[CAUT] Lack of low frequency response

[Barbara Richmond]

Hi David,

I like that "wiggle room and not big shake" business.  For years I had to do major voicing with almost every tuning--and I service this instrument every three months.  Though the tone quality is quite pleasant and the customer is very pleased, I am still a little disappointed with the power.  It <seems> like it should be bigger, but I guess I'll take this over nasal and mean.  Of course, I changed two major things with these hammers--weight and resiliency.  Just for my own curiosity, maybe next time I'll try some clips on the hammers to see what I get.  

At the end of November, Orion Weiss, an up and coming artist, played this piano for a symphony fund raiser (held in the customer's home--it's quite a place.)  It was the first time I've actually <heard> the piano.  Ahem--he didn't have any problem getting power out of the piano...  :-)    I certainly got an earful and know a few things I'll be working on next.

Barbara Richmond, RPT
near Peoria, Illinois

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Love 
  To: 'College and University Technicians' 
  Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 9:59 AM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] Lack of low frequency response


  It can be that the hammers are not a good match for the board, as it seems to have been in your case.  A softer hammer will help filter out some of the unwanted upper partials that, I assume, contributed to the "mean" quality.  Often, a nasally sound has to do with lack of resilience in the hammer which influences hammer string contact time and how the tone develops.  Of course soundboard response can't be overlooked either.  I like to think of tone as having three phases: attack, development, sustain.  The interaction between the hammer and the soundboard can influence all three phases.  For example, a harsh attack can be a function of a loose board or a too hard hammer but is usually some combination.  A distorted development phase can be a function of a hammer which is too heavy for the board and sustain problems can be a function of a board which lacks adequate stiffness (or mass depending on the section) or a hammer which lacks proper resilience influencing hammer/string contact time, or both.  Whatever the case, matching the hammer to the board with a clear tonal goal in mind is important.  Obviously, voicing gives some wiggle room but should, in my view, be used mostly for the wiggle and not for the big shake.  Ideally, the hammer should start out pretty close to your tonal goal and depending on the soundboard response (and string scale) that requirement will change.    



  David Love
  davidlovepianos at comcast.net
  www.davidlovepianos.com 

  On Dec 8, 2007 3:46 PM, Barbara Richmond <piano57 at insightbb.com> wrote:

  A model 240 Seiler that I've worked on for years was very nasally and mean
  sounding. I changed to  lighter and softer hammers.  It sounds a lot better 
  and the nasal quality is gone.  So what's to blame, the hammers or the
  soundboard?

  Barbara Richmond, RPT
  near Peoria, Illinois






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