Hello all.

I have 2 questions I'd love to find answers to.

1. Is it likely that strings with a light coating of rust will break when tuning, if the piano hasn't been tuned for about 2 years? And I guess on top of that, will a piano that hasn't been tuned for more than 2 years need more than 1 tuning?

2. What do bent/crooked bridge pins mean? A piano I looked at a few days ago had the bridge pins bent on the highest and lowest notes. I hadn't seen that before and I don't know what the purpose of that is. It's also the same piano from the above question, if these two things may be related.

Thanks!

Likely? No. Possible? Yes. Many technicians will lower the pitch of the string before raising it to minimize this risk. Some will even lubricate the termination points.




It will likely require a pitch raise, followed by a fine tuning; this should be done in the same appointment. Then, the piano will ideally be tuned again in three months.



We would need to see pictures. Bridge pin holes are drilled on an angle, so it's possible that there is nothing wrong. Or, the holes could have been drilled wrong at the factory and then bent by the installer to hide the mistake. Cracks in the bridge could also cause pins to be out of alignment.

I do not recommend lubricating strings at the bridge. Any lubricating fluid or it's carrier may weaken the wood.

I have never had one break at a bridge pin. All breakage is either at the tuning pin, at the plate string termination point, or at the hitching loop.

I suppose I should have clarified... some techs lube at the front termination, either the agraffes or capo.