Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
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Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Withindale »
A few days confined to barracks with the family bug has just given me ample opportunity to bring up all the notes of an old Ibach grand. The effects were the same as on the concert grand, increasing the depth of tone from bass to treble with the return of more upper partials.
The strings are relatively recent but they still did not feel smooth, thanks to a thin coating of whatever they had picked up from the atmosphere over the years. Wiping it off the speaking length made a difference, so did removing it from the duplexes and from under the dampers. Every little helped to make a big difference to tone, dynamic range and sustain.
I had thought the hundred year old soundboard had had its day but it seems the strings just needed a clean.
Is the need to clean strings regularly a well kept secret? Does it always improve tone and volume?
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Colin Nicholson »
The red label Roslau piano wire (polished/ laminated steel) tends to be better than the blue label - and less risk of contamination.
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Withindale »
Do you have any tips on how to get a cloth behind the strings, including the ones behind overstrung bass strings?
Also what sort brushes and gizmos would you suggest for getting dust away from bridge pins, agraffes and the other bearing/termination points?
I resorted to what I could find in the kitchen and bathroom, including a microfiber cloth, a toothbrush and one of those small brushes that go between your teeth, small conical brush that fitted between the strings at the capo bar, and a brush with some brass bristles.
Has anyone come up with a Dyson attachment to get down between the strings.
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
A soft leather shammy can work wonders on the steels However, don't rub the Bass strings flick them with a feather dusterWithindale wrote:There was a suggestion the other day in another forum that wiping the strings of a concert grand increases its volume. Hoots of derision followed, but I'm sure it's true.
As to cleaning under the string the is a great tool for this Grand Piano Soundboard Sweeper see youtube
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Gill the Piano »
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
Na.. its a piece of plastic 35 mm wide and a meter long with a micro fiber sleeve that can be washed. It is good but pricey, also the Sperlock one a OK but they get nasty after a wile and can't be cleaned Still ghot coal dust up north tha Knows he did not think of that when he made umGill the Piano wrote:Sound is knackered on my pooter; is the soundboard sweepy thing connected to a hoover or on its own?
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
nail brushes,tooth brushes, flute cleaning brushes, steel wands, goose feathers, bridge pin files,
flute rods,blunted hacksaw blades, blunted coping saw blades etc
sets available here @ £3.17.6p
Any fool can make a piano-- it needs a tuner to put the music in it
www.lochnesspianos.co.uk
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Colin Nicholson »
Use some meths for cleaning treble strings, but never much good for bass strings.
I would need 2 identical pianos to make any comparisons.
Piano 1: left for 20-30 years/ no cleaning
Piano 2: Strings etc cleaned once or twice a year.
There is more depth, and a kind of 'silvery' sound with new strings.... but I couldn't make any comparisons before/after cleaning old strings
Colin Nicholson Dip. Mus. CMIT CLCM PTLLS
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Withindale »
About making comparisons, one could compare notes on the same piano after a few weeks or months of use. Wipe the strings of a note or two. If their sound has improved it would make sense to bring up the rest. Polishing boots as you say.
We were talking specifically about grand pianos where stuff from the atmosphere can settle on the tops of the strings. Presumably a similar thing would happen to uprights even if the strings are more protected and more difficult to get at.
You mention the depth and silvery sound of new strings. That's a good description of the resultant sound on the Ibach but I wonder if silvery is quite the right word. I'm guessing the strings are about 10 years old but they could be older.
I presume Barrie's wonders with a chammy leather refer to shiny sound as well as shiny strings.
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Any fool can make a piano-- it needs a tuner to put the music in it
www.lochnesspianos.co.uk
Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Pianos really are the luck of the draw - I have played on a 1930 Richard Lipp grand that had original everything, and was fully serviced, and it sounded beautiful, and I've played on other pianos from the same period and younger that are really sounding tired. Strings seem to be pretty durable though, in most cases (unless they start snapping and the bass goes tubby)
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
I may still have a bucket full of the house pipes in the workshop did a clean out a few moths ago and duped loads of stuff not sure if that was one of the thing I go rid of if I still have do you want themvernon wrote:we still use them
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
dump nothing!
