"Sea Level Pianos" (long!)

[John Musselwhite]

>I've been thinking about your last response for a few days now and I'm
>sorry but I just don't get it.  I must preface this massage by stating that

My apologies if I wasn't clear on my intent.  In no way was I putting down
any manufacturer's instruments, just making a personal observation that some
pianos seem to do better at "sea level" than others. That holds true for
anything made of wood, not just pianos.

>>exceedingly cold and dry and unless a piano is specifically built to
>>withstand it it won't do very well (IMO).
>
>I understand that outside conditions are horrendous, but it's the inside
>climate that we are worried about.  It doesn't get cold inside.  Dry indoor
>conditions (10-15% humidity) are not unique to Calgary.

However, chinook wind conditions in the winter are fairly unique to Calgary,
at least in this instensity. One of the problems here with indoor humidity
is that many people have humidifiers on their furnaces and they are not
automatic. They must be adjusted to the outdoor temperature to function
correctly. The temperature was -26C when I wrote that original message. It
will go up to +12 today with decreasing temps until probably Sunday when it
will get back to the -20s again. It will fluctuate like that all winter.
Most people don't adjust their humidifiers (if they have one) to compensate
for that much change.

These "problems" have their benefits as well. The moths, insects and other
such vermin which infest many pianos do not exist here. Although we have
mice (and expecially the deer mice which carry the Hanta virus) we have NO
brown or Norway rats here. As well, steel strings and parts can remain
rust-free for many decades and almost perfectly-preserved examples of some
fine pianos which are over 75 years-old are not unheard-of..

>climate had anything to do with it.  I do know that it takes a great deal
>of work and time to get a new Steinway up to performance level.  We receive

That's very true. It takes a great deal of time to get ANY piano up to
performance level and keep it there. A new piano will be especially subject
to some change until it stabilizes regardless of the maker, and I would
assume, the climate.

>I get the impression from your posts that you are very pro-Steinway and
>that you prefer the American Steinway sound.  I have no problem with that.

I don't apologize for being pro-Steinway or for my fondness of the NY
examples. I'll be the first in line to say they are far from perfect and
that they each contain faults, but I think that's part of what gives them
their charm (despite the fact that some of the imperfections can be
extremely frustrating and are really unnecessary).

>that it is wrong to claim that other pianos don't do well in your dry
>climate because they are not made of native woods, or perhaps don't produce
>the sound that you prefer.

Even Steinways sometimes don't do that well here.  My point was merely that
some (or most!) pianos do better at sea level, not that one _is_ any better
than the other. If you wanted to get technical, the pianos that seem to
stand up best under the short term (say... 20 years) here are the Yamahas.
They provide me/us with a vivid example of what I mean. Their instruments
built for this climate take the changes quite well and I look after many 30
year-old Yamahas that have been here since new that are still excellent
pianos and a joy to service. On the other hand, Yamaha also makes "domestic"
models built for the Oriental market which appear to deteriorate rapidly
here although they apparantly do fairly well at sea level, which to me means
near the sea not necessarily "sea level".

>>Even a Hamburg, which theoretically is almost identical with the NY piano
>>>except for the woods, reacts differently and not very favourably here.
>
>I disagree.  The Hamburg and American Steinway are two very different
>pianos.  They are not just different in the choices of woods.  The wood

While they are different pianos, the "theory" under which they are made
remains the same. A mahogany/red beech rim is going to sound different than
a laminated maple rim will. The woods are going to behave differently simply
because they are different. An accelerated action is going to feel different
than a non-accelerated one and again, the woods from which they are made
will react differently depending on the environment. Whether a bubinga (or
whatever it is) core makes action rails behave differently than maple is
something on which I can't comment. If you were to look at a Hamburg or NY D
straight down with the top off  the only thing that will tip you off as to
which is which is the polyester finish and the curved arms.

Whether any of this relates to ultimate stability in a relatively unstable
and exceedingly dry climate is, I suppose, a matter of personal experience
and some conjecture on my part. It may very well be a phenomenon peculiar to
this city or I could be totally wrong and imagining it. I'm simply relaying
my opinions about what I have experienced. I don't expect anyone to agree
with it.

I'm enjoying the discussion, though...  B-})

>choice is not really an issue of native vs.imported.  The real issue is
>that because of the different woods being used in the rim, pinblock, and
>soundboard, the pianos will produce very different sounds.   The actions

Sure they will. I'm not disputing that they are different. I won't get into
the argument about which quality piano by any maker is "better" either as I
don't feel that enters into it.

>Here in Arizona we also have to deal with extremely dry conditions -
>believe me when I tell you that it is dry.  At ASU we have in our concert

I've been there and am aware of the climate. I'm sure you have to take
certain precautions as well, and not just keep the bathtub full all the time!

>Life would be pretty boring if we only had the American Steinway, even if
>it is a great piano.

Of course it would be boring! I *revel* in the differences between
instruments and the qualities each one posseses. That's one of the reasons
I'm a piano technician. Yes, I'm a "fan" of the American Steinway but I
realize they have their faults. There are a lot of other pianos I really
like too - but I like them more on the coast than I do here, just as I liked
my Martin guitar collection (which generated more mail than the original
subject) better in Vancouver than I did here. That's ALL I was saying, and
my apologies again if my intent was misunderstood.

                        John
John Musselwhite, RPT
Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com