action ratios

[Stéphane Collin]

Hi David.

I use Abel hammers (no underfelt, referred to as Bechstein model, quite hard).
I do much low shoulders deep needling to open up the tone and avoid distorsions at forte level.  Then I even out volumes at different dynamics, and end up with very light blow colour evening (with sugar coating).
I always get the sound good (enough for me), but I always end up with something musically difficult to control.  I ended up thinking this is a specific Bechstein desing problem, as the Steinways I restored never rose this problem.  I am probably wrong, am I not ?
I try to achieve 10 mm key dip, and 47 mm blow distance.
Following my experience, needling more than what I do would result in loss of power at forte playing, and reduction of colour shades (which again seem to be more easily achieved in Steinway pianos).
Any further idea ?

Thanks for spending time.

Stéphane Collin.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Love" <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, November 01, 2002 9:11 PM
Subject: Re: action ratios


| My first reaction is to say that I would look at it as a voicing problem.
| What kind of hammers are you using?
| 
| David Love
| 
| 
| ----- Original Message -----
| From: "Stéphane Collin" <collin.s@skynet.be>
| To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
| Sent: November 01, 2002 11:58 AM
| Subject: Re: action ratios
| 
| 
| Hi Richard, David, Bill, etc.
| 
| I've been following the thread with much interest.
| May I ask an innocent but pragmatic question (I think related to this topic)
| ?
| More than often, I encounter this problem when rebuilding Bechstein pianos :
| I get the sound right, I get the touch feel ok, but the whole instrument
| always happens to be difficult to control, as the dynamic output switches
| too quickly from PP to mF (I mean :  the dynamic shades are not progressive
| enough.  Very soft playing is fantastic, very loud also, but progressively
| crossing from soft to loud happens to be difficult to control, as sound gets
| loud too quickly, which is musically not desirable at all).
| How would you all cure this problem ?
| 
| Thanks to all for great expertise.
| 
| Stéphane Collin.
| 
| 
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