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Paulello Wire Questions

  • 1.  Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-05-2018 14:21
    For colleagues familiar with Paulello wire:
    1) Are any of his wire types (1,2,0,M,XM) close equivalents of Mapes or Roslau wire? Have you mixed Paulello with Mapes or Roslau in a piano?
    2) Where are you currently obtaining Paulello wire?
    3) Can you recommend a bass string maker for Paulello wire bass strings?
    Thank you!

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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  • 2.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-05-2018 15:34
    I use Paullelo exclusively.  Type M is close to the tensile strength of Roslau. Mapes does not post any BP test data, and is one of the reasons I ditched them...so I assume Mapes is close to M and Roslau.

    You get it directly from Paullelo in France.  Email  contact@stephenpaulello.com to place an order.  Pay by paypal is easy and straightforward.  They initiate the payment request to paypal. Shipping from France to the US is amazingly fast, two or three days most of the time 

    I use Heller Bass in Germany these days, for the bass strings, mostly.  Pay by Visa, 2 day shipping for $25 from Germany.
    I have used JD Grandt in Canada...payment and shipping is also convenient.


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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
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  • 3.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-05-2018 15:36
    MIxing Roslau or Mapes works with the Paullelo wires, as long as the scaling works out.  I believe Paullelo is actually produced by Roslau, but custom to Paullelo's specs.

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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2018 15:39
    This is the first I have heard that Roslau makes it.  I had been told that a very small wire manufacturer in Germany has been making it for Paulello.  Who that is I don't know, but I would be surprised if it is Roslau.

    Will

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    William Truitt
    Bridgewater NH
    603-744-2277
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  • 5.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2018 15:36
    Hi Ed:

    The only one that would be a reasonable approximation to Mapes or Roslau would be Type M.  

    I have been using Paulello wire exclusively from the very beginning.  There are quite a few rebuilders who mix Paulello with the other wire makes, Ed McMorrow comes to mind.  He can give you his two cents.  I use only Paulello wire because I think it is better quality than the other two.  

    J D Grandt is the North American supplier of Paulello wire.  He also makes superb bass strings using Paulello cores and copper.  You can also get Paulello cored base strings from Heller in Germany, both copper and the nickel plated soft iron wraps.  The iron wraps are a different and darker sound, and I love their sound.  Heller makes great bass strings.  

    Have at it!  :-)

    Will Truitt


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    William Truitt
    Bridgewater NH
    603-744-2277
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  • 6.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-05-2018 17:09
    Will and Jim-
    Thank you for your encouragement.
    The piano is a 1972 Kawai No. 550-C, 5'10". It will be my little swan song piano, so I'd like to hear what Paulello wire can do.
    I'll do the entire piano with Paulello wire, and have Heller make the bass strings.

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2018 17:25

    Swan song?  Tell us more!

     

    Ruth Zeiner

    215-534-3834 cell

    ruth@alliedpiano.com

     






  • 8.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-05-2018 19:04
    Well, I just have a small shop now, for actions and hobbies, but this piano was looking for a home and there was room in my office....

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    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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  • 9.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-05-2018 20:23
    Never say never Mr. Sutton.
    In a related question; Is there one species of Paulello which is good for replacing oft breaking Roslau? I remember reading somewhere that he had developed something like this. I have a Bosendorfer 280 which absent a new bridge placement needs a different type of wire for octaves 5 and 6.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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  • 10.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-05-2018 20:49
    Type XM has a higher BP% than the other wires, and higher than Roslau. I use it in the high treble only, but gauges  18 -13  are available. ​

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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-06-2018 05:13
    Karl, if you go onto Stephen Paulello's website, you will find the treble wire scalings for a number of different pianos, such as all the Steinway models.  He lists two types of scaling, normal and intense use (meaning concert).  For example, a Steinway D will have the last 31 notes using XM instead of M.  That is gauges 13 1/2 through 16.  In this example, he does not change the gauge, only the wire type.

    I believe that Bosendorfers are scaled at higher tensions than Steinway.  At any rate, you will want to get the speaking lengths and wire size for the plain wire, so that the scale can be analyzed for breaking percentage and properly targeted adjustments can be made for the substitution.  

    Like Jim, my use of XM has been limited to the upper treble, when the original scale breaking percentages are too high.  In this case, it not only solves potential problems, but it also sounds and blends better with the notes below.  

    Will Truitt

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    William Truitt
    Bridgewater NH
    603-744-2277
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  • 12.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-08-2018 09:29
    Mr.'s Truitt and Ialeggio,

    Thanks for the info. I ran the numbers through Pscale a while back and the breaking % s don't seem to be that high. In the problem area they range from 44 to 52%. In a conversation with I had with James Arledge he said that the % wasn't the issue so much as the strength of the wire itself. Is the XM wire actually stronger?  Mr. Ialeggio, is that what you meant by " my last post should have said BP not BP%" ? Thanks for thinking about this with me.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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  • 13.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-08-2018 10:28
    Karl-
    Have you been to Paulello's site? He gives a spread sheet for his wire: 
    <stephenpaulello.com/en/typogramme>



    ------------------------------
    Ed Sutton
    ed440@me.com
    (980) 254-7413
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  • 14.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-08-2018 12:57
    Thanks Mr. Sutton.
    It looks like XM wire is the way to go in this case.

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    Karl Roeder
    Pompano Beach FL
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  • 15.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-08-2018 16:18
    Karl,
    I have no idea what James Arledge is referring to...but that might be my own ignorance.  BP is an indication of tensile strength relative to length, frequency and the wire's tensile strength. BP% is how close or far from the BP that note is. Increasing the tensile strength of the wire when the speaking length is too long for the frequency. This reduces the wire's BP% for that note's frequency & length. XM has a higher BP  than M at the same length & tension.

    I don't know what he means by strength as a quantity separate from tensile strength.

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    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 10-08-2018 17:46
    PScale is useful for conventional Roslau or Mapes wire, and perhaps Type M Paulello wire.  In its present form, it cannot calculate BP% for the other Paulello wire types.  

    The XM wire is definitely stronger.  For example wire gauge 13 has a nominal breaking load of 1398 Newtons with Type XM, and 1150 Newtons for Type M.  Type O is 1013 Newtons, and Type 1 is 830 Newtons.

    Stephen Paulello's 102 note piano and now Wayne Stuart's 108 note piano would not be possible without this stronger wire.
    For notes where the wire is overstressed,  the XM wire sounds better also.  

    Will

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    William Truitt
    Bridgewater NH
    603-744-2277
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  • 17.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-06-2018 08:39
    correction...my last post should have said BP not BP%

    ------------------------------
    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
    ------------------------------



  • 18.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-11-2018 21:59
    Would someone be willing to show a scale before and after chart and data. So I could see what problems are being fixed and how with the different wires? I liked the Heller bass strings I heard, seems to be a smoother sound. I sure woulf like to hear those nickel plated iron ones. I have heard old pianos with iron and i think i prefer the sound. Never heard a new set tho, probably will try it on my Weber 7'4".
    Thanks
    -chris

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    I don't always play the piano, but when i do, I prefer my own.
    chernobieffpiano.com
    grandpianoman@protonmail.com
    865-986-7720
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  • 19.  RE: Paulello Wire Questions

    Posted 10-11-2018 22:34
    Iron wraps - Paullelo cores- Steinway C complete redesign-Jim Ialeggio   Toni Middleton/Jesse Elder, Thai Silk by Lionel Hampton. The Bunker studio Brooklyn.
       







    ------------------------------
    Jim Ialeggio
    grandpianosolutions.com
    Shirley, MA
    978 425-9026
    ------------------------------