Yamaha Tuning Instability

Ron Overs sec@overspianos.com.au
Tue, 24 Sep 2002 08:43:31 +1000


---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Hi all,

At 10:16 AM -0500 23/9/02, jolly roger wrote:
>Hi Terry,
>. . . Some Yamaha models tend to go a little sharper than average, 
>at the end of the long bridge, with high humidity swings, yet the 
>bass strings are much more stable.

Indeed, the tension percentage of breaking strain deviation 
(downwards) at the 'hockey stick' end allows for humidity swings to 
play havoc with the pitch (especially so, if there is also too much 
down bearing). The swings away from the piano's nominal pitch tend to 
be proportional to the swing in the 'percentage of break' away from 
the nominal tension - moving in the same direction as the change in 
relative humidity levels. I first discovered this 'scaling disease' 
in the late seventies when I began tuning a bunch of C7 Yamahas on a 
weekly basis for various Sydney recording studios. If one was out 
there were all out. If one was straight they were generally all 
straight (so the effect could not be attributed to different 
pianists, since their effect would be random). With the help of my 
pocket calculator (in those days) I discovered that percentage of 
breaking strain deviation was the culprit.

Relatively, the bass tends not to move in Yamahas since they are 
typically scaled at very high tension immediately after the last 
plain wire. It is just not necessary nor desirable to scale at over 
60 % brk. str.

>  The octaves across the tenor break will  become noticeably wild.

Again a symptom of wild % brk fluctuations.

>  Before installing Damp chasers, some of our University studios have 
>a C3 and G2 in them.   It was a constant problem trying to keep them 
>together. After installation complaints stopped.

Absolutely, minimising the humidity swings will minimise the 
deleterious effect of the ordinary scaling.

Wonderful possibilities still await us in the world of scaling. Its 
such a shame that the major manufacturers won't investigate what's 
possible. Sticking with tradition and history seems to be the easy 
option. Some manufacturers still seem content to copy the conceptions 
of a century ago in an attempt to create a 'new' model, 'trotting 
out' the same old stuff again while making big and unjustified noises 
about their scaling and design attributes - lamentable stuff.

I look forward to a possibly-not-too-distant future, where the 
recalcitrants might be forced to adopt a new standard.

Regards to all,
Ron O.

PS. I still read the posts even if I don't contribute much. Things 
are still tight down here in Sydney, but they may well improve very 
soon - thank you to those of you who have sent private posts of 
support.
-- 
_______________________

OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY
Grand Piano Manufacturers

Web: http://overspianos.com.au
mailto:info@overspianos.com.au
_______________________
---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/d5/d5/2a/62/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--

This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC