$450.00 Bass strings???????

[David Love]

Dale:

Sanderson strings run about $8.00 per string.  There is an additional 
$100.00 charge to rescale the entire piano if you want.  It is not always 
necessary to rescale if you are matching the old set.  Thus, the total price 
will vary from piano to piano.  I have ordered only one set so far for an 
old Chickering which I had them rescale since the piano was originally 
scaled for A435.  There were significant changes made from the original 
scaling throughout.  I had no problems with the quality of the bass strings.

David Love

David Love


>From: "Erwinpiano" <Erwinpiano@email.msn.com>
>Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Subject: $450.00 Bass strings???????
>Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 10:24:09 -0800
>
>   Terry
>
>      So glad you (I) opened  this can o worms in regards to bass string
>quality and prices.  I realize this is a different thread than the "one
>scale for M&H AA" but that ones well worn and needs possible retiring.
>
>      In my response to Bill Ballard he was expressing frustration with
>incorrectly made strings,winding lengths,e.t.c. My statement to him was 
>that
>there was only $50 difference between  the low and high quality bass strg
>sets/makers and that if you have even one glitch or other unhappy exp. with
>the low end set it becomes a VERY expensive LOW end set.(It' Possible to
>have same problems with some high end sets)   Your response was that the
>Sanderson's sets of strings run $450.00.
>U.S.  ( YIKES!!!!!!!!! my response).  Can we talk.
>
>       The following commentary is strictly my opinion(which I'm fond of )
>and one formed from many hours of grinding my teeth and pounding on the
>table in frustration over bass string HASSLES.
>
>
>  Ari Isaac -bass strings                         $225.00  unusual ideas 
>bout
>scaling
>  Steinway- supplied MAPES strings      $ Don't know much about it
>  Schaff -strings as you stated run appox. $180.00 scale help unknown
>  Mapes- roughly the same                     $180.00good luck with rescale
>help
>  G.C. strings -Rescaling  part of price   $200.00-$240.00 depending on
>no.strgs.
>  Sanderson -Rescaling part of the price $450.00 Give or take/options
>  Others- no experience
>
>      Having tried many sets of most all but the Sanderson's strings I can
>say that
>there are huge differences. I can also say that every bass string maker has
>goofs blunders and anomaly's proving to me that bass string making is not
>an exact science but a practice of an art that is limited by quality of
>materials, design and human skill/error. As a rebuilder seeking superior
>results(aren't we all)
>and  efficiency I can't long afford to work with strings that are 1. Poor
>sounding or unpredictable. 2. Frequently giving problems serious enough to
>replace one or two or more strings after the initial installation.3.  Or
>having false
>beats develop over time on a routine basis.
>    Having to go back and redo a string or a set makes that brand the very
>most expensive strings money and frustration can buy.  I put a very high
>premium on the value of my time, the end tonal result and my sanity! String
>replacement after the fact is MADDENING. (I THINK THAT'S CLEAR)
>     That being said some people are more adept at winding/producing 
>strings
>and understand the principles more clearly and care about the end results
>more intensely.  For that I'm grateful and I don't have to design scales or
>wrap the string. I have other things I like to do!!!
>    Now just because a set of bass strings is more spensive doesn't mean 
>it's
>better although it could if you'll follow my logic.  I.E. The Isaac string 
>I
>used lot of .  When they were right they were really good but the
>aggravation of continual falsebeats,(which ment reordering, replacing and
>delivery schedules disrupted and sometimes very expensive follow up service
>calls to far away locations) inconsistent wraps and poor customer service
>finally got the best of me. A VERY Expensive string!!I hope he has 
>rectified
>his difficulties and is doing well but I will not use them again. For those
>of you wondering ,I used dozens of sets of the above, so I think I gave it 
>a
>fair shot.
>
>    ON THE OTHER HAND.
>
>     Over the last 5yrs. I've used  at least 50 sets of  THE G.C. STRING 
>CO.
>,as are many rebuilders dealing high end pianos, and have been ecstatic 1.
>With tone. It's clean well balanced easy to tune with only an occasional
>false beat. The wraps are very consistently within 1/2" of the
>terminus.(VERY STEINWAY SOUNDING)  Also DANNY IS VERY FUSSY about results
>and his ability to analyze scale design flaws.  In fact  scale analysis and
>design is just part of the job.   If when I have questions about a scale
>that looks odd, like the M&H ? floating on the list or whatever ,I know 
>he's
>not going to duplicate some freak of engineering just because it was
>ORIGINAL.  Soooo with all due respect to the Sanderson's( the S.A.T. 
>CHANGED
>MY LIFE ) I ask an honest partially uniformed question.  Why should I pay 
>an
>extra one to two hundred dollars to get what I'm already getting???????
>
>    Considering all this which set of bass strings I'm I getting the most
>booing for my buck?
>     I consider theG.C.product, personal service and hassle free aspect of
>this supplier an incredible labor saver and hey since I'm not replacing
>faulty strings and pounding on the table in frustration I even have extra
>days to go fishing!!!!!!
>   I think I'll ask Danny to go fishing
>
>  NO LONGER STRUNG OUT(OR ALONG) IN MODESTO.
>   Sincerely, Respectfully submitted
>  Dale Erwin
>
>

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