Send them to me and I'll pay the carriage.
We used to use a cupped rod against the wrest pin and then use a leather strap, armed with oily pumice to clean coils.
For goodness sake, I've still got a vellum saw and sets of vellums!
Any fool can make a piano-- it needs a tuner to put the music in it
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
Remind me in jan and I will make you up a parcel to much on at the momentvernon wrote:Barrie
dump nothing!
Send them to me and I'll pay the carriage.
We used to use a cupped rod against the wrest pin and then use a leather strap, armed with oily pumice to clean coils.
For goodness sake, I've still got a vellum saw and sets of vellums!
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Gill the Piano »
Do you mean you're coming home to four messages all wanting pianos tuned 'any time in the next week' and returning the call to their utter amazement that you are fully booked? If so...SNAP!Barrie Heaton wrote: to much on at the moment
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
Yip + the ones that come in on the mobile and emails I do keep a few slots open for the Johnny come late but this year I am only working up to the 20thGill the Piano wrote:Do you mean you're coming home to four messages all wanting pianos tuned 'any time in the next week' and returning the call to their utter amazement that you are fully booked? If so...SNAP!Barrie Heaton wrote: to much on at the moment
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by pianotechman »
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
Harking back to the past Veron may still do this we use to Boil Bass string in backing Soda cleans out the muck it improves them ... But... they do snap more often after The other one was the 3 cotton bobbins with a grove inpianotechman wrote:Clean outs DO improve the resonance of strings, on a similar note,[pardon the pun] that's why percussionists polish cymbals! Never use any liquid cleaning agent/metal polish on your Bass strings, unless you want an expensive to replace set of 'Dead' strings!
The good old days when parts were more expensive that Labour
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Withindale »
To prove the point last weekend, I directed some compressed air at my 1925 55" upright.pianotechman wrote:Clean outs DO improve the resonance of strings, on a similar note,[pardon the pun] that's why percussionists polish cymbals! Never use any liquid cleaning agent/metal polish on your Bass strings, unless you want an expensive to replace set of 'Dead' strings!
Everything was pretty clean already but I put the nozzle as close as I could to each of the termination and bearing points in turn: v-bar, pressure bar, bridge pins, hitch pins. You don't see much coming off but you can smell it, especially at the bridge pins.
I made some effort to clean the duplex wires and got to the strings behind the overstrung bass strings with a cloth as best I could.
On the basis that it might disturb some dust I gave the bass strings a good bang with the palm of my hand and, while they were still vibrating, went up and down each one with the compressed air nozzle.
Result: evenness across the keyboard, greater dynamic range and sustain, and more life in the bass.
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
Did you use one of the cans of compressed air or do you have a compressor I have thought of using the cans in clients homes I do have a a big one in my work shop but too big to take on the roadWithindale wrote:
On the basis that it might disturb some dust I gave the bass strings a good bang with the palm of my hand and, while they were still vibrating, went up and down each one with the compressed air nozzle.
Result: evenness across the keyboard, greater dynamic range and sustain, and more life in the bass.
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Withindale »
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Post by Barrie Heaton »
an Old BA unit frm the fire service may be an option just replace the demand vale for a standard one I will ask my driver as he use to be a fire manWithindale wrote:A compressor. I suspect you might get through quite a few cans but maybe a puff is all you need.
Barrie
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Re: Does cleaning strings always improve tone?
Another consideration is that dust build up on the strings attracts moisture which eventually causes oxidation.
However, I doubt that the above approach is very helpful for old strings which are already rusted and engrained with dust and dirt. That is certainly a job for the professionals and any amateurish attempts by others using cleaning fluids on the strings could be disastrous.
Kind regards,
Robert.
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