V-Pro discussion

[ETomlinCF3@AOL.COM]

When I visited Yamaha and got the skinny on the V-pro plates they seem to 
say, as did Del, that it mattered little in the tone.  It was the fact that 
they would not have any failure rate and that they were perfect every time.  
Same strength with slightly less mass.  The finishing process could be 
immediate rather than spending the two or three days of grinding and sanding 
some companies spend.  This is one area that was money well spent.  Yamaha 
does not make this type plate for the concert grand because they do not make 
enough to make it cost effective to make a mold and a large casting area for 
it.  I have been in the molten iron area during pouring and it is quite 
awesome.  The cast iron cools perfectly uniform as to place no air pockets 
and no stress areas due to uneven cooling.  A highly superior process.  I 
have heard that sometimes as many as more than 50% of other companies plates 
have to be recast due to imperfections.  How is the density different?  
Richard, if they are both cast iron how can one be more dense?

Ed Tomlinson

<< 
 Different factories have different philosophies in this regard. In fact I am 
not
 to fond of the density resulting in the Yamaha Plate. This affects tone and
 probably plays into why you may be more happy with the Petrof sound then the
 Yamaha. That being said, the Yamaha plate is far superior in many other 
regards.
 Mostly, again as I understand it, Yamaha saves very much time with the 
process
 and create a very uniform plate. The Germans refuse to sacrifice the acoustic
 contribution the older sand cast process results in, and go to greater 
efforts
 to assure the same level of quality otherwise. >>