Wapin (Re: String vibrations)

[Phillip Ford]

>
>  > What is this data that you're referring to?  I don't find anything on
>>  the Wapin website.  Therefore, it's actually rather easy for me to
>>  disregard it.
>>  Phil Ford
>
>You are right... they dont have it available anymore... used to be 
>up for public
>view... lots of charts with some frequency comparisons between a 
>Wapinized Steinway
>D and a Stock one.... showing sustain and power for each. I'll see 
>if its possible
>to still  view these.
>
>RicB

Perhaps Steinway didn't like the fact that they were claiming a 
simple modification could dramatically improve a stock Steinway.

I think I've seen the charts that you're talking about.  My 
experience of Wapin was from a convention some years back.  There was 
on display a gallery of rebuilt pianos.  One was a Brambach (or piano 
of similar quality) grand that had been Wapinized.  I don't know if 
it had any official connection with the Wapin people or just happened 
to be there.  I'm not sure that I could draw any conclusions from 
that piano.  It's sort of like saying you invented a new camshaft and 
here's a Pinto that we rebuilt with our new camshaft in it.  Isn't it 
the best Pinto you're ever seen?  Er, well, maybe - but so what?

In the class that the Wapin folks gave they played recordings of 
several Steinway Ds, one of which had been Wapinized.  We were asked 
to vote on which piano we liked best.  To the chagrin of the 
presenter, the Wapin piano came in last place.  Now, I'm not saying 
that random recordings of pianos is a good means of comparison, and 
individual tastes do vary, but still...

I think these charts were shown as well.  To show charts from two 
random pianos and make claims about differences from design changes 
is suspect in my view.  You could make charts from two pianos that 
came off the assembly line one after the other and there could be 
dramatic differences, perhaps more dramatic than that between the 
Wapin piano and the non-Wapin piano charts.

As Mark Bolsius pointed out in a later post, when rebuilding a piano 
and incorporating Wapin the piano will probably be improved, maybe 
dramatically, but is that due to Wapin or to all the other things 
that were done?  I have not seen data that to my satisfaction 
effectively isolates the effects of the Wapin mod and demonstrates 
that there really is a positive improvement (however you define that).

How about you take three Steinway Ds (or other make and model of your 
choice) with boards, bridges, and actions in good shape, file the 
hammers, regulate and voice to your satisfaction, and then make your 
charts.  Measure downbearing everywhere, measure string plane height, 
make templates of bridge pin locations, and make some templates to 
locate the plate.  Disassemble the pianos, do the Wapin thing, using 
your bridge pin templates to insure that you have the same side 
bearing, and put them back together taking pains to insure that the 
plates are in the same place, the string planes are the same height 
above the keybed, the downbearing is the same everywhere as it was. 
Do absolutely nothing to the actions, and then make your new charts. 
Is there a change?  Is it consistent across the pianos?  Is the 
change more significant than the differences which are in the three 
pianos anyway just from being three different Steinways?  Is it a 
positive change?

When I see this data then they'll have my attention.  Until then, probably not.

Phil Ford


-- 
Phillip Ford
Piano Service and Restoration
1777 Yosemite Ave - 130
San Francisco, CA  94124