<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"> <title></title> </head> <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000"> Hi Calin, you can only  compare a string from a 1860 Pleyel with a 1910 Steinway if you assume they have the same kind of string material. If this is the case, with the given length and thickness and the same frequency, you will find the inharmonicity in the Pleyel string almost double compared to the Steinway. The load in the Steinway string is approx. 63,5% against a mere 43% in the Pleyel. Using softer material will increase the load and decrease the inharmonicity. Raising the pitch however will increase load and inharmonicity. I think that using other string material will help you far more than raising pitch. Frank Benner Calin wrote: <div class="headerdisplayname" style="display: inline;">Subject: </div> Re: Pitch in Paris ca. 1860 <div class="headerdisplayname" style="display: inline;">From: </div> "Calin Tantareanu" <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:calin.tantareanu@gmx.net"><calin.tantareanu@gmx.net></a> <div class="headerdisplayname" style="display: inline;">Date: </div> Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:34:45 +0300 Hi! I'll give you some comparative measurements, to see how I concluded that my piano was probably meant for a pitch at least as high as 440, if not more. My Pleyel 1860 upright has the top note A85 4.5mm with nr. 12 wire. My Steinway O 1910 has he note A85 5.4 with nr. 13 wire. So, a shorter string with thinner wire, at a reasonable tension, should sound decent at a pretty high pitch, no? Certainly not at A 435 or so, as many suggest for old pianos. There is no quick answer to your question, because it also depends on the thickness of the string used. Calin Tantareanu </body> </html>