Tuning the Duplex (was ...Capo)

[Jason Kanter]

Gordon, thanks for the correction. I apologize for terminology slippage after lo these many years (last time I tuned a duplex, it was when I was restringing a Steinway in 1979, and I had the luxury of new pre-tuned strings at a lower tension). The question remains: 
What's the current *best practice* regarding tuning of the duplex? Do you routinely check and adjust? Can I just take a hammer and screwdriver and tap it forward/back until it is in tune, and then tune the piano? Or is it necessary to lower string tension first? Or should I use a different tool such as a hammer shank to tap the bar?
 
And next question: should I remove the muting felt from the c4-g4 area of the duplex?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "gordon stelter" <lclgcnp@yahoo.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: Tuning the Capo


| Sorry, Jason, but the "Capo Bar" is the solid bar cast
| into the plate which provides the forward string
| speaking length termination point, and downbearing for
| the bridges ( as oppsed to the agaffes lower down the
| scale ) I believe you are referring to the duplex 
| (or triplex) bars.
| 
| --- Jason Kanter <jkanter@rollingball.com> wrote:
| > Greetings, list. I have met a Yamaha C-series grand
| > that I will be tuning next week. Took the ETD
| > "voice-print", played it, and examined the action.
| > 
| > This piano has a cap d'astro bar in both the treble
| > and tenor sections. Owner complains that sometimes
| > the piano has a "ring" that sounds almost like a
| > telephone. I checked the tuning of the capo and they
| > are all way off. The highest section, where the capo
| > section is equal to the speaking section and
| > therefore should be a unison, is off by more trhan a
| > semitone. There is no place in the whole capo that
| > is in tune. And there is muting string-braid-felt
| > that has been inserted to quiet the lowest 7-8 notes
| > of the capo (about c4 to g4).
| > 
| > My question to you is: what's the current best
| > practice regarding tuning of the capo? Do you
| > routinely check and adjust? Can I just take a hammer
| > and screwdriver and tap it forward/back until it is
| > in tune, and then tune the piano? Or is it necessary
| > to lower string tension first? Or should I use a
| > different tool such as a hammer shank to tap the
| > bar?
| > 
| > And next question: should I remove the muting felt
| > from the c4-g4 area of the capo?
| > 
| > Inquiring minds want to know.
| > 
| > Thanks in advance
| > 
| > 
| > || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| ||
| > |||
| >  jason kanter * piano tuning * piano teaching
| >  bellevue, wa * 425 562 4127 * cell 425 831 1561
| >  orcas island * 360 376 2799
| > || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| || ||| ||
| > |||
| > 
| > 
| > 
| 
| 
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