Grotrian lost it's singing tone

[Greg Newell]

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Dean,
Found this in my spam filter box. I don't know why. Hope you didn't think me rude. Thanks for the reply!
 
Greg Newell

Dean May <deanmay@pianorebuilders.com> wrote:
>>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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