I asked about this a few months back. I'm surprised that Baldwin has not issued some statement of recommendation on this matter. 90% of the Baldwins I see from the 70's and early 80's have this problem. One of my customers paid $800 to send her R back to the factory to correct the problem and it was exactly the same. They restrung it, but left the old string marks on the capo bar,etc. I got temporary results by filing the bar, but it came back. I have reduced some of it with a drop of glue or felt mute between the bar and the plate ridge near the pins. I suspect downbearing, but that's mostly because it's the only thing I haven't tried. It is so loud and annoying that it renders the instrument useless on a few of my customer's pianos. I've got SD-10s with it too. I find the problem in Young Changs a lot also. It must be predominantly ONE common factor. But what??? Lance Lafargue, RPT New Orleans Chapter Covington, LA. lafargue@iamerica.net ---------- > From: Rob Kiddell <atonal@planet.eon.net> > To: pianotech@ptg.org > Subject: Capo bar noise > Date: Sunday, September 21, 1997 2:56 AM > > Greetings list, > > I'm currently working on prepping a new Baldwin L grand (6'3"), and > there is a problem with excessive high partial noise from the first > section of strings above the agraffe section. Simply put, it is an > excessive high partial ringing that is absent in the agraffe section, > but becomes immediately apparent in the Capo bar section. This noise > is so harsh as to qualify for ear protectors on a ff blow. It is > amplified by the front duplex section between the Capo bar and the > first plate ridge past the tuning pins, but muting this kills all > high end frequency and leaves the section lifeless. Hammers are hard, > but voicing (I've tried several approaches) only diminishes the > overall hammer volume, the amount of the high end noise remains > consistent with the overall volume of the note, either mellow, medium > or bright. This noise is also evident when the string is plucked, so > I feel hammer voicing is not the solution. I have seen this problem > before on Baldwins, but strangely enough, the identical 6'3" piano on > the sales floor exhibits none of this "noise", yet the front > duplexing section on this piano is amplifying high partials as it > should. > I have spaced strings along the capo bar, streched > strings, seated strings, muted strings, yet everything seems to come > back to the Capo bar. Before I begin filing the Capo bar, are there > any thoughts out there regarding this or similar problems? > > > Rob Kiddell > R.P.T., P.T.G. > C.A.P.T. Student > Edmonton, Canada > http://www.planet.eon.net/~atonal/atonal.html
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