•Sad to say I have twisted many bass strings. The last Steinert I did had new bass strings put on about five years (could have been less) before I started the restoration. I called the supply company and asked if their new bass strings were wrapped around a hexagon core as described in their catalog...

•My favorite story -- Once while restringing a grand piano I was putting the usual twist in the strings. If you look at one string then you may assume that all are wound in the same direction, but this set had every couple of strings wound in a different direction. A frantic call to the maker had th...

•If your pianos old bass strings sound dull and "tubby", there are various ways in which you can rejuvenate them. The key thing is that you must remove as much as possible of the dust which collects between the windings and the core of the string. The easiest way to do this is first to make a "knot"...

•I've been reading the thread about piano bass strings and have one caution: rejuvenating the wound strings may reveal inharmonic partials (overtones) that were previously lost in the dull, tubby sound. Or maybe the "treatment" puts kinks or loose spots in the windings that cause these out-of-order ...

•About fifteen years ago I restored a Triola and found a local bespoke guitar string maker who was interested in producing a full set of strings for me. He is able to make all the wound strings, including the double wound ones. He has probably still got the original stringing plan I gave him with my...

•We have a Jesse French and Sons player from 1926 with a string driven tracking mechanism. The string is broken. We can probably get it working through trial and error, but it sure would be a help if there were a set of instructions on how to properly set up and adjust this mechanism. Can anyone off...

•Without having the luxury of drawings, I will attempt to help you here. I use a woven fishing line to replace lost or broken string; it's very flexible and tough, and doesn't stretch, _and_ it can usually be found in sporting goods stores (availability is an important feature!). So, after removing ...

•Scotty Greene inquires about "string driven tracking mechanisms". These are frequently called "fishing line trackers" with good reason: that's the best material to replace a broken or missing original with. However, _avoid_ "monofilament" type line which is typically a plastic of some formulation a...

•Don't forget to thoroughly degrease the friction parts including the disc and the non-metallic "shoes" that ride on it. No part should be sticky or gummy or greasy lest the tracker not work properly. I use lacquer thinner and a small, stiff brush to degrease the components. I like to clean the enti...

Some months ago, I posted an appeal for help in dealing with a basket case reproducing grand that someone else had started and I acquired it without treble strings or scaling documentation. Among those who responded with help and advice was Doug Rhodes from Victoria, BC. It seems that Doug had previ...

•Does anyone know what Yamaha did to the bass strings in their new consoles starting with serial number 2165777, or close to it? They changed the winding on the bass strings and they really thunder. Where can a rebuilder get those strings for other pianos? Don Teach, Shreveport Music Co. 1610 E. Ber...

•ARGGH!! I just finished reinstalling the harp in a 1928 Monarch upright player piano, installed the bushings and am ready to restring it. Last night, I discovered that my kids trashed the paper on which I had written the stringing scale, and the height of the downbearing bar. Does anybody have a re...

•Larry Mayo wrote: > ARGGH!! I just finished reinstalling the harp in a 1928 Monarch > upright player piano, installed the bushings and am ready to restring > it. Last night, I discovered that my kids trashed the paper on which > I had written the stringing scale, and the height of the downbearing b...

•Hi Larry Boy it is a good thing that I like Baldwin scales!! I was just talking about it the other day! Assuming that is a Baldwin built Monarch, this should be the original scale. According to the book "A Guide to Restringing" by John W. Travis, you should have 60 unisons in the tenor section, and...

•Somehow I ended up with a box of Violano strings, with the connectors on the ends, I don't know when they date from, I think from Sanders Music Museum. We don't do repairs, so if anyone wants these approximately 70 strings for $100 just let me know. Marty Roenigk mroenigk@aol.com http://www.mechant...

•Yes, I have come across those Screw Stringer pianos, and I can tell you they are not easy to tune! You turn the wrench, and you think it is in tune..., and later you find it is not at all where you thought it to be. Glad there are not too many of them around! Bruce Clark

•About a year ago I restrung a piano and now the owner has called me and said there is some rust appearing on the strings where it rests on the felt. Could the felt have had some moisture in it to cause this rust? I can't think of any other reasons why this would happen. Have any other MMD'ers had t...

•The first thing I'd check would be the humidity where the piano is kept. Also, if the piano is a grand and the owner(s) insist on keeping it open, it makes the strings that much more vulnerable to moisture problems. Jim Moore

•In response to Harvey Chao's valid question about vertical pianos and how they retain their tuning. Well-constructed vertical (upright) pianos have several large and heavy reinforcement posts that provide strength and stability to the sound board. A look at the rear of almost any vertical will reve...

•Carl Meyer asked about the ins and outs of winding bass strings [000109 MMD]. I know this is a complicated, touchy proposition, having worked on machines for custom winding strings to order. The name of Pacific Piano Supply Co. in California comes to mind on this subject. They would be very able an...