[pianotech] Strings made to measure

[Denise Rachel]

Hi Mike,

This is an issue I am still grappling with.  Very frustrating!   
Judging by all the mismatched replacements I've seen in pianos, other  
techs regularly have the same problem.  Ten or fifteen years ago, I  
made such a nuisance of myself trying to get accurate duplicates, that  
Mapes refused to sell to me.  I have spoken to other string makers  
asking the pertinent questions, but have not been satisfied with the  
replies.  The seemingly universal inability to duplicate wires, even  
when the sample is sent in, remains a mystery.

When ordering full sets, I use JG Grandt or Isaacs, both in Canada.   
Very accurate work.  The strings have quite different sound  
characteristics.

When ordering replacements for a your everyday typical home piano, I  
replace all or both wires of the unison to get compatibility.  This  
ongoing challenge has forced me to develop super splicing techniques!

I'll be looking forward to all the posts on this one . . .

D




On Jan 19, 2010, at 9:12 AM, Mike Spalding wrote:

> List,
>
> I'm still trying to build a relationship with a string maker (any  
> stringmaker) such that they will understand what I'm trying to  
> order, and will reliably produce usable strings.  Latest issue:   
> string length as wound vs. string length at pitch.  When you order  
> strings to a set of measurements, do you shorten the specified  
> length by an amount of stretch/loop crush that you estimate, or do  
> you rely on the stringmaker to estimate the length change and make  
> the strings shorter than you specify?  How do you communicate this  
> with your stringmaker?  Stories of successful relationships with  
> specific stringmakers much appreciated!
>
> thanks
>
> Mike