Here is what happened: I’ve restrung/revoiced a double manual Zuckermann kit. At time of delivery, everything was working fine and all strings had a nice sound. A couple of weeks later, the client calls me for a string which suddenly sounded bad. I’ve replaced the string but to no avail. There is no interference with the string buzzing against adjacant jacks or dampers that are too long. To be sure, I’ve removed all jacks in the neighbourhood but no avail. I even removed the jack itself and tried with a guitar plectrum: still a bad sound.
If by “bad” you mean a dead sound, maybe the bridge- or nut pins are the culprits? They could be not tight enough.
I assume the other strings all sound fine, right?
@David: The string is West-Fälische Eisen with a diameter of 0,262 mm roughly 4 semitones from its breaking point.
@Domenico It’s indeed the only string sounding bad. It’s not a dead sound, more like the string went out the night before for heavy drinking and smoking cigars. It’s 2 hours driving to my client. Do you think the problem is with the bridge/nut pin? Should I ask him to check if they are loose?
apart from the suggestions of checking for a loose bridge or nut pin, try damping the string (or strings) behind the bridge and see if there is a problem there. Maybe the string is making contact with something it should not and causing buzzing. If so, insert a piece of felt near the hitch-pin.
As it takes me 2 hours driving I can’t easily make recordings/pictures but I’ll already ask the owner to check both the nut and bridge pin.
Idem for the buff batten.
The sound is “rough” when compared with the others. The material and diameter is the same as the strings close to it so that’s not the problem.
As written before: the problem started suddenly. It wasn’t there from the beginning nor was this problem there with the old stringing.
Re: tuning, a couple times I’ve had something like Chris is describing. I was stringing a new harpsichord, however. Turned out I simply had the offending string tuned an octave lower. Maybe something with the harmonics prevented me understanding what was going on (I am still blushing…).
I’d go for loose pins. Maybe you could ask your client to try pulling the bridge pin and the nut pin out of the wood, using only his fingertips. If he succeeds, of course the pin is not firm enough.
If your client could send you a video, would be a great help.
EDIT: I have now read that you describe the sound as “rough”. Could it be a sudden modification of the plectrum? maybe it’s natural quill?
If you have changed the string it is not the string, obviously. Good test. Therefore it is likely to be bridge or nut pin. We have a little hammer with which we tap down the pins - surprising what a difference this makes, and ensures firm pinning. It is also a fact - well, at least in my opinion, that air at the bottom of the pin’s hole can soak up energy and lead to a ‘bad’ sound. A seemingly small effect, but it is plainly audible. Also make sure there is no corrosion or varnish etc on the pin where the string contacts. What pitch is the instrument overall?
Le 23/02/2024 11:57, Chris Vandekerkhove via The Jackrail écrit :
As it takes me 2 hours driving I can’t easily make recordings/pictures but I’ll already ask the owner to check both the nut and bridge pin.
Idem for the buff batten.
Couldn’t you ask your client to record a video of a couple of notes with
his telephone?
Probably a lame question… I presume you’ve already excluded the possibility of a sympathetic resonance with some object your client might have added to the room since the instrument was delivered.
Any closer description of “bad”? I sometimes have similar experiences, but usually blame the plectrum, and work on that. Did the string get kinked at one point? (I would not think that Chris would allow this, though). WGK
String can’t be kinked as he has tried two. We can rule out string.
Was the string replaced by the user? If so, there’s a possibility there is not enough downdraft at the nut, although if you put the first string on then that is not likely.
Even a small amount of corrosion on the bridge pin where the string contacts can do this. Careful examination is needed.
That’s exceedingly unlikely, to have a pinpoint resonance like that. I have never heard of that occurring or reported. To further refute, it would affect both 8’s at the same pitch.