Hi Jim You hit the nail on the head here IMHO. The real problems surrounding the classic Steinway front duplex scale are the difficulties in maintaining it. And I will be the first to admit it is a temperamental beast. But not overly so me thinks. In my view more the problems are overstated from the standpoint of actual maintainance needed. Overstated at least in the sense that many go so far as to outright condemn it. Now that said.... The Steinway sound that this is so connected with is just one of the many kinds of piano sounds available. Other front termination schemes have their own sets of pos/negs and their own impact on the end sound of an instrument. And many of these are quite successful too in their own right and for their own reasons. I think the diversity is a good thing. Rather then simply condemning a given solution and thereby closing off one whole sphere of piano sound I believe we should be able and willing to exercise the necessary maintainces to enable it to function as best it can within its own paramemters. And of course.... anyone who wants to explore other avenues should be likewise appreciated for adding to that exact same diversity. Cheers RicB David Love asked if I thought a sharp profile at the capo bar, combined with the duplex, would increase the inharmonicity. No, I would expect it to decrease it. In a later post, Ric Brekne described exactly what I was talking about. However, it's difficult to maintain a capo bar radius of less than 0.5 mm if there is much pressure against it. Jim Ellis
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