action ratios

[David Love]

I hesitate to make voicing suggestions from afar, but I have had similar
problems with Abel hammers.  If the piano jumps from pp to mf with little in
between and the piano sounds open and is not breaking up at ff levels then
that suggests to me that the outer layers of felt in the 10-11:30 and
12:30 - 2:00 range need some needling to about 4-5 mm tapering down as you
approach the crown.  Abel hammers sometimes benefit from a couple of deeper
stitches parallel to the molding in the 11:30 and 12:30 area also.  But I
make these suggestions with some reluctance because I don't know if I would
interpret what I would be hearing the same as you.  I can say that in my
experience, you have to work a little harder to get those hammers to open up
at various levels.

David Love

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stéphane Collin" <collin.s@skynet.be>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: November 01, 2002 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: action ratios


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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