WAPIN

[Patrick J. Lynch]

   Dear List,
I was fortunate to work with Michael Wathen at the Cincinnati Conservatory
for a couple of years when wapin was just an idea. Michael allowed me to
help him build the first several prototypes where he got an excellent
response from faculty & students. One piano professor was so thrilled with
the first completed piano that he practically begged to have it (Baldwin M)
in exchange for his Baldwin 7-foot.                       My next job took
me to the Eastman School of Music; Michael had high hopes that I could
convince my new boss to try wapin. He sent me a kit to change one note on a
piano with instructions titled "For those who don't believe"! I put it on
one note of a Steinway S that was ready for the gas chamber. To me, it stood
out like a shining star; my colleauge thought it was incredible; my boss
couldn't hear any difference.
In my opinion, good hammers, new strings, new bridge cap, etc., only make
wapin better. It is not a piano brightener. The attack is different, the
sustain is longer and the presence/absence of certain harmonics is
different. I am not a scientist and have no idea why; Michael explained it
all to me and it made sense at the time.
As far as the piano that was displayed at the convention, I wasn't there,
didn't see it, heard horror stories. Maybe the thought behind displaying a
nasty little piano was to show how much improvement wapin could make.
Compared to the other wonderful rebuilds around it the idea backfired! Piano
technicians are not Harvard Marketing MBA's.
Great results from wapin can be seen (and heard) and comparisons can be
made. I would sincerely recommend anyone interested to check out the website
or e-mail them for info.  Sandy West RPT  Atlanta