splicing bass strings

[Ron Nossaman]

>It wouldn't in general but don't tell me the tied string will sound exactly 
>like its neighbor.  No matter how you do it, it is one ugly sucker when your 
>through.  May or may not sound ugly though.  A lot of work for a string that 
>will go out of tune by the time your to your car.  "But I'll just mute it 
>off!", you say.  You now have only one string sounding again AND one string 
>of the neighbor is now muted.  What has been accomplished?  IMHO, if and 
>only if the damper isn't working because of the missing string, you need to 
>put something in there.  If the damper works well enough, I mail the string 
>or call it in.    
>
>David I.

Of course I wouldn't try to tell you a spliced string would sound exactly
like it's neighbor, nor did I even attempt to. It probably didn't before it
broke either. I will tell you without reservation though, that that old
spliced string will both sound more like it's neighbor, and stay in tune
far better, than any new replacement string will ever hope to. It's a
personal judgement, I know, but I consider a neatly spliced string that
blends in aurally and more nearly stays in tune with the rest of the piano
far less ugly than a new string that's too lively for everything around it
and is twenty cents flat a week after it's installed (or was made with the
wrap too short and can't be tuned with it's neighbor in the first place).


Ron N