Unique Tuning Pin Coils

[Farrell]

Tuned one of my favorite pianos today. 1930s pretty-much-worn-out Cable
Nelson 5' 8" grand. But the instrument is STABLE. I have been tuning it for
three years now, 3 or 4 times a year. The last year or two now, no string is
never more than 2 cents off from where I left it last. Today all were within
one cent! The piano is in a music store that has the air on at all times,
and it is within a teaching room that has NO outside walls. Talk about a
stable environment! (Oh, and Ron, I only did one pass on this puppy! - I
rarely ever see them this close to being in tune!)

Anyway, this post is about tuning coils. I noticed two newer strings on the
piano in the treble (no, I did not put them on - they would be at least 3
years old). On both strings, the coil on the rear-most pin is wound in the
traditional manner, with the coil extending downward from the becket. But on
both strings, the coils that were on the forward pins, the coils were wound
upward from the becket - yes, that's right, the coils are above the becket -
the only reason I noticed it was because the tuning wrench did not fit on
the pin very far. Now the coils on the downward coils were very sloppy and
were spread out from the becket to the plate. But the upward wound coils
were kind of OK, not real sloppy - quite a bit better than the others. I
guess maybe the dude figured it was easier to make a neat coil if you wind
it above the becket?????? Go figure!

That's all the fun for now! No to go with my son for his first time playing
the clarinet in a high school marching band!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    :-)
He is sooooooo cool!!!!!!!!!!!      :-)

Terry Farrell