Do string covers affect tone?

[Tom Servinsky]

Wally,
Of course the felt string cover affects the tone of the piano. As does the 
position of the lid. The cover is there as a moisture barrier in extremely 
high humid climates as a last resort to fend of humidity and salt from 
falling onto the strings and parts.
Yes there is a  slight stifling of the tone but most customers adjust to the 
difference and get on with things. It should be noted that the difference in 
tuning stability over long periods of time ( with the felt string cover in 
place) are much better than if one is not there. Plus, the strings and belly 
area will remain in pristine condition where as if the area is not covered, 
rust can begin in a relatively short period of time. I have customers living 
in ocean front dwellings with the string covers on for more than 20 yrs, and 
the string area still remains in excellent presentation, if after our bout 
with 2 back to back hurricanes last year. You be the judge.
Tom Servinsky
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wally Scherer" <afinetune@yahoo.com>
To: "pt" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, October 10, 2005 12:48 PM
Subject: Do string covers affect tone?


> When asked by customers if a string cover will affect
> the tone, I usually reply, "not significantly".
>
> However, I just ran across this post on the Piano
> World's forum, which I am sharing for informational
> purposes.
>
> Here it is:
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Yes it does change the sound. I have gone back and
> forth between using the cover and leaving it off.
>
> For me it changed the sound in an unexpected way. I
> knew that it would make the upper part of the scale
> more mellow but I didn't know it would have such a
> dramatic effect on the bass. After all, bass
> frequencies penetrate almost anything. With the cover
> on, my Walter seems to have a lot less punch in the
> bass. My theory about this is that higher harmonics
> are responsible for much of the perceived "attack" and
> percussiveness of the bass notes. The heavy wool
> flannel of the Edwards cover filters these higher
> frequency overtones to a significant degree and that
> changes the character of the bass notes.
>
> I like the cover and I make sure it is on when the
> humidity spikes up. Often I appreciate the attenuated
> high frequencies when my ears are tired. But when I
> really want to hear my instrument at its best,
> particularly the bass, I take the darn thing off. The
> bass won't growl on my piano with the cover on.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> Wallace T. Scherer, Piano Technician, Music Educator
> Piano Tuning & Repairs, Piano Lessons, Edwards String Covers
> P.O. Box 4121, Lantana, Florida, 33465
> Phone: 561-432-4121
> Web page: http://www.angelfire.com/biz6/afinetune
>
>
>
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