Pianotech

  • 1.  Snap! Bass bichord.

    Member
    Posted 2 hours ago
    Kawai grand. Top bass string, the rightmost string of the bichord A#2, snapped at the tuning pin. 
     
    Three options occur, and I'd like your thoughts.
     
    Option 1. Splice a new length of piano wire, with a tuners knot. (I tried, and embarrassedly failed twice, called the customer to look, and she said Let's order a new string.) (But I still want to know if you think option 1 is the preferred choice.)
     
    Option 2. Order and install one new string from JD Grandt or equiv. (Providing all needed measurements as well as the old string.)
     
    or Option 3. Order and install BOTH A#2 strings, even though the leftmost string is intact. Because consider: the inharmonicity of the leftmost A#2 string is almost certainly not going to precisely match the new string's inharmonicity. There's a high likelihood that this note will always have a beat if the two strings have different origin stories. Or so it seems to me. Maybe... hmm.
     
    Your thoughts?


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    Jason Kanter
    Lynnwood WA
    (425) 830-1561
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  • 2.  RE: Snap! Bass bichord.

    Posted 2 hours ago
    Hi, Jason,

    Because, as you note in Option 3, there inevitably issues with inharmonicity with mis-matched strings, my default is to replace both and be done with it.

    You didn’t mention the age or condition of the piano generally, is it time to restring the instrument altogether?

    Kind regards.

    Horace