Muting high treble

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Airy <stephen_airy@yahoo.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 2:03 PM
Subject: Re: Muting high treble


> What do you all think of, in a studio or larger
> upright, unscrewing the action bolts and tilting the
> action toward the front of the piano to make it easier
> to put in the muting strip in the treble?
>
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    Why not?  It's added hassle, but the piano doesn't care.  Just be
careful of the damper felts when you pull the strip out.  In some old
uprights with heavy pressure bars that stick way out over the dampers
(Steinway, Yamaha U7), you almost HAVE to tip the action back to get a strip
in.  Almost.  With the old Steinways, I can usually insert the felt strip
without tipping the action forward.  But I've run into some pianos where the
dampers won't lift far enough to get  the strip between them and the strings
(closer than usual spring rail/damper stop rail).  And with overdampers
("birdcage actions", which I haven't done in years) you have to, also.  I've
encountered pianos where the strings are so close to the plate, they won't
take a temperament strip, and I've had to remove the action to insert the
strip below the dampers in the tenor (middle) section.  Sure, I could use
rubber mutes and do unisons as I go, but I prefer to strip mute.  Most
Wurlitzers almost don't take a temperament strip in the treble because of a
raised area (part of the plate) that's too close to the strings.  And
sometimes there's not enough room between the tops of the dampers and the
pressure bar to get even a thin strip in.  Sometimes I don't bother, and
just use handle mutes.
    And why just in studios or larger?  You can do it in spinets and
consoles, too, although I admit that tipping the action back in a spinet is
usually too much hassle, but sometimes it's necessary when replacing or spli
cing a string.  And in some pianos, the action bolts are bent down so
tightly against the action brackets, it's all you can do to pull the action
back (use vise-grips against the end of the bolt to squeeze the bracket
toward you).
    Then there's the occasional action that won't tip forward very far
without the stickers falling in front of the capstans.  Then when you shove
it back, you tear the sticker cloth off, or break a sticker!
    And y'know what I hate?  Actions that don't have feet!  You can't stand
them up by themselves -- ya gotta have a cradle or lean them against the
couch or a piano leg or bench leg, or use one of those extension rod
thingies.
      But I digressed.  The main concern is tearing the treble damper felts
or using so thick a strip that you un-space the
         --David Nereson, RPT, Denver