Allen, Brent, who will, no doubt, identify himself as well, is one of the best. In agreeing completely with his comments, I would add only that these "problems", which I continue to feel can be seen from several points of view, have definitely become more pronounced over the years. The problem, as I see it, is not only related to the issues Brent describes, but to the inexplicable failure of Kelly and/or S&S to properly heat treat (used to be called case harden) the offending areas. There are several ways to deal with this, none of them truly successful in the piano - the plate must be removed. I suppose that, from a certain perspective, we should all just shut up and be glad that the experimentation with vacuum cast plates was as short as it was disasterous. All of that being said, I continue to maintain that a careful listening to many older recordings will show that this "problem" is a matter of perspective. A certain amount of sizzle is part of the sound. More than that is clearly offensive, and needs to be dealt with constructively. In this thread, there have been some excellent suggestions describing different approaches. A part of the "problem", from the perspective of someone who has spent more of his life on the concert stage than anywhere else, is that, because reality is a matter of perception, and because most performers (and technicians, for that matter) develop their respective concepts of piano tone from recordings, and not from live "arenas", there is a basic failure of understanding. So, at the risk of inciting to riot, if, in _my_ view, one wants an instrument which sounds at the keyboard (essentially) like is sounds in the hall (which is to say more than 20-30' or so away), buy a Bose., or Yamaha, or a Bluthner, or a Bechstein. If, on the other hand, one wants an instrument which sounds (in the hall) like the "Steinways of yore" (whatever), then, buy a Steinway, or, dare I suggest it, an older M&H, and, _let it be one_. Happy Tuesday! Best. Horace At 12:08 PM 2/23/99 -0500, you wrote: > Reply to: RE>>S & S capo > >very thoughtful and interesting comments - can you identify yourself and your institution? (is it Brent?) thanks! Allen >
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