Jason Kanter said: "I'm puzzled ... the duplex is there for a design reason, after all, which I presume is to create additional harmonics and add to the esthetic quality of the tones. Sounds like the universal consensus is that the duplex is generally more trouble than it's worth. *Not one* of you ever retunes the duplex??? (I say this without yet having checked the archives for Ron Overs on "detuning the duplex" but the title appears to substantiate my guess here.)" Someone obviously thought it was a good idea and others copy it. I always supposed it was to reinforce high partials, even dissonant partials, to add brilliance to the tone--much like the mixture stop on a pipe organ which adds little bitty pencil sized pipes. On the other hand: How many "reinforced" hammers are just white felt with purple, grey, or yellow food coloring slapped on? What is the REAL purpose of fancy, thick, wide, understring felt? How about velvet rope glued to the plate rim? When is an upright an "Upright Concert Grand" Sizzle without substance, says I, to hook the fish in the showroom. By the way, here's a multiple-choice test on the understring felt question: ( ) A. To collect dirt. ( ) B. To hold rust-inducing moisture against the string. ( ) C. So potential customers can go "Ooh, ahh! Pretty." ( ) D. To make tuning just a wee bit tougher. ( ) E. All of the above. ( ) F. None of the above. ( ) G. Some of the above. ( ) H. No one knows, no one cares. Alan Barnard Salem, MO
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