<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <title></title> </head> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#ccccff"> David Porritt wrote: <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid200502261925.j1QJPpK18727@bridget.rudoff.com"> <blockquote>When replacing funky sounding low tension wire with Pure Sound wire should you go back with the same size? </blockquote> </blockquote> Pure Sound wire was originally developed with Victorian Era instruments in mind, for lower tension scales.  Modern high tension wire is incapable of recreating the tone of those pianos, because its sound is plain bad at low tensions.  Pure Sound has a tensile strength which is about 10 - 15% lower than modern wire.  Not surprisingly, Pure Sound wire has been found to drastically improve the sound of modern pianos in instances where the  short string lengths result in low break % of the wire at pitch.  Typically, these areas are the low tenor and also the lowest wound monochords, especially in short instruments. Replacing the offending unisons with Pure Sound of the same gauge can bring good results at a low measure of  investment and invasiveness, compared to re-designing bridges, etc.  I also understand that the rescaled wound bichords, often turn out so thin that it can be difficult finding a string maker to make them. I have feedback from technicians who have entirely restrung modern Steinways with Pure Sound and swear by the results.  One wrote me: "concerning the Pure Sound wire, I like it very much.  It is easier to work with (softer), loop making is simple, as it bends very easily, it settles in much faster than traditional cast wire (a lot less "stretching"), has a cleaner sound with less false beats, and is much more stable in the long run.  What I like about it the most is that it sounds better in a way that I cannot quite quantify-- purer maybe? (hence the name Pure Sound), less "garbage" in it." This is definitely a versatile material with more applications than restringing the odd museum piece! Jurgen Goering Piano Forte Supply </body> </html>