Pianotech

  • 1.  New bass strings

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-01-2018 15:56
    I have a customer with a older Baldwin R that needs new bass strings.  Guess what happened?  A cat peed on them.  I have the new strings and have replaced bass strings in the past so it is not a new experience for me.  But, I am wondering the current thought on backing down the tension on the other strings or leave them up to tension and go ahead and remove the old strings?

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    Clarence Zeches
    Piano Service Enterprise School of Technology
    Toccoa GA
    706-886-4035
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  • 2.  RE: New bass strings

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-01-2018 17:18
    Not that this is the "correct" way to do it, but I've always just replaced them one at a time, leaving the rest at tension. Take one out, put the new one in, bring it up to pitch, perhaps a bit above, based on its neighbor, then do the next. Yeah, this can make for a lot of repetitive walking around the piano, or kneeling, but I personally find that less stressful than what my imagination envisions if I drop the whole section leaving the rest of the piano at pitch. I also don't like doing multiple chips and pitch raises to a section that has been dropped entirely. For me, one string at a time is the preferred method.

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    Geoff Sykes, RPT
    Los Angeles CA
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: New bass strings

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-01-2018 18:29
    Clarence 

    unless there are some some unusual circumstances with this piano, I have always been comfortable removing all the bass strings without letting down the tension on the rest of the piano.  

    Obviously you will need to tune the whole piano after the bass strings have been installed and brought up to pitch. But I think you'll be fine with leaving them up to pitch.

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    Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
    Mililani, HI 96789
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: New bass strings

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-02-2018 14:22
    On a piano like that I doubt it makes any difference. I take them all off and put them all on. Either way...your choice. There is plenty of strength in the frame.

    Pwg

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    Peter Grey
    Stratham NH
    603-686-2395
    pianodoctor57@gmail.com
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: New bass strings

    Member
    Posted 06-02-2018 16:02
    one at a time using . before you start make sure you got the correct amount of strings. ask me how I know. . work slowly from A0 you can chip tune the string to just under the next string to the right. I have done it the other way too but it hard to not have a reference pitch to work with and from. just make sure the cat pee did not corrode and weaken the hitch pin loops or even the loop on  a shared string. always work slowly with safety glasses and gloves . had a grand piano here near a river that had over half a dozen broken bass strings all eaten away by high humidity and moisture that was absorbed into hitch pin wool punchings









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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: New bass strings

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 06-03-2018 01:42
    Not necessary.  The low tenor will go sharp when you remove the bass strings and return to the vicinity of where they started when you pull the new strings back to pitch.  Take them all off, not one at a time. When they are off  I would change the agraffes in this case, and of course the understring felts. Clean the soundboard and check both bridge caps for damage from the urine. Wipe off the tenor strings that may have come in contact with urine with Protek (liquid variety).  
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    David Love RPT
    www.davidlovepianos.com
    davidlovepianos@comcast.net
    415 407 8320
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: New bass strings

    Posted 06-03-2018 07:29
    Before you pull off the bass strings, check the down bearing. It might be a good time to correct it with aliquots. It usually takes thicker stock on the low end tapering towards the top. Brass stock can be procured at a Hobby Shop. I've even folded the thinner stock to make an appropriate size shim. You can lift the string with a large screw driver to slip it underneath. A Lowell D/B gage helps.

    I've done this on pianos where there is too much db on the low end and zero or negative db on top. It allows the bridge to rise so the top end becomes OK or at least less bad.  The low end sounds better with less than 1~ 2 °, I aim for .5 degrees









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    Regards,

    Jon Page
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    Original Message