Spreadsheet info / Jason Kanter

[RicB]

Hi Frank.

I understand this to mean you figure your string lengths first, then 
figure string diameters to result in as even a tension (unisons or 
single string?) as you can reasonably get.  How much do you look at Z 
and inharmonicity... and basically how do you go about this.  Keep in 
mind we are looking for ways of providing some kind of automation for 
things usually done manually. A comment or two on how much leeway you 
give for each of these parameters would also be very helpfull. 

I get the feeling that excell may be too limited a tool for some of the 
automation we've been tossing around.  But thats what we are going to 
use so whatever is practical / doable will be attempted.

Cheers
RicB

    .........
    Starting with a blank piece of paper, designing a new piano, I prefer to
    calculate the string lengths with a pure logarithmic progression,
    and deal
    with the dogleg of the bridge in other ways.  By making the distance
    from
    the front bridge pins to the back bridge pins longer on one side of the
    break, and shorter on the other, the dogleg in the bridge can be
    reduced.
    The side bearing angle can be maintained, even thought the distance,
    front
    to back, is varied.  The bridge can be undercut, to further reduce the
    dogleg of the bridge, at least with respect to the gluing surface
    between
    the bridge and the soundboard.

    When it comes to restringing a piano, when the treble bridge is not
    being
    replaced, recapped, or repinned, I would not hesitate to reverse the
    wire
    gage progression across the break, when that would serve to smooth the
    tension across the scale, in some cases, more than a half-size.

    Frank Emerson