[pianotech] question about agraffes and uprights

[Paul McCloud]

Seems to me that the spacing of wires could be done easily enough without agraffes, using spacers in the non speaking area.  Since we are using the business model where cost savings vs features is a balance, my bet is that they will be used in higher end pianos as long as they are perceived as "better" by the public- technicians and end users/purchasers.  That they are a "feature" means they will continue to be used.  Like the "tuned aliquot" in grands, they are a selling point.  Sostenuto?  Who needs it?  How many players use it?  It's mostly a selling point, since everybody else has one.  The most I hear about them is when the new buyer complains it doesn't work.  I'm not saying that agraffes are better or not, but it's hard to buck the trend.  Hey, they look nice and neat, and if you buff 'em up, they look classy.  Like the chrome on yesterday's muscle cars.  I like nice even string spacing too, but it could be done other ways, perhaps for less.  I think of all those uprights that have spacing all over the place, and hammers that miss some strings.  Sure, I wish they had agraffes.  With just a little extra effort, and a little hardware, they could be as nicely spaced as a new Yama-aha.
Oh well,
Paul McCloud
San Diego

----- Original Message -----
From: "Euphonious Thumpe" <lclgcnp at yahoo.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Friday, February 8, 2013 1:37:20 PM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] question about agraffes and uprights


Begging pardon, Susan, but someone pretty authoritative once told me that capo bars are a better reflective termination (better sound-wise) than agraffes, which is why, on small grands where one can "get away with it", they are common. (Not just because these pianos are "cheaply made".) Because the short string length means less chance of the string dislocating due to a wide-swinging vibration. (And maybe also because they are easier to replace than a capo bar in a situation where a widely-vibrating string can "waller" out a divot.) And a VERY well-made, 5'4" Bush and Lane art-case grand, that someone I know has, has a massive, bolt-down capo bar in the bass! (And a bass tone/volume like a really good S&S "M"!!!) I suspect, therefore, that agraffes are just to keep neat string spacing in those high-end uprights (like Ivers and Ponds) and for string spacing AND resistance to the upward blow of hammers in grands where capo bars would not be able to keep long strings in place, and tend to be worn out by them. 

Thumpe 




From: Susan Kline <skline at peak.org>; 
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>; 
Subject: Re: [pianotech] question about agraffes and uprights 
Sent: Fri, Feb 8, 2013 7:04:11 PM 


	Hi, Duaine 

I think it's because agraffes were necessary on grands to 
hold down the strings when the hammers strike up at them. 
The capo bar does the same thing, so on some cheap grands 
the whole tenor has a capo bar. 

On uprights, the hammers strike toward the bearings, so 
the strings aren't lifted off them, so the support isn't needed. 

Susan 

Duaine Hechler wrote: 

Simple question - why didn't agraffes become standard on uprights ?