Mark Bolsius wrote: > > I have occassionally found Yamahas to have "tubby" bass strings, but only in > older examples (15-25 years old) and most commonly in the imported grey > pianos. This problem does sound like an outside influence of some sort, > (check for staining of any kind, even hand or finger marks) as others have > already suggested. My experience mirrors yours, but its still leaves me with some unanswered questions. I once found a Yamaha studio piano in a Shakey's Pizza Parlor where the bass strings went way beyond 'tubby' to nearly INAUDIBLE. I replaced a set on a Yamaha studio in a nursing home a few years ago: now they're starting to get that characteristic dead sound. In both cases (and there have been others) there is a distinct possibility that spills have occurred, but wouldn't you expect to see more unevenness in the sound? Why does this subject always come up with the Yamaha name attached (besides the fact that they are very popular institutional instruments)? Why would new Mapes strings eventually suffer the same fate? I have suspected structural problems, but have not found anything so far. I'm not a Yamaha basher - I have many in my clientel that I look forward to servicing - but the coincidence is fairly strong. Carl Root, RPT Rockville, MD
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