Agraffes in uprights

[Frank Emerson]

RonN said
> I seriously doubt there is any real performance benefit to 
> agraffes anywhere in the scale of a vertical piano.

I am not willing to concede that agraffes in uprights are of no performance
benefit.  To isolate a single variable and test its worth is of some value.
But, if this method reveals no benefit, it has not conclusively proven that
it is, in fact, of no benefit.  In my early days in piano manufacturing, we
conducted a test that involve 18 pianos, with various combinations of six
variables, presumed to have an influence on a particular aspect of the
piano's performance.  Had we isolated each of the six variables, we might
have gotten inconclusive results to validate the worth of any of them.  By
testing various combinations of the six in one test, we could discover the
COMBINED effect of any or all of these variables.  Piano manufacturers,
today, are not willing to invest that much money and effort in R & D.  The
experience of being involved in this sort of testing proved one thing to
me, that the combined effect of many variables may make all the difference,
while measured in isolation, each of the variables might seem to have
little or no merit.  After all, the difference between a good piano and a
great piano can rarely be attributed to one or two aspects of its design,
but rather the right combination of a great many aspects of its design.
 
> Bichord unison lengths can be accommodated easily enough by bridge 
> notching, and are less critical that low in the scale in any case. 

Yes, equal lengths in the bichord range can be accomplished by the bridge
notching.  I know, because I have done it, but I would not say it can be
done easily.  The notches must be at such a severe angle, in relation to
the contour of the bridge, that one notch intrudes upon the next.  The only
way to make this work is to minimize the space between the two strings of
each unison, and increase the space between unisons.  This results in
extending the over all length of the bass bridge, and increasing the
"flare" in the string angles along the bass bridge.   This, in turn,
requires changes in the plate to accommodate the longer bass bridge.  The
end result is a very odd looking bass bridge.  "Less critical that low in
the scale?"  Maybe so, but I am not willing to blow off any little benefit
that, in combination with others, might make a real difference.

>As you indicated, staying awake through the tuning pin 
> location portion of the program should preclude string spacing 
> problems through the pressure bar sections, so that should be 
> adequately covered.

While it is possible to make the center string of three-string unisons
perfectly in line with the speaking length, the outside strings need to be
compromised a little to optimize the clearance of strings and tuning pins
over the pinblock.  While for the most part, I don't think this is a
serious problem, when things get really "tight" at the low end of the tenor
section, agraffes might reinforce the string spacing enough to be of
benefit.

 >I don't realistically see much point to 
> giving restringing consideration to the use of half agraffes. 
> We've strung a lot of pianos where no such concessions were 
> made and survived relatively (relatively, that is) intact. 

If half-agraffes save time in stringing in the factory, that, in itself,
justifies their use.  Any benefit to rebuilders is "icing on the cake." 
Hey guys, because of my background, servicing pianos, I go to greater
lengths than most piano designer to make the product more servicable.  I
would hope that my efforts in this regard would be appreciated in the
community of piano techs.

> What do you suppose the percentage of new manufacture that 
> will eventually be restrung to be, out of curiosity? Across 
> the board, I'd be utterly amazed if it were over 2% in the 
> Chinese product world.

More to the point, how many of these pianos will require a single string
replacement?  I would estimate 20-50% might need a single string
replacement within their useful life.  Would you not prefer to deal with an
half-agraffe AND pressure bar, than a full agraffe and pressure bar, in the
replacement of a single string?  

As things stand today, maybe 2% of Chinese-built pianos will be worthy of
rebuilding in 2050.  Give it a decade or so, and the pianos available for
rebuilding in 2060 will be almost entirely Chinese-built instruments.

> So it seems to me to be a matter of how much attention to pay 
> to that man behind the curtain. Marketing wants it, for 
> marketing reasons. So lacking detectable technical benefit, 
> it's purely a marketing concession. If I were in your 
> position, I'd ask myself who was designing the piano - the 
> engineer, or the marketing department.

I am willing to make consessions to marketing, as long as it "does no harm"
technically.  This does not constitute conceding design to marketing
issues.  However, I have found myself in situations where I have not built
enough trust between myself and "management" to preserve the integrity of
my design. Everyone and his brother makes observations about prototypes,
and changes are made without my knowledge.  In these cases, the piano
becomes a piano designed by a "commity."  .... A recipe for disaster! 

> This is, clearly, why I'm self employed...

In a few years, I will rejoin the ranks of the self-employeed.  It will
mean more limited resourses, but a wecome change for me.

Frank Emerson