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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
[mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Frank
Emerson<BR><B>Sent:</B> January 23, 2007 9:57 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech
List<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: A tenor bridge conversion<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007> </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>I have designed a number of pianos for a number of manufacturers, and the
number of wound strings has never been an issue. If you make your own
bass strings, it doesn't add that much to the cost of the
piano.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007>It did during the period from roughly 1880 through at
least the 1920s when most of these pianos were designed.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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class=843572418-24012007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Well .......... I, too, had a hand in this
particular Baldwn model as well. The number of notes on the bass bridge
had nothing to do with its eventual market success.</FONT><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007> </SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007>The choice of 32 bass unisons was made so that the
tenor bridge could avoid the foreshortening curve typical with most "modern"
pianos, especially small pianos.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007>Historically the foreshortened tenor bridge was a
result of too few unisons wrapped string unisons being used. And, if
the transition between the wrapped unisons is going to be made where good
scaling practice dictates, the choice comes down to either putting them in the
separate bass section or putting some of them on a transition
bridge.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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class=843572418-24012007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>From the point of view of a rebuilder, a transition
bridge makes a lot of sense. The number of notes on the bass bridge is
predetermined. At the design level, when you can readily change the
number of notes in the bass section, it is another story, entirely. Some
designers would say that you put as many notes as you can, with plain wire, on
the treble bridge, Whatever is left, you put, as wound strings, on the bass
bridge. </FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3><SPAN class=843572418-24012007> </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Frank Emerson</FONT><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007> </SPAN></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007>In short to medium length pianos there is much to be
said for the use of transition bridges. With good string and rib scaling they
can further reduce the timbre changes across the transition between the plain
steel string and wrapped string and the transition between the bass section and
the tenor section.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3><SPAN
class=843572418-24012007>Del</SPAN></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>