tangy tone

[Baldwin Yamaha Piano Centre]

Edward Carwithen wrote:
> 
> I need some suggestions as to how to deal with a bad sounding Bb-4.  This
> is on a Chickering baby grand #3941.  It was reconditioned about 6 years
> ago; new strings, new pins, Hammers look new as well.  Several notes have a
> metallic sound.  I checked to see if the damper wire was somehow touching
> one string, and that is not the case.  I found one string where the string
> was not seated sufficiently on the stagger pin, and that helped.  But on
> Bb-4 and the octave above Bb-5, there is still bad sound.  It seems to be
> coming from the center string in both cases rather than the treble or bass
> string.  The hammers were not hitting all the strings equally, the dstreble
> string being barely struck by the edge of the hammer, but that was true of
> many of the strike zones in that upper middle section, and I re-adjusted
> them so that the strike area was in the center of the hammer, then reshaped
> the hammer slightly so as to even out the surface of the hammer.  Still
> haven't found the way to get the tone to stop sounding like an anvil.  It
> appears that all of the strings are being struck together.  They come out
> of an aggraffe (sp?), so I expect they are even where the hammer hits.  I
> did pull up the hammer to the string and examine the sycronisity of the
> hammer strike.
> 
> What else can I look for?????????????
> 
> Ed Carwithen
> musicman@eoni.com
> John Day, OR
> Ed Carwithen
> Oregon
Greetings Ed,
              Two questions. First is it coincidental that 2X Bb's is
causing problems. Quickly check the duplexing in the gerneral area 
where the duplex braiding tape quits, sound strange? Had a Yamaha CF
that had a strange 'A' metallic over tone that would sound from a duplex
when any of its partials were played in the treble register. I just
extended the braiding tape for an extra two notes. 
  Secondly you do not mention trying to voice the offending hammers, a
little sugar neddling close to the strike point might solve the problem.
Regards Roger Jolly