Just returned from KC and was interested in the comments below. I was in classes and conversations with some of our most experienced rebuilders/voicers/concert prep types, etc., and wish to comment on an observation. I mean this to be light--and certainly not offensive--but not quite tongue-in-cheek, either, because there is a serious side to it ... One person taught: ABSOLUTELY, always seat the strings on the bridge (light taps, rubbing, pushing with material softer than string steel, etc.). Another said: ABSOLUTELY, always give all the bridge pins a judicious tap or two before you even think about tuning or voicing. Ron says: No way to either procedure, and I think others agree with him. One said: NEVER EVER "cross stitch" voice under the strike point. Another said: BY ALL MEANS, needle this felt. Some said: Use steam, use pliers, use alcohol/water. Others: NO NO NO NEVER. One said he only uses lacquer, another said he never uses lacquer (takes too long to dry and much too long to stabilize), always use plastic/acetone. Most people say: NEVER deep needle the strike point and rarely sugar it. One said, basically, Have at it! and proceeded to demonstrate it on a new hammer in a new Kawai grand--deeply, aggressively and vigorously, too! I spent 3 hours with Virgil Smith, a treat. Very interesting and a delightful person. Some think he's something of a mystic in his approaches to tuning, and don't subscribe to them. Anyway, I used to think our business was about 1/2 art and 1/2 science; but no more. I am now convinced it's about 1/3 art, 1/3 science, and 1/3 religion! By the latter, I mean that people practice what they BELIEVE to be true art and what they believe to be true science; what they have faith in because of their own experience and their faith in the people they learned it from. Others--of different piano religions--believe other things, often radically contrary. And there is NOT -- as our Internet discussion about "where the flatness goes" proved -- a sufficient body of scientific study, or even collected empirical data, to prove or disprove anybody's piano religion. Nor is there anything approaching artistic consensus on many, many topics that are really quite important. So we have little that can be described as uncontested orthodoxy in piano belief--with the possible exception that soaking a piano in a pond is generally agreed to be a bad idea unless the words "Winter & Sons" appear on the fallboard. I find this fascinating. People trying to learn the craft over many years, have surely been frustrated that the path to enlightenment has so many forks in it! The saddest thing is that sometimes, as among all religions, hard feelings are often harrowed up and much bitterness has arisen, over the years, between people who should be friends and collegeaues. BTW, Scott would disagree with some of the Pitch-Lock comments that have been posted lately. For one thing, they would tell you to fix the string/bridge problems, etc., and only use the clips to fix bad string matching, mysterious falseness, and other nasties that won't go away after all else is tried. Alan Barnard Salem, Missouri P.S.B.S. If nominated, I will not run for Piano Pope; if elected, I will not serve. I would, however, wear the cool hats. > [Original Message] > From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net> > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> > Date: 06/18/2005 10:17:50 PM > Subject: Re: Pitchlock > > > > Has anyone had experience with the pitchlock devices. It sounds like > > something that would help with some wild bass strings, and maybe even > > some false beating treble strings. However the startup cost is pretty > > hefty. Not bad if it does what it says, but I thought I might inquire > > from the list first. > > Any thoughts?? > > > > Ed Carwithen > > John Day, OR > > > No experience, but coupling a flagpoling bridge pin to another pin > by a pitchlock staple pretty much has to limit the flagpoling that > causes the false beat. Short of actually fixing it, this is likely a > quick, non destructive alternative. WAY better than seating either > strings or pins. > > My call > > Ron N > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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