At WestPac 2012, the Fazioli tech told us that in the factory they level strings from below, before the dampers are installed, and that they give them minimal bend - I asked, and he said they do not start with a "positive bend," but simply level to where the strings are, where they happen to have settled after stringing and chipping. That is the first leveling, setting up the piano originally. Later, during voicing, they will check level, and will adjust as needed, with a very light massaging motion - and the original leveling was also done with a light massaging motion.
The whole "massaging" thing works OK when the bend is minimal. As the bend becomes greater, you simply need to do more than massage to get any difference, because you need to move the string beyond the point where you want it to be (past the elastic limit). This is why I am against the use of the StrateMate and the like, because unless you have a very light touch, you will be making too much of a bend, and making it very difficult to get the strings into a good level later (the Strate Mate will not leave them level, as I can attest from more than one experience).
Bottom line, having good mating is more important than whether the strings were massaged or just pulled, and more important than whether there might be a bit of kinking, at least in my experience. And decent leveling is the most efficient path to good mating.
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Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu http://fredsturm.net "When I smell a flower, I don't think about how it was cultivated. I like to listen to music the same way." -Federico Mompou
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-06-2013 14:40
From: John Minor
Subject: looking for tool source of string lifter on photo
I watched a factory voicer at Steinway in Hamburg when I was there last month for a new D selection use this tool to lift and "massage" the string for leveling. I've never seen this tool in any of the catalogues or at the conventions so thought I'd like to give it a try.
I found it searching German piano tools last night at MEYNE for about $13 plus shipping:
http://shop.meyne.com/index.php?cl=details&anid=1430
Thanks for the discussion. I have 2 eyes, so I'm willing to take my chances! : )
John
Original Message:
Sent: 08-06-2013 07:03
From: David Dunn
Subject: looking for tool source of string lifter on photo
John, et. al.,
If you'll forgive a tangential question:
It seems to me that the best we can hope to achieve in the string leveling process, as with stabilizing a wire around all its bends, is to encourage the wire into its maximum bend around each bearing point by pulling (or pushing) the wire in the proper direction, yet not so far as to introduce an extra bend or kink into the wire. This would seem especially important in the speaking length, where a kink would tend to cause some type of distortion in the vibration of the wire, perhaps resulting in an undesirable sound. John, if I'm not mistaken, you say you're looking for a tool that is stiffer, with less flex and more leverage for pulling the wire. Would that not increase the chances of putting an extra bend in the speaking length? I saw a tool demonstrated at the convention last month that appeared to - by design - do exactly that, and it caused me to raise an eyebrow. Is the trade-off between having the three strings of a unison in the same plane and having one or more of the wires kinked in this fashion a worthwhile one?
Thanks in advance, folks!
David
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David Dunn, RPT
Piano Maintenance Technician and Coordinator
UNI School of Music
Cedar Falls, IA
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