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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Newton Hunt has been my very pleasant =
visitor for
the past week and since I'm very busy looking after bass string orders =
the
conversation, naturally, gravitated to that subject.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have been making bass strings since =
1969, this
means I'm a bit older today than I was then. Whether I'm also a =
bit wiser
is an open question. Ted Saambell, who gave me my inspiration for making =
bass
strings, told me when I started out that I would have to throw out at =
least
100lbs of copper making bad strings before I made good ones - he was =
more than
right.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It has taken me from 1969 until 1997 to =
really know
what makes a consistently good bass string set; one whose tension is not =
so high
as to choke the tone and one that remains stable, with no false beats =
and with a
smoothe bass/plain wire break. During the earlier period the sets =
of
strings I made oscelated between sets which, according to =
customers'
feedback, were excellent and got me a good deal of repeat business, to =
sets with
problems causing some customers to be less than happy and, =
in some
cases, to stop using our strings.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have, since starting to make bass =
strings,
devoted a lot of time, effort and expense to researching every facet of =
bass
strings. In the past five years I have discovered new alloys =
and
new, semi automatic winding techniques which make it impossible to wind =
a poor
string by lessening the string winder's dependence on skill. The =
strings
we make now are not the strings we made before 1997.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The success of the research is very =
easy to gauge -
repeat and new bass string business has increased in a consistent upward =
curve
and keeps growing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A word about bass string =
tone. Different
bass string winders use different techniques and scales of varying =
philosophical
and mathematical approaches. Also, there are different coppers in
use; some use German copper - copper with a bit of nickel mixed in =
making
for a very bright but a bit narrower tone when compared with pure =
copper.
Steinways, in the twenties, used semi hard copper, most bass strings =
today are
wound using soft drawn copper. We, incidentally, use semi hard
copper. The advantage of semi hard over soft is the far smaller =
degree of
crush or deformation of the copper.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Addto all of these variations the =
varying types,
and qualities, of core steel wire makes and, you've got a can of
worms.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If I had to decide whose bass strings I =
was going
to use I would not stop until I tried every make for at least two =
sets.
The tone I liked the most would determine whose bass strings I would
use.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I wish to apologize =
to all those
customers who were less than happy with any sets they got from me, I =
take full
responsibility and I owe them a sincere vote of thanks for being my =
teachers on
my road to making top quality bass =
strings.
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