pianotech-digest V1997 #1919

[Richard Brekne]

Ron Nossaman wrote:

> >The Yamaha CF3S (9') does not have a "V-PRO" plate, whereas all the other
> grands (and uprights) do.  My question is: Do those techs servicing CF3S's
> find the same sound quality being attributed to the plate in both CF3S's and
> all other Yamaha grands?  I already have an opinion, I'm just being curious,
> I guess.
> >
> >Mark Wisner
> >Yamaha
>
> Hi Mark,
> Personally, I don't hear *any* characteristic sound quality that I can
> positively attribute to the V-PRO plate, and that was my point. There are
> way too many other factors that will affect the instrument's voice for me to
> be able to blame the plate for any single one. If anyone else can hear the
> difference, I'd sure like to know how they can separate the other design
> differences from the overall sound and isolate the plate induced difference.
> That sounds like a pretty handy trick to me, and I'd like to know how it's
> done. That's why I proposed the little experiment of making sand cast plates
> and, leaving all other aspects of construction as similar as possible,
> listening to the difference in sound produced by each type. That should
> minimize the effects of any construction and design differences except for
> the plate, so we could find out.
>
>  Ron N

Seems like in the end we wont "know" for sure unless what you propose is done
Ron. However there are indicators, and "informed" assumptions such as Eds that
simply can not be discounted any more then you say they can be confirmed unless
your "experiment" is carried out. What Mark proposes is kind of a half way there
thing. One assumes that Yamaha constructs its different models using similiar
technichs and materials. At the very least one has to assume that one Yamaha
model has more in common thus then say a Yamaha and a Petrof (couldnt resist
that comparision.. grin). If "listening" to the Yamaha variants with the V-Pro
plate visa vi those without points further in the direction of Eds claim then
that is just another hint. If not, well it certainly weakens his argument.

Ron and others are skeptical to this influence, and they are certainly more in
the know then I am. Still I am tempted to put some stock in Eds comment about
the internal damping charachteristics of the V-pro. Then there is also the
matter of the decapo bar in these plates. Again, according to Ed, this leads to
the need for a wider rounder termination in order to avoid excessive string
breakage. This in turn leads to unneccessary energy loss through the termination
point and string buzzing as time and use allow the strings to work into the the
iron.

I made the mistake once of filing the Capo bar on a Yamaha to a 0.5 mm V. The
thing broke strings almost daily afterwards and I had a nice time of it
explaining this to the customer.

Richard Brekne
I.C.P.T.G.  N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway