piano a half a step above that note, and start the chipping,
from that note. I chip a major scale, all the way to the top. I then chip
another major scale, starting the next note up. Of  course, if I did it right,
every 3rd  and 7th note of the second scale should be the same as the 4th note
of the first scale. Most of the time I do pretty good. I do only the left
string. I then do one string of the bass section, starting at the note next to
the plate break. After that I chip the right string, hitting each note, again
starting with the first note in the treble. I then come down from note 88 and
chip tune the middle string, and finish up the bass section. 

With this method, by the time I get done with the tuning, the strings
stretching and the increased pressure on the soundboard, the first note I
tuned is usually about 2 steps low allready. 

So to answer your question, in all the years I have done this, I have never
had any problems with windings coming loose, or any other problem. In the bass
section, a half step high is really not that much, when you consider the total
tension on the strings to begin with. 

Wim