On 1/22/2011 2:45 PM, David Love wrote: > Well, when you consider laying out new rib arrays, making new bridges plus > transitions, drilling for vertical hitches, adding bass floats, cut off > bars, belly bracing, establishing new counterbearing angles, hand polishing > new agraffes (still don't do that actually), then grinding down a strut and > adding a rod seems like a throw away in terms of added time. I'd guess about a half day for the first one. Maybe more. >If I knew of > some way to establish whether that's a problem or not I would not hesitate > as I think it may very well have as much importance as any of those other > features. Nonsense. You know of a way just like I do. Spend your nickel and try one. Throw away the time it takes to find out, then decide if it's worth it. >There seems to be enough people who have thought about it or who > are commenting on it that I am suspicious. But since don't make it worse is > still my mantra I would be interested to know how those who do think about > these things assess it and make a decision about whether to address it or > not. That sounds to me very like a decision. >Also, how hard is too hard? Does this 7'Baldwin that I work on that > seems to break strings all too frequently under the heavy handed pianist who > plays it have a capo that is too hard perhaps? Now that's a good question. I've seen strings breaking altogether too frequently under the heavy hands of a number of pianists. I have no way to assess the hardness of the capos here, but the common factor is the heavy handed pianist. That strikes (sorry) me as evidence of a sort. So tell me, how does one determine capo hardness? >It reminds me of a story that the late Sheldon Smith > told me some years ago about Neil Young's piano that he worked on. It was a > Steinway B and he claimed to have done a retrofit on the capo bar adding a > couple of massive metal bars to the sides of the struts to increase mass. > He claimed it really boosted the sustain and clarity in that section. I can certainly see how that might well be the case. Bracing and mass loading the belly rail (et al) will most certainly make a difference. Ron N
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