<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: string termination</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <STYLE type=text/css>BLOCKQUOTE { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } DL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } UL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } OL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } LI { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2722" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=sec@overspianos.com.au = href="mailto:sec@overspianos.com.au">Overs Pianos</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, August 14, 2005 = 6:01 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: string = termination</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Terry,</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial size=-1>Ron - = a typo? Do you mean the new plating thickness will be 0.075 mm (3 thou)?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Yes that was a typo. The plating thickness is 0.075 mm, or 3 = thou. A zero went missing in haste.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial = size=-1> Why then not make a agraffe out of steel or some other harder = material?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>I made a custom set of agraffes for a Steinway D we rebuilt for = the ABC in 1998. I made them from SAE 1040 steel, which is considerably harder = than free machining brass. We plated the 1040 agraffes with 2 thou of = electroless nickel (and hardened the nickel plating to 60 Rockwell). These = agraffes were without doubt the cleanest sounding set of agraffes we've ever done. I = haven't made any others since then. Can you imagine how much effort it is to = turn and machine up a set of these things using a screw cutting lathe and a = milling attachment?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial = size=-1> That may be difficult for the one-off small-shop piano builder, but if there = were a demand to others..... Why would this be so = difficult?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>The cost in machining agraffes from something harder would = probably make manufacturers shy away from using the harder material. Mind you, with = today's ceramic cutting tools the task would be more do-able than it = was.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial = size=-1> Why would brass persist so long?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>It should be bypassed for the purpose of string terminations. Its = a very poor material for the purpose.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial = size=-1> \Why not use other termination types like a capo-type bar in all string sections = like you see on cheap old American microgrands? What about = something more like an upright pressure bar arrangement?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>These would certainly work, but it would give the high enders a = bit of an agricultural look wouldn't it? </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That's a new expression for me.  = You mean it will look like it was built by a bunch of dirt farmers???</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>And after all, the piano business is as much about perceived = fashion than practically.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I agree.  A customer will say "I = don't care what it looks like but it has to sound good".  We all know he = means the opposite.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> I just can't see the higher enders taking up full compass = capo bars any time soon. Mind you, Stuart has done just that with a full set of = agraffes mounted in the underside of the bar. Its is a workable solution.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial = size=-1>Hardened bridge pins would be costly? I can see such an argument from a Chinese manufacturer, but from a famous American or European manufacturer = who "spares no expense to create an uncompromised = instrument?"</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>That's just the thing Terry, the high enders claim that they = don't spare expense (the brochures tend to be full of cheap sales chat), but its = all over the instrument. They would be seem to be pretty careful not to get = into anything too difficult (which would put the price of production = up).</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=Arial = size=-1> I realize that if a pin costs a nickel or dime rather than two cents, = times 500 pins, that would increase the cost of building the piano by $15 - = $40....... or am I missing something? Or are the upper-end larger, uncompromising, manufacturers really that = cheap?</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>I suspect they just might be. But then again, the high enders who = remain are the ones who have actually survived the slings and arrows of = economic fortune. Its easy for us to criticise what we perceive to be cost = cutting, but those who didn't do it haven't survived.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Ron O.</DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>-- </PRE></X-SIGSEP> <DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#0000ff size=+1><B>OVERS = PIANOS - SYDNEY</B></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000><I>   </I></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff><I>Grand Piano Manufacturers</I></FONT><FONT color=#000000><BR>_______________________</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=-2><BR></FONT><FONT = color=#000000>Web http://overspianos.com.au</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT = color=#000000>mailto:ron@overspianos.com.au<BR>_______________________<= /FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>