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Hi,

I have four low bass strings that sizzle. It seems to be coming right down on the speaking side of the bass bridge.

The notes are not all side by side.
The piano is not so old and in excellent condition.
The bridge and pins are all intact, stable and in very good condition.

Is this just a loose wind on a few strings?
Or might there be something else?

Thanks
Ben

Hi Ben,

Loosen one and twist it in the direction of the winding to see what happens. I use my fingers instead of the bass twisting tool. That way, I am sure not to twist it too much.

Also look at the bridge. Is there side bearing? Down bearing?

I once had a piano with buzzing bass strings because they were twisted too much.

You have to loosen the tension so that the string can be removed from the hitch pin and then add a half-turn in the direction the winding end points-at the hitch pin.

You will need a string hook to pull the coils tight around the tuning pin when re-tensioning and duck bill pliers to push the becket, (the portion of the wire that is in the tuning pin), back in the pin. All this being done before string is fully back at pitch.

As Mark said too many twists will make the string dead and/or buzzy.

As a last ditch save you can anti-twist core, return some tension, gently crimp winding at the end with vice-grips, let down tension, twist core in correct direction, re-tension. Hopefully buzz is gone. If not, replace string.

Never tested that. It can work ?

Too much twist, yes it happen that I untwisted new strings so they have just 1/2 twist and not 1.5 .

DOuble wound do not twist,just 0.5 eventually when inserting the tuning pin.

ED, any idea why S&S wind their bass on the opposite direction than anyone (May be Boesndorfer too ??)

Sure we can find a lot of reasons with hammer travel direction or similar...

Olek,
I have no idea why Hamburg winds reverse from most string makers, But I can't think of any reason it would make any difference in the sound. The Mapes strings NY use are wound opposite Hamburg.

I have seen older Hamburgs with the windings the same direction as NY. So they have changed over time. It could be as simple as the winder at Hamburg being "main gauche".

Or the replaced the lathe motor and wired it backwards!

Nor do I. It seems to be one of those, "There is no reason for it, it's just our policy." sort of things.

Many years back in a galaxy far away we would sometimes get strings from Pacific Piano Supply; they wound their strings backwards as well.

You had to remember to twist them the opposite way when installing them but otherwise I couldn't see (or hear) that it made any difference.

ddf

Hi,

Excellent, thank you again.

Ben

Bad strings(loose windings)is what it sounds like. If it were an older paino, and the "sizzle" sound came as the dampers fell back onto the strings, I would vote for a damper problem