I tuned an small old Baldwin/Ellington grand last night. Hammers appear to be less than 10 - 20 years old. This thing was brighter than most 50 year old spinnets. I asked the guy if he ever plays any other pianos (read: do you realize this piano is brighter (harsh) than any other piano on planet earth). He said no. I would love to voice this thing to a more mellow state (it was a bit of a bear to tune - hitting the strings with steel hammers and all). I broached the topic, and he seemed uninterested (I think he just simply did not have a clue). Any suggestions on educating a piano owner on this topic so that he can make an informed decision - such as let me voice his piano so that it sounds like a piano. Man it's horrible - bright, harsh, nasty in all plain wires, then dull & tubby (old strings) in bass. YUK! Sounds like two separate horrible spinnets. At least softer sounding plain wires would make it whole - maybe then he could learn tunes that did not utilize bass strings (oops, am I letting my sarcastic inner thoughts out?)! Terry Farrell Piano Tuning & Service Tampa, Florida mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
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