Grotrian lost it's singing tone

[richard.ucci@att.net]

Greg, I would install a Dampp Chaser with cover, give it a few days and then look at voicing issues.

Rick Ucci/Ucci Piano


> >>The relative pitch in a
> drafty but otherwise temperature constant hall is firm but the unisons
> don't stay all that well. I usually don't have problems with stability but
> this one is tough. It seems that the dealers tech, who was called out to
> try and search out the problem too, also had trouble with pitch stability
> as I went there days later and the unisons were not that clear.
> 
> You say it is a drafty hall. I've seen lack of moisture cause a piano to
> loose substantial amounts of singing tone. Maybe it dried out in the church.
> 
> Dean
> 
> Dean May             cell 812.239.3359
> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
> Terre Haute IN  47802
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf
> Of Greg Newell
> Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2004 5:19 PM
> To: Pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Grotrian lost it's singing tone
> 
> Greetings list,
>          I wonder if some or you wouldn't care to share your insight about
> a weird issue I am having with a 7' Grotrian. Some time ago i asked this
> list if money were not much of an issue which piano of this size would you
> be most likely to buy. Many good responses came to that query and the
> church's music director finally purchased 2 pianos. The purchases were the
> aforementioned Grotrian and a 7' Pleyel. The Pleyel found it's home in the
> choir room and the Grotrian is on stage in the sanctuary of this rather
> large old church. The sanctuary has e x t r e m e l y high ceilings.
>            Since the delivery of this piano the music director and I have
> been going round and round trying to pin point and even find the correct
> words to describe something strange which the music director calls a loss
> of it's singing tone. I think that the best way he recently described it to
> me was an initial strong attack but an immediate drop in power with a less
> than original sustain. A thorough examination of the piano found no problem
> with a loss of crown or downbearing. There was no problem with the strings
> regarding false beats or the like. The voicing was even and untouched from
> the dealer prep it had received. In the space of 3 days after delivery the
> character of the instrument changed. The one oddity we found after some
> poking around one day was that after attaching a piece of wire to 2 strings
> of a unison, ala the patented staple technology, the sound was noticeably
> improved. While attaching the wire (temporarily) knocked both strings out
> of tune, they did not exibit the lack of power that is evident without the
> "staple".
>          I'd be interested to hear about any observations you all might
> have had with freshly delivered instruments exhibiting a loss of "singing
> tone" and what you have done about it. I'd also be interested to hear what
> experience along these lines that you may have had with the patented staple
> technology. The music director is getting no response from his recent email
> to Grotrian although others prior to this were answered almost immediately.
> It would be great to have a replacement piano according to him but what if
> the new one exhibits the same problems says I. Thoughts?
> 
> 
> 
> Greg Newell
> 
> Greg's piano Forté
> mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net
> 
> 
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