In response to Avery Todd's question about zinging tone on C-3s: I have noticed (and had pointed out to me by customers) this "zinging" or "nasal" quality on the first few notes of the first capo section on many C-3s, so I'll assume this is what the customer is referring to. The unpleasant quality is generated at the capo bar, and seems to be a function of the capo itself, probably its shape or the extreme hardness of the material. Why only at this point in the scale, I don't know. In fact, after much investigation (talking to other technicians who work with this model a lot and who know more than I do),it appears there is no easy solution. An RPT in our area, Roger Gable, who rents and rebuilds many fine Yamaha grands has arrived at an approach which involves using a die grinder to cut a groove and install a rod (brass I believe) - I'm a little fuzzy on the details because I knew it was a procedure far beyond my capabilities and I didn't lodge it firmly in my memory cells. I can get the details if anyone is interested, but it seems like a major production to me. Roger claims it is the only procedure that works. Beyond that, the only thing that can be done is to voice the hammer and/or install a piece of heavy carpet thread in the front duplex to reduce the objectionable upper partials - however this will reduce somewhat the singing quality produced by this part of the system, not to mention look a bit tacky. At one point in the past, when I was spending a lot of time trying to track this down because it bothered my customers so much, I contacted Yamaha tech services. I was told that they weren't aware of any problem in this area, and that in fact, jazz pianists really like a piercing, zinging tone on the Yamaha - go figure. I also would be interested to hear if anyone has come up with a solution that does not involve retooling the plate or other major work. Randy Rush, RPT
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC