<html> <body> Peter, At 06:49 AM 12/16/04, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">to be more specific, I am not concerned at present with string breakage, just damage to the bass strings, or to the bridge, etc. with that in mind, is it safe for the strings re damage (loss of tone, damage to the wrap etc), bridge etc to be pulled 40 or 50 cents above normal pitch? 10 cents above?</blockquote> I've had to tune quite a few times to A-442 (8c sharp) and then afterwards, lower back to A-440. Many orchestras around the world tune to 444 and even higher with no apparent damage. Now whether that might contribute to "premature" string breakage/damage, I'm not so sure. :-) Because when first learning this business 25+ yrs. ago, I was taught that it could contribute to premature loosening of the wrappings, I still tend to overpull very little in the bass; usually none on the singles and just slightly (a few beats) on the doubles and triples. I use an SAT III now, especially on a pitch raise, so it's easy to gauge. Except maybe on "extreme" raises, on most pianos I've also found that the bass strings tend not to drop back quite as far as the plain, so usually the second time around is just a more or less normal tuning for them. <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""> peter rpt </blockquote> Avery </body> </html>