Ok, another stupid question from an amateur hack...

I have an 87 year old Hobart M. Cable (ex-)player. Among other things I've done, I did the "beat, brush, and twist" routine to all the double wound strings, and a couple of the single wound as well.

It made a DRAMATIC improvement in tone - I'm very happy...

But - how long will this "treatment" last? It appeared that the pair of single wound strings I did this to had had it done before - they unwound an entire turn when I removed them from the hitch pin (unlike the double wound ones that just came off - no twist). I add an additional half turn and put them back in - tone is great, but if it had been done before, I'm wondering if this is but a short-term solution.

Comments please...

It is a moderately long term fix/ It is certainly better than not doing it at all

It can make them louder at the expense of tone quality. Replacement is preferable, and not that much more expensive if it's just the bottom 10-12 notes.

Thanx guys.

I lost one of the double wound strings, and have ordered a replacement. I'll see how much better the new string is when I put it in - if its dramatic, I may spring (no pun) for a new bass set.

Am having a lot of fun fixing and playing this old beast - its in surprisingly good shape for its age - the soundboard is perfect!

The new string should be substancially better than the old - to the point it will stick out relative to it's neighbors. Resist the temptation to voice it to even it out - it never quite works. I'm glad you are having fun with this piano. The old player pianos had a bit of extra quality to them.