I could use some suggestions for a bass string problem I'm having. The piano is a 1920's upright in otherwise decent condition. While tuning it, I broke a bass string two or three notes down from the tenor break--it's one of a bichord pair. The string broke at the upper stagger pin between the tuning pin and speaking length, leaving inadequate core wire to tie. I pulled out a matching universal replacement and prepared it, installed it, and this string broke at the pin as well, as I was pulling it up. I tried this with two more replacement strings, with the same result before I gave up in puzzlement. I checked the area around the stagger pin as well as I could, but found nothing out of the ordinary, at least that I could see or feel. Is it possible there's a metal burr or something else that's cutting into the core wire enough to weaken it at that point and cause it to break? Anybody have any other suggestions related to this, especially how I can get a string to stay in there at pitch without breaking? Obviously, I'm missing something. Thanks John Granholm PTG Associate and longtime list-lurker Roseburg OR
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