Unwrapped ends of bass strings

[Farrell]

You are waiting for direct measurements???? Why do you not do this yourself?

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Newton Hunt" <nhunt@optonline.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 9:52 AM
Subject: Re: Unwrapped ends of bass strings


> American string makers (major suppliers) are infamous for making agraffe
> ends 1.25" to 1.385" long when ordering by make/model or patterns for
> full sets.  Amazingly with individual replacement strings the do NOT
> shorten the copper.  When asked why they do that the made person in
> charge said he did not know, that was just the way the make them.  
> 
> The only way I have found to get what I want _was_ to supply only data
> sheets.  Now it seems even those are not being followed.
> 
> I am confused.  Unfortunately a normal state of affairs for me. :)
> 
> Currently I am waiting for direct measurements from the piano for the
> second time hoping that information can help prevent the same problem
> with a set ready to print.
> 
> Newton
> 
> John Delacour wrote:
> > 
> > At 21:17 02/10/01 -0400, Newton Hunt wrote:
> > >This should show what I mean.
> > >
> > >This set was made, by a known provider, from a verified set of
> > >specifications I supplied.
> > >
> > >Needless to say, I, and the rebuilder, are annoyed no end.
> > 
> > Quite rightly so, and yet the error is very regular and consistent,
> > which
> > shows that either the marker-out was cutting corners or
> > misinterpreting
> > your data.
> > 
> > On a grand with agraffes, the copper on both strings should be the
> > same
> > distance from the agraffe, of course.
> > 
> > It has always been English practice to work from a rubbing plus any
> > patterns and specifications the customer likes to provide.  If a
> > customer
> > sends me either just the old strings or just a list of measurements, I
> > charge an extra fee for the added time required to work in this way.
> > It
> > would be impossible for this error to occur working with a rubbing.
> > 
> > What you have here is presumably a Steinway with the bridge pins in a
> > straight line instead of staggered in the normal (proper) way for
> > equal
> > speaking lengths.  I am guessing that your 'copper line' at the
> > soundboard
> > bridge is good and that for some reason he has given both strings of
> > the
> > bichords exactly the same cover length, as would be required in most
> > pianos.  If you specified differential cover lengths (as you should
> > have)
> > and he thought he knew better and equalized them, then he has cocked
> > up.  In the hypothetical case that you specified equal cover lengths,
> > then
> > he didn't.
> > 
> > Judging from the very blurred jpeg, it looks to me as though the
> > stringmaker has worked very methodically and exactly on the basis of
> > wrong
> > measurements.  Wherever the fault lies as to the cover data, any
> > sapient
> > stringmaker would question any data that resulted in staggered pairs
> > like
> > that.  If he hasn't learned yet that Steinway grands are queer, he
> > hasn't
> > been paying attention.
> > 
> > JD