At 7:56 AM -0500 22/10/02, Mike Spalding wrote: >Paul, > >I have heard about this problem from other techs. Apparently it is >in the design of the S, and varies from piano to piano only in the >amount of inconsistency in Steinway's manufaturing process. 2 3/8 >is more common than 2 1/2, allowing a little more time delay before >the strings break. How can any manufacturer assemble instruments with such crazy speaking lengths? Especially when the said company goes to such lengths to put down other manufacturers. >Changing wire diameters will have negligible effect on the breakage. >At the same pitch, the larger wire will be at a higher tension, >which offsets its higher strength, i.e. inernal stress will be >within a couple percent of being the same. If you were rebuilding >the piano, you might shorten the speaking length enough to get into >a safe stress range, by moving the plate towards the back, and >moving the front bridge pins closer to the front of the bridge. Indeed, the only proper solution would be to rebuild the piano with shorter speaking lengths which must surely have been incorporated into the original drawings (if the piano is worth the trouble). There is really no excuse apart from incompetence, for speaking length variations of 1/8" between instruments of the same model. What are they using for a setup jig? Maybe the measurement units are 'half-axe-handles' instead of millimetres. Ron O. -- _______________________ OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY Grand Piano Manufacturers Web: http://overspianos.com.au mailto:info@overspianos.com.au _______________________
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