DC and Tone

[Don]

Hi David,

The humidifier *only* on one instrument was unplugged. 

The pianos being *individuals* to start with had had different tone colors
(similar but you could tell in a blindfold situation which was which). The
*better* (very subjective) was the one that was unplugged. There was no
great difference in the pitch drop between the 2 instruments. But the tone
color became thin i.e. Less round sounding in the *better* making it the
*poor* cousin. When the humdifier was plugged in the tone improved again. I
did not check to see if the pitch had risen.

The controller is in fact on the *other* instrument. I found that with 2
humidistats so close together neither dc functioned correctly. So I ran
cords from one system to the humidistat on the other!  

At 11:04 AM 3/8/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi Don.  What I thought I read was that the DC drier bars became
unplugged.  Now
>you tell me the "thinner" tone was the one where the humidifer became
unplugged.
>I'm getting confused.  Did the unplugging result in an increase or
decrease in RH
>in this home?  In other words, I can't tell if you have too much humidity
and were
>trying to dry to SB out, or too little humidity and was trying to add more.
>Please explain.
>
>Don wrote:
>
>> Hi David,
>>
>> Nope! The piano that became *thin* was the one where the humidifier became
>> unplugged.
>>
>> At 07:11 PM 3/7/98 -0700, you wrote:
>> >So if I'm reading this correctly, Kawai's need a drier RH, Yamaha's
more wet?
>> >Interesting.  I wonder what the reason is!
>> >
>> >Don wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi all,
>> >>
>> >> I have a client who is lucky enough to have to Kawai GS60 (6'9") with
>> >> consecutive serial numbers. Both are equipped with full DC systems (i.e.
>> >> three drier bars per instrument). The controllers were fighting each
other
>> >> so I disconnected one controller and ran the system from one piano to
>> the other.
>> >>
>> >> This winter the *second* piano some how became unplugged (while the
owner
>> >> was busy having a heart attack). The tone color of the unplugged
humidifier
>> >> instrument was much *thinner*. I plugged it in and the tone has
returned to
>> >> where it was before.
>> >>
>> >> At 11:00 AM 3/7/98 -0700, you wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >Just recently (a week ago) I installed a "wet" humidistat which centers
>> >> >humiditiy at 48% RH instead of the usual 42%. My customer who has an
>> >> >unusually fine Yamaha CF about 20 years old but rebuilt is always
looking
>> >> >for more power and carrying power. To our amazement the piano went out
>> >> >of tune but the carrying power increased another major amount. My
customer
>> >> >had suspected that the tone got better when we had rainy seasons. I
think
>> >> >I'm convinced now. The customer momentarily is ecstatic.
>> >> >
>> >> >What do some others of you think who have experienced this kind of
change?
>> >> >
>> >> >My present thinking is that the board has pushed up a little stronger
>> >> >against the strings and that the impedance between strings and board
has
>> >> >changed enough so that there is more resistance of the board to the
>> >> >energy of the string's downward pressure and that this causes the
duration
>> >> >to increase, but I can't understand the greater power also.
>> >> >
>> >> >Jim Coleman, Sr.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> Regards,
>> >> Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS., R.M.T., R.P.T.
>> >> "Tuner for the Centre of the Arts"
>> >> drose@dlcwest.com
>> >> 3004 Grant Rd.
>> >> REGINA, SK
>> >> S4S 5G7
>> >> 306-352-3620 or 1-888-29t-uner
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> Regards, Don
>
>
>
>
Regards, Don