Why piano tuning pin bushings?

[gordon stelter]

Gosh, that's funny...... the Masons, Steinways and
Conovers I've had.....all without bushings, were some
of the HEAVIEST pianos I've ever moved! The Mason 50"
upright was like a block of lead, and I could not lift
one end off the floor alone. Conovers have plates
about 3/4 inch thick. ( Conovers and Masons are my
favorites. )
    I have a  feeling the ommission was meant to be
tonal---some sense that some portion of the
vibrational energy would pass through the string, into
the block, back to the rim and belly rail and then on
to the board without being absorbed by the plate. Cast
iron has great compressive stength, and my impression
has always been that plates are designed to take the
full tesnsion, while the rim just keeps them bolted
into a flat plane, so they do not twist and snap.
     The only significant structural difference I
sense is that a bushing would put the fulcrum of
twisting force caused by string tension higher up,
rather than from beneath the plate.
     Thump

--- David Renaud <drjazzca@yahoo.ca> wrote:
> Bushings transfer more tension to the plate.
> 
> A Steinway without bushings  transfers more tension
> through the block to the rim and stretcher. Since
> the
> plate
> does not need to hold as much of the tension,
> it can be constructed lighter.
> 
> I would not want to put bushings in a plate/rim
> assembly
> not built for it.
> 
> Bolduc uses the question in his classes ,
> "What is heavier, a piano with tuning pin bushings
> or 
> a piano without tuning pin bushings?" 
> Much heavier with bushings.....
> all that extra iron for extra plate tension.
> 
>                                Dave Renaud
> 
> 
>                             
>            
> 
> gordon stelter wrote:
> 
>   I've always thought bushings: 1) Keep crap out of
> the
>   pinblock.
>   2) Provide a bit of humidity barrier.
>   3)Keep the pin from "wallering" out the hole (as
> they
>   say here in the South.
>   4)Add a bit more resistance to string tension.
>        Why did so many high-end manufacturers not
> use
>   them? What is the educated opinion on this today?
>        Please inform.
>        Thump
> 
>   Pray tell?.
>   --- Richard Brekne <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
>   wrote:
>   > "Alan R. Barnard" wrote:
>   >
>   > > Why not go ahead and install bushings if there
> is
>   > room? I'd like to see how
>   > > a bushed Steinway would tune. As they say in
>   > Brooklyn, "It couldn't hoit,
>   > > could it?"
>   > >
>   > > Alan Barnard
>   > >
>   >
>   > I have one of these beasts, on at a finishing
> school
>   >  here in Bergen. Cant say I
>   > find any particular problems or plusses I can
>   > attribute to the bushings. This is
>   > one of those rebuilds Ron N just wrote about...
> by
>   > the fellow I mentioned in my
>   > reply. All kinds of falsness... rather thin and
>   > crashy sound.... in short...
>   > they LOVE it.
>   >
>   > Another one at a church here was at one time one
> of
>   > these beautifull art cases.
>   > Sad to see whats become of it. But again they
> love
>   > it. Rock hard hammers, sounds
>   > like glass. and they want it that way.
>   >
>   > Cheers
>   >
>   > RicB
>   >
>   >
>   > --
>   > Richard Brekne
>   > RPT, N.P.T.F.
>   > UiB, Bergen, Norway
> 
>
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