[CAUT] nasty overtone?

Fred Sturm fssturm at unm.edu
Sun May 30 21:40:30 MDT 2010


On May 29, 2010, at 2:14 PM, Daniel Schreffler wrote:

>  there is a note at the treble break that has the most hideous high  
> overtone.


	The fact that it is by the break may well be a good clue. It is very  
common to have problems there, and I think it has to do with the  
process of dressing the capo (initially at the factory). There is  
often a small curve (from the desired horizontal plane), making that  
unison particularly hard to mate. Either you have to remove some  
string(s) and dress that area of the plate (hard to do accurately  
unless all the strings are gone), or you have to custom fit the hammer  
by making the crown match the unevenness of the strings.
	I believe that many technicians, who are generally quite skilled and  
experienced, do not mate hammers and strings as precisely as they need  
to be (I am counting myself among that number). It takes a very light  
touch on the hammer (whatever way you raise it to the string, whether  
pulling up with a hook, pressing up with the jack, or laying felt on  
top of the reps). VERY light touch. Back off on pressure so that all  
the strings bleed just a bit. Press just enough so they don't, or so  
that one or more strings bleed a bit.
	It is really astounding how much of what we try to needle away comes  
from mis-mating. I have just spent two weeks at the Sauter factory,  
where the Klavierbaumeister heard every little lack of mating, said  
that was what it was, and demonstrated. I found that his touch was  
MUCH more sensitive than mine, and I thought mine was pretty sensitive.
	In any case, I think most "duplex noise" come straight from mating  
problems. That has been my experience.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu
http://www.createculture.org/profile/FredSturm
http://www.youtube.com/fredsturm
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/FredSturm




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