<HTML> In a message dated 10/23/03 12:31:40 PM, pianobuilders@olynet.com writes:<BR= > <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE"> = With this in mind I'm not sure what you mean when you say "a straighter wire= gives truer harmonics." = Baldwin uses straightened and pre-cut wire simply as a manufacturing expedi= ency. These wires are purchased from Mapes to specification with each coming= bundled in a package of, perhaps, a hundred or so identical wires labeled= for a specific spot on a specific piano. These are then placed in one of se= veral tubes set up so the stringer can pull whichever specific wire is neede= d in sequence as stringing progresses. </BLOCKQUOTE> I have had a couple of technicians observe the wire is not perfectly straigh= t in the last inch of travel into the agraffe, and measurements seem to conf= irm this. The theory is this acts like a shock absorber, or a mild kink, and= affects the string adversely. In fact strings are kinked daily by technicia= ns and they don't re-straighten. I had thought Baldwin did this for tone qua= lity's sake, but it's obvious to me on reflection that indeed it's just for = handling ease. I'm guessing Mapes used an industry standard straightener, an= d i'm still wondering if roller pressure on the skin of the wire affects it = for ill ? Glenn C.</HTML>