[pianotech] bass string twisting direction and a new query

[Gerald Groot]

Sometimes a half twists works.  Sometimes a full twist is better.  Depends
entirely on the strings, their age and all of that good stuff.

-----Original Message----- 
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman 
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 2:13 PM 
To: pianotech at ptg.org 
Subject: Re: [pianotech] bass string twisting direction and a new query 

John Dorr wrote: 

> NOW... another question or two... Why does it sometimes (not always) 
> seem to make things not change or even WORSE to twist a string?  Maybe 
> they were twisted previously and further change is no help?  Or 
> harmful?  (Yes, I twisted them before today's serendipitous moment, but 
> I twisted them BOTH ways, to check to see if either way would improve 
> sound.) 

If you are considering twisting it at all, it will be because 
it's making an objectionable sound. There's no reason to 
assume twisting the string will fix anything when you don't 
know the cause of the problem, so you're already guessing. So 
try it, and when it doesn't do what you need, replace it. 


> Second question:  if twisting from the loop end, which I imagine is what 
> everybody does on an OLD string you're trying to improve, shouldn't you 
> go in whole turns rather than half turns?  Seems like half turns change 
> the bends in the wire through the bridge pins.  Or is my thinkin' 
> stinkin' there? 

You're talking about forcing a junk string above an 
arbitrarily minimum performance threshold, based on a guess 
that twisting will do that, so do whatever... As long as 
you're thinking, what happens when the wrap tightens up and 
you put another turn in the wire past that point? 
Ron N 



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