Protek against string falseness

[Richard Brekne]

Hi Mark

Well you can measure a change in a strings inharmonicity directly using 
Tunelab.  In wild bass string pairs I find the one with the largest 
spread between its 2nd and 3rd partials (since these two are pretty 
typically checked in the higher to mid bass range) I let a enough protek 
drip down from the top of the winding to just before it gets down to 
where the hammer hits the string... then re-check the spread of the 
partials. Cant remember an exception yet where they didnt get at least a 
bit closer.  Often when you have a wild bass bichord one of the strings 
2nd partial will be way low of the other when the two strings 3rd 
partials are tuned alike.  Adding Protek too the string that has the low 
2nd will show a change in that 2nd.

As far as lasting, well dont really know yet. I havent gotten into any 
systematic checking and so far its been junkers I've done this on but 
they seem better still after some months.  As too the bridge pins... 
especially adding thinned cellulose lacquer quiets to some degree 
virtually every kind of falseness. Both classic beats and  most of that 
more undefined wavering string noise-ish kind of stuff.  Speculating I'd 
guess it tends to fill in any string grove space under the string at the 
area close to the bridge pin to more precisely define the compound 
termination the bridge and bridge pin is. It also soaks into the wood 
itself a bit and no doubt alters the wood characteristics both inside 
the bridgepin hole and around it slightly.  Protek used here seems to 
have as you say a shorter lasting affect... but it at least cleans up 
wild high notes during a tuning.

More then anything all this is just looking closer at whats going on 
with falseness in general. But before getting carried away as it were I 
thought It might be nice to get some input on any long term negatives 
either substance might have on their respective recipients.

Cheers
RicB


    Ric,

    I am instinctively cautious about the idea of putting any kind of
    lubricant into bass string windings. However, I could conceive that
    the  teflon lubricant molecules are small enough to do something
    different than petroleum molecules might do, so now I'll ask you: do
    you have any idea what is happening that you are perceiving as
    improvement? What are the types of falseness that are cleared up by
    adding a few drops to bridge pins? And I would imagine that a
    temporary deadening that goes away quickly is the mass of the
    lubricant's carrier weighing down the string, then evaporating. But
    how, in your creatively imagined understanding, is any lasting
    clarity and sustain imparted to these upper strings? Since you are
    there observing, perhaps you could  enlighten? Thanks.

    -Mark Schecter