restringing question

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Airy" <stephen_airy@yahoo.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: November 27, 2000 1:59 AM
Subject: Re: restringing question


> I see.  It's just a matter of personal preference -- I don't like my
> monochords to extend above A13 or my bichords to hit C28.  :)  At the
> lowest I like my bichords to hit G11 or F9 (C4 in a Bosendorfer
Imperial --
> don't know if it's like that) and I like the trichords to extend down to
> C28, B27, or A#26 (some have them down to F21 or lower maybe -- I happen
to
> like the tone at A25 and down that you get with wound strings).
> ------------------------------------------------------

Both of these are a function of scale length.  That is, what is appropriate
for a concert grand is not appropriate for a 160 cm grand, or a 110 cm
vertical or a 132 cm vertical.

In general, in a longer the piano both plain wire tri-chord unisons and
bi-chord unisons can run further down in the scale.

In a smaller piano, unless there is particularly wide string spacing, the
physical characteristics of the string -- overall diameter and space needed
for them to vibrate without impacting neighboring strings -- will often
dictate where the transition must be made.  We have encounter several pianos
in which proper scaling could not be achieved with bichords because the
original spacing was so close that the wires would probably impact on hard
blows.

If the scaling is done correctly you should hear no difference at all
between mono-chord wrapped strings and bi-chord wrapped strings in a piano
of reasonable size.  And the acoustical anomalies at the bass/tenor break
are more often the result of poor soundboard and bridge design than of
string scale design.  (Assuming, of course, that the string scaling was done
correctly.  In most existing pianos, it is not.)

Del