Bridge Seating (was Re: Where to notch a bridge, & relative effects ????? (Advice sought)

[Frank Emerson]

> Sorry if this seems brash and uncharitable. 

I would say that it not only seems, but is brash and uncharitable.  It is
will great restraint that I do not have more pointed things to say, but I
do not wish to be equally brash and uncharitable.

As others have stated, one cannot disprove an event, that can be observed
and measured, by failure to explain why or how it occurs.  All that is
proven is the limits of ones understanding of all of the forces at work.

I have tapped down strings just behind the front bridge pins.  In some
cases, there is a distinct "tick" that indicates to me that the string has
moved from being held in a fairly fragile position, to a more solid seating
on the surface of the bridge.  Although this defies logic, I have measured
strings that I suspected of this condition.  With the depth gauge end of a
set of calipers I have measured from the top surface of a pair of strings,
down to the surface of the bridge, just behind the front bridge pins.
Before tapping the strings down, I measured this distance to be slightly
greater than the diameter of the strings.  After tapping this pair of
strings down, I measured this distance to be less than before, and usually
equal to the string's diameter.  I have repeated this many times with these
results.  You might argue that I pounded the string deeper into the bridge,
but I can assure you that I did not "tap" with sufficient force to do this.
I cannot explain why or how, other than to say that friction plays a
greater role in this than many folks are willing to believe that it could.

I would prefer to let my arguments stand on their own merit, but for those
of you who don't know me, and to demonstrate that I am no
Johnnie-come-lately to this industry, I will say this.  I was tuning pianos
before many of you were born, and have been a craftsman (RPT) member of PTG
for 33 years.  If you tune more than a few pianos per year, you have
probably tuned a piano that I designed, or at least some of its component
parts.

>I've just done 
> this way too many times with way too many people, and it seems 
> to be never ending.

This sort of  never ending debate is the very reason I never remain long on
this list.  I will not be drawn into protracted debate with those who will
not listen to reason.  I have said all I have to say on this subject.

Frank Emerson