Quite a many years ago, when Fazioli first came to the US, and while I was living in Washington DC, I had occasion to invite Heiner Sandwald to conduct an all day seminar at David Hughes shop for our PTG chapters (DC and Baltimore). Heiner has a wonderful philosophy about pianos ... so we were not opposed to ask what could we do to make sound better. Some months before our seminar at the National Convention, Fazioli had been displayed on a very elevated set of acrylic cylinders. It was perceived by all that the sound of the instrument was awesome....some thought that it was because it was up in the air, some thought it was a killer instrument (which it was), and some thought that the castor cups had an influence. later....at Dave's shop this topic came up... Do castor cups help the sound? So, we experimented some with just normal hardwood castor cups; and "Yes"... the conclusion was that anything that helps keep sound in the piano (and out the soundboard) is going to help the piano have longer sustain...and make it sound better. Ever tried to hammer a nail into a piece of wood that was not well supported...it is hard to do. Sound in a piano needs backing (grounding) like bedding actions do. Sometimes the improvement can be profound especially when the piano legs are on a (relatively) soft material. We also concluded that with the massive weight of the larger pianos, orienting the castors will influence the tone and also the regulation. Kindest Regards, Garret Garret Traylor High Point Piano P.O. Box 6127 High Point, N.C. 27262 hpp@highpointpiano.com www.highpointpiano.com (336) 887-4266
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