A while back I posted about a bass bridge that had cracked along the speaking side bridge pin line - the kind where a continuous line of wood is destroyed and the bridge pins have all migrated so that there is no bend in the string at the pin. It was suggested that a likely cause was no downbearing on the bass bridge. I questions that. Assuming the side bearing was appropriate, I do not understand how downbearing would affect bridge pin stability/longevity. The side bearing force vector will be there regardless of the magnatude of the downbearing force vector. Now I understand that with increased downbearing there could initially be some reduction of force acting against the pin in the form of friction on the bridge top, but it seems to me that would go away pretty fast after whacking the string a few times. My information on target downbearing for the bass bridge is "just a tad". Some respected convention lecturers suggest to have the string "just kiss" the bass bridge top. I do not think such downbearing targets will cause undue or increased stress on bass bridge pins. Any thoughts on this? Terry Farrell Piano Tuning & Service Tampa, Florida mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
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