Steinway 457cps pitch

[Erwinspiano@AOL.COM]

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In a message dated 3/27/2002 9:32:16 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
hufford1@airmail.net writes:


> Subj:Re: Steinway 457cps pitch 
> Date:3/27/2002 9:32:16 AM Pacific Standard Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:hufford1@airmail.net">hufford1@airmail.net</A>
> Reply-to:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>
> To:<A HREF="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>
> Sent from the Internet 
> 
>               Robin and all
>             Robin excellent point about scaling
           Although this is slightly off topic I think the following should 
be kept in mind when being tempted to cross the line into the tuners twilight 
zone of higher pitches.
              I think it is important to bear in mind that one major reason I 
believe that these different pitch levels were possible is that ,and I think 
its clear from some discussions on the list and with certain bass string 
makers in particular about breaking strains, that wire qualitys have suffered 
in recent times and I contend that stronger less brittle quality wire was 
readily available and in use during the times were discussing.   
        For example,I owned a 1927 Stwy L and I lived with it tonally for 
quite some time as the original strings really sounded amazinly  good. When I 
restrung the piano (same Board-bearing same orighinal hammers) the bass at 
the top end (notes 22 thru 26 really took a nose dive in the power and tone 
quality aspect. I had taken all the i.d.'s and o.d.s plus the speaking 
lengths and crunched the numbers against those of the the new strings. Guess 
what? The old/original  strings in this section were scaled at 70% of 
breaking strength (Meaning more tension)  compared to the much lower strain 
of as I recall 56 to 60%. I asked to have these strings remade at the higher 
tensions but agreed to absolve Mr Ari Isaac of any liability should they 
break.  He was very reluctant to do this but frankly I think the Japanese 
wire he used or uses is a better wire than roslau  or mapes and I'd love to 
prove it and use it. Just my extremely biaised opinon
       I re-installed the new strings the  tone and power came back. Twelve 
years later the strings are still holding up and sounding grand.
   I believe piano makers and tuners had the latitude to tune at higher 
pitches without changing scales. However no doubt it was still a risky 
business even then but we don't at this time seem to know how risky.  Can you 
imagine tuning any modern piano at A-457 without wire failure either in the 
process of doing so or soon after?
                  NOT ME!!>>>>>>>Dale Erwin

> 
> Jason, Ric, Dale
>      One of the points I was attempting to make in regard to pitch, in 
> addition to
> its higher levels was that the scaling, apparently, was not altered even 
> though
> pitch may have been variable on the same instruments.   In the context of 
> todays
> generalized "rescaling" for numerical reasons, perhaps, this says 
> something, or
> perhaps, not.
> Regards, Robin Hufford
> 


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