Steinway Sustain

[Ron Nossaman]

>
>  
> Steinway D model, about 18 years old. This piano has always had a problem in
> the treble from about F5 to B6.  Tone is hard and sustain is short.
>  
> Over the years I have tried voicing the hammers and can balance the tone,
> but, to the expense of the sustain, this drops of even more.
> ---------------- 
> Tony Caught ICPTG



Overly hard hammers can have this effect, but why just in that area and not
throughout the piano? String mating and regulation can too, but why just in
that area and not throughout the piano? If you have a few appropriately sized
new hammer heads lying around, or can get some without springing for a set,
replace a few in the center of the problem area and see if you can do anything
with regulation and voicing on those notes to improve sustain. If sustain
improves well enough to pass, then go for a set. If you can't, it's the
soundboard. Most of the "voicing" problems in this area of the scale are really
soundboard design problems in the first place.

Good luck.


Ron N