Pianotech

Greetings, 

I'm replacing the plain wire string on A3 on a Young Chang 150.  The old string measures .042 which is 18.5 gauge.  I have only 18 and 19 wire.  Which should I use, and why?    

Thanks.

Hi Charles,

Order the correct size gauge. If you don't match it properly, that note will have a very weird sound and you won't be able to get anywhere near a clean unison on it. 

Greetings, 

I'm replacing the plain wire string on A3 on a Young Chang 150.  The old string measures .042 which is 18.5 gauge.  I have only 18 and 19 wire.  Which should I use, and why?    

Thanks.

Young Chang pianos are strung with metric wire, just like Yamaha, Kawai, Samick, etc.  You report that the existing wire diameter is .042 inches.  This is most likely 1.075 mm wire, which actually measures out to .04232 inches or so.  In the non-metric scheme of things, the closest match, in view of the string diameter chart in the old Schaff catalogue, will indeed be 18 1/2 gauge.  Most of the wire sold now in North America, if I understand correctly, is still labelled using the non-metric wire sizes, but it is actually manufactured in metric sizes, so when you purchase a role of 18 1/2 gauge (non-metric) wire, you are most likely receiving wire with a nominal diameter of .04232 inches, which is 1.075mm or 19 gauge in the metric scheme of things. 

Comparing a standard string gauge chart with a metric chart, such as the one on the Paulello website is instructive.  Here's a link to Paulello:

https://spaulello.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Inches-mm-conversion-table.pdf.

In order to keep my head on straight, I now label my rolls of wire with four pieces of information:  Non-metric gauge, metric gauge, diameter in mm, and diameter in inches, using the 5 decimal places of the Paulello chart.  I don't don't know what the manufacturing tolerance actually is for wire size, but this is the information I see posted.

More information than you were asking for, but hopefully useful nonetheless..

Hi Charles,

Order the correct size gauge. If you don't match it properly, that note will have a very weird sound and you won't be able to get anywhere near a clean unison on it. 

Greetings, 

I'm replacing the plain wire string on A3 on a Young Chang 150.  The old string measures .042 which is 18.5 gauge.  I have only 18 and 19 wire.  Which should I use, and why?    

Thanks.

Young Chang pianos are strung with metric wire, just like Yamaha, Kawai, Samick, etc.  You report that the existing wire diameter is .042 inches.  This is most likely 1.075 mm wire, which actually measures out to .04232 inches or so.  In the non-metric scheme of things, the closest match, in view of the string diameter chart in the old Schaff catalogue, will indeed be 18 1/2 gauge.  Most of the wire sold now in North America, if I understand correctly, is still labelled using the non-metric wire sizes, but it is actually manufactured in metric sizes, so when you purchase a role of 18 1/2 gauge (non-metric) wire, you are most likely receiving wire with a nominal diameter of .04232 inches, which is 1.075mm or 19 gauge in the metric scheme of things. 

Comparing a standard string gauge chart with a metric chart, such as the one on the Paulello website is instructive.  Here's a link to Paulello:

https://spaulello.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Inches-mm-conversion-table.pdf.

In order to keep my head on straight, I now label my rolls of wire with four pieces of information:  Non-metric gauge, metric gauge, diameter in mm, and diameter in inches, using the 5 decimal places of the Paulello chart.  I don't don't know what the manufacturing tolerance actually is for wire size, but this is the information I see posted.

More information than you were asking for, but hopefully useful nonetheless..

Hi Charles,

Order the correct size gauge. If you don't match it properly, that note will have a very weird sound and you won't be able to get anywhere near a clean unison on it. 

Greetings, 

I'm replacing the plain wire string on A3 on a Young Chang 150.  The old string measures .042 which is 18.5 gauge.  I have only 18 and 19 wire.  Which should I use, and why?    

Thanks.

Greetings, 

I'm replacing the plain wire string on A3 on a Young Chang 150.  The old string measures .042 which is 18.5 gauge.  I have only 18 and 19 wire.  Which should I use, and why?    

Thanks.

Don't just go by the chart. Measure your replacement wire. Metal expands when it's hot, and micrometers can be slightly inaccurate. Use the replacement wire that gives you the same measurement on your micrometer rather than what the chart says to use.

Greetings, 

I'm replacing the plain wire string on A3 on a Young Chang 150.  The old string measures .042 which is 18.5 gauge.  I have only 18 and 19 wire.  Which should I use, and why?    

Thanks.