<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; =
charset=windows-1252">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1276" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello List + Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT color=#800000 size=3>You =
said: "
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#008000>May I suggest that if you are =
breaking
strings at "...<FONT color=#800000>such frequency that I have =
developed my own
pre-formed knot system</FONT><FONT color=#008000>..." you may want to =
reevaluate
your pitch-raising techniques and criteria?" (Sorry I put it not quite =
in
context ) - N</FONT></FONT><FONT color=#008000>ot really, Terry, it's =
just
because nobody in this Benighted Isle likes spending money on pianos and =
we poor
techies have to cut our potential costs accordingly. Does the fact that =
"nobody
here likes spending money on pianos" ring a bell? They don't look after =
them,
the strings go rusty and then they expect me to do the miracle cure - =
and bring
"grannies" piano up to pitch 'cos little Johnnie is taking violin =
lessons.
Golly! You know the scenario. It looks like a piano so it IS a piano. It =
looks
beautiful (with its walnut veneer case, fretwork and candle-holders) =
therefore
it needs to be at the right pitch for Johnnies violin. Moth? Can't have! =
It was
tuned only ten years ago! Wrong pitch? OK. You tune it up! Strings might =
break?
OK you fix them! etc. etc. All I'm saying (or attempting to say) =
here,is
the strings may be old and brittle - but there's a chance - just a =
chance, mark
you - that it may be possible. Under these conditions indeed one does =
slacken
off before pitch raise. One also puts a touch of "magic" (WD40) on the =
Bass
strings at the agraffes or top bridge - and likewise on the "metals" at =
the same
point. Only a "touch", mind you. Remember this is "Grannie's" old =
clunker. So I
have indeed become a dab hand at "String Repairs" - in the truest sense =
of the
term. Re-evaluate? "Sorry, Madam, that piano needs throwing out. =
Burning. That's
the way to lose your local esteem. Not to say I never do say that - but =
only
when that is the only realistic approach - and they've obviously got =
enough of
"the ready" to replace it. Done on a Time basis it usually works out =
quite
inexpensive for the client - maybe an extra half-hour on a pro-rata
basis.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000>Have phun</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000>From beautifully sunny Sussex on =
Sea</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008000>Michael G
(UK)</FONT></DIV></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>