S&S D Duplex

[Duplexdan@aol.com]

Pianotuna@accesscomm.ca (Don)

In response to your respectful inquiry I will do my best to supply some input.

1; Why don't these piano companies tune them at the factory?
Ans. Some do, very well e.g. Fazioli, and M& H. Some don't. The reasons vary 
from ""we like them out of tune, to their presence is more important than 
their tuning"
Personally I find these latter answers perfunctory.

2. have you done "before and after" testing. Yes. Journal may 1995 "A 
tuners's 10 year tonal treasure hunt" Every private job and reported job from 
techs that have taken my classes have supported the conclusions of this 
"hunt" Therefore I have not undertaken any further experiments.

3. "Dwell time" this is one of the most extraordinary elements of tuning the 
duplex scale. In the past few years, the seminars that I have given using 
rebuilt pianos in Pennsylvania and Vermont have produced results in extending 
"dwell time" far beyond an;yone's (including mine) expectations. In short the 
tone seemed to continue adinfinitum. The participants of the seminars are 
beholden to your inquiry, which I believe you will find extremely supportive.

4/ Pins in the contiguous harmonic bridges. I hope Yamaha and Kawai have not 
set pins in the bottom side of the harmonic bridges so that they may be tuned 
according to Steinway's adjurations of patent 126848. However, Ernie Juhn and 
others have reported that there indeed are pins setting the placement of the 
duplex harmonic bridges. I have spoken to Don Manino and others about this 
practice and i hope that it will be relinquished in favor of allowing the 
technicians who string and chip the pianos in the factory to make the 
adjustments necessary to place the duplex scale harmonic bridges in the most 
favorable position for good piano tone.

5. What measureable way?

Two ways: the tone and the sustain are improved by tuning the duplex scale.

6/ The final tuning from the tuning pin

This is the phenomenon that any one who has tuned a duplex scale successfully 
will attest to, I believe. Once the harmonic bridge, oliquot or continguous, 
has been properly placed, it is possible to fine tune the unisons of a tone 
by an experienced tuner so that the duplex scale stays in tune while the 
speaking length is fine tuned. Experience allows us to state that the tension 
of the string and the bearing of the bridgepins allows for this discretion. 
it is technically feasible to retune the speaking length within  limited 
boundaries without disrupting the perfect tuning of the duplex scale. I have 
shown this to be possible in the videos and in all my seminars. Apostles of 
the procedure will attest to the veracity of this claim.

7. Accuracy
The objective is perfect. The speaking length and the duplex length should be 
in tune. An octave is an octave. a double octave is a double.....etc. In tune 
is in tune...not sevenths, ninths, flat fifths, but on the money.

Thank you for your inquiry.

Dan Franklin