Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Broken String Fix

The other day, my school piano( Yamaha P22) broke a bass string, D2. I took it out and now I am getting no dampening on the other string that is being hit. Granted, it is not sustaining as bad as no dampening, but it is still annoying to play that note and I find myself avoiding it as much as possible. The tech who is employed by the school system is very busy and will probably not be able to get the replacement string installed for a while. Is there anything I can do to make that other D2 string play and still be dampened?

You tie a knot in a bass string. Why don't you scroll down the list of topics and watch Ron's video for splicing a wire?

Keith...Keith....Keith....I cant believe you would give such advice to someone who has never spliced before.

Call and let the tech know you have a minor emergency and see if he can get to you soon. If he cant try someone else. If you choose to follow Keith's advice, practice on some music wire before you try it on the string.

Take it form a non-tech like myself who tried to fix a broken string. This is not a DIY project. Call a tech for this one.

The tech who is employed by the school system is very busy and will probably not be able to get the replacement string installed for a while. Is there anything I can do to make that other D2 string play and still be dampened?

I agree with Ron and Ralph. Let the tech do it.

You only have 2 strings available for playing on that note Rick. There are only two correct solutions. 1. Splice the wire which a good tech should be able to do, if the wire "lets" him. Sometimes the break is in the wrong spot or the string just rebreaks. 2. Replacement.

In the meantime, the tech should at least be able to get in there to temporarily adjust the damper to stop the ringing until he gets the replacement or whatever he intends on doing.

I didn't suggest he do it himself!!!!! When I said you I ment you as a piano tech. That is who this forum is for. I would Expect that a school musician would turn their nose up at working on the piano.
I did get some universals for that piano.

Oh, don't forget the center pinning probably gets tweaked on the note with the broken string. Now the hammer, damper felt and bushings are all being messed with. The longer it is left unattended the worse the problem will be and that note will stand apart from all the rest until the piano is junked.

Don't let the tech tell you it's a gold plated center pin. I like that one, Jerry. $60 a pin. And they believed it.

Oh, really??
Sorry, Keith, you did suggest he do it himself. At least that is exactly how it came across to anyone reading. Remember, we technicians are more or less outnumbered by non-techs and DIYs (do-it-yourselfers) here on the Piano Tuner-Technician's Forum. If the person's signature line doesn't spell out that they are a tech, most replies to their query should begin with

"Call your local technician."

Ah, the YOU was not specific. People can misinterpret anything that is said. Semantics. Yes it could come across that way but if you (as the general reader, not Jurgen specifically) read it correctly it does not say that. You, Jurgen, made the assumption that was what was intended.
However I apologize for posting too quickly as the specific is always better. This topic was covered in a recent blog here
www.grammarpolice.org

Sorry Keith, but, I think maybe you're out numbered on this one. I have to agree with Jurgen because that's how I read it too. :p

I think that the rhetorical problem was that the original poster asked, "Is there anything I can do . . .," so when the next post starts out, "You . . .," naturally those two pronouns would be thought to refer to the same person, that is, to the original poster.

Alright already, how about jumping on the guy who posted this thread.

"Granted, it is not sustaining as bad as no dampening, but it is still annoying to play that note and I find myself avoiding it as much as possible." Not good ESPECIALLY in a school where players tend to HAMMER on the piano till they are beat to death.
There should be a DON'T PLAY, BROKEN sign on the piano. If you wait for the tech he will be fixing more than the string. What don't piano players understand about this??????? Go play another piano or impress on the tech the importance of fixing this now.

Thank you for the responses to my problem. I have had this piano in my room since it was new (11 years ago). I have also had it tuned regularly by our school district tech who is terribly over worked. No, the current tech is not a RPT I am sorry to say. But I will do what I can to get him there. The string broke up near the tuning pin and is still pretty much in tact. Wouldn't that make it harder to splice? I do not like doing any work on my pianos at school, church or home as I know that I can make a bigger mess than the original problem. Besides, I have been here at Piano World and learned that from you experts.
Again, Thank you for your responses.

If your tech has to order a new string, count the number of strings starting from the bass, and tell him what number it is. He can order a string with the model of the piano and the number of the string.

Yes, YES, YES!!
Thank you, thank you. You deserve a prize. At least one person knows where their expertise begins and where it ends.

I thimk it's wrong to make the assumption that everybody who posts here is trying to do the job themselves. You guys can go from 0 to panic in 2 seconds. I myself have a little more faith in the ordinary piano owner in that they know their limitations.
They say a little knowledge is usually enough to get yourself killed. On the internet there is more than a little knowledge and you don't see more people tackling these jobs on their own than you did before.

RickG, I am concerned that the more the note is played, the one string groove will get deeper and you will have an out of phase unison forever. I think your tech will appreciate that you called him immediately (right? you did?) so the problem doesn't get worse. I would put a piece of tape on that note if a sharp or tape it down so it can't be played if a white.