Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum love or hate universal bass strings?

what are the feelings out there on the forum on universal bass strings, I used one last weekend and pulling off the copper to get the right length was not an easy or quick task.

any suggestions / tips / feelings on the strings or on using them?

They have their uses in emergencies, and for some pianos they seem to work well and sound OK.

Yea, they can be a pain to work with especially the hitch-pin end.

I have one customer who breaks strings on a 5' grand with such regularity that half of the bass section is now "universals". He hits the thing so hard that the nature of the string wouldn't make much difference, so I never get any complaints from him on the sound.

To pull the copper, first notch it carefully with diagonal pliers at the point the windings stop. Uncoil 2 inches from the string end, hold the string high in the air, vertically with the copper extending out between your middle fingers of one hand and grab the loose copper end with your other hand (or pliers) and pull it. The string will rotate in your hand, as the copper is pulled off. It will snap at the notch you made with the pliers.

An alternate method for the tuning pin end is to notch as before after securing the string to the hitch pin and cutting the string to the correct length. Unwind a bit of copper, grab it with pliers and pull. The core will vibrate in a circular motion as the copper comes off. Watch the vibrating core does not damage the plate or cabinet. The copper will snap at the notch.

I usually use the first method at the hitch pin, and the second at the tuning pin.

Bob's got it down. Just keep your eyes away from the rotating string end...

Hate 'me. Never use 'em. Bad sound. Order an exact replacement and do it right the first time.

Me, I don't like universal strings. They are great in a bind for not having a dead note but, I don't think they sound very good a lot of the time. At least not like the originals or replacement that I get. Consequently, I order replacements instead.

In the case of constant breaking of bass strings, I've had that several times. You might consider ordering a complete bass set wires from the company, duplicating each one that breaks so you always have a complete set on hand for the next time around.

They are evil. They exist to vex me.

I order new replacements every time...

RPD

The trick with universals is to have 2 sets so you can replace *both* strings of a bichord. Also they usually require a full turn or 2 to bring out their sound. I've had reasonable success with them. They are especially handy if you're tuning out in the boondocks.