US made Yamaha upright

[Isaac OLEG]

While I agree on the generalities of Del's remark, even with a piano
that is showing a "stiff" sound, we often can, by maximizing the sound
output with the most efficient regulation in regard of the piano
action, then with the most efficient voicing, and obtain a playable
and musical instrument.

I don't know if we learn to mask the defects, or get the most of the
piano, but when properly prep, even a piano that gives at first a very
disappointing impression can be musical.

Regulation (after a basic good tuning) seems to be the key, then the
piano's hammers are more understandable, and often relatively fast to
fix.

Hammer checking and let off, key level and deep, the flow of energy
between the keys and the hammers may be clear and comprehensible under
the fingers, then the masked sound begin to appear, then voicing is
something more easy to master. If the piano seems to ask for powerful
hammers that does not necessary mean it may have too hard hammers, and
the sound can be opened with regulation as with voicing.

I believe too that giving a good tone idea to the customer is of some
education to him, and will help him to choose a better piano next
time, while helping him not to be too frustrated with what he have.

Not sure how it works, but I can lower my tone hearing exigencies
level to find a good sound idea in more pianos  than I did before
(surely my ears aging ;>)

On any piano, regulation is like voicing, or tuning, you hear the good
spots while playing the note, for example for checking, letoff or
hammer travel.

Some verticals are more prone to that particularly some large vertical
models from Yamaha for the most current ones (U3)

just my august ideas

Regards.

Isaac OLEG




> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : owner-pianotech@ptg.org
> [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]De la part
> de gordon stelter
> Envoye : mercredi 31 juillet 2002 23:57
> A : pianotech@ptg.org
> Objet : Re: US made Yamaha upright
>
>
> Thanks Del! Great commentary!
> --- Delwin D Fandrich <pianobuilders@olynet.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "gordon stelter" <lclgcnp@yahoo.com>
> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Sent: July 30, 2002 10:02 PM
> > Subject: Re: US made Yamaha upright
> >
> >
> > > Dear List,
> > >      I just tuned a new 48 or 50" Yamaha upright
> > at a
> > > church ( forget what model ).  It was clean, shiny
> > and
> > > new, and had a uniform  action.   But, frankly,
> > the
> > > tone lacked "depth". The words "Two Dimensional"
> > > and "Superficial" come to mind. For all of their
> > other
> > > problems, a nasty, clunky, filthy old American
> > upright
> > > from the teens still has more "depth" of tone,
> > more
> > > resonance than this thing does!  That is my
> > subjective
> > > opinion. Can someone put it into objective,
> > scientific
> > > terms and offer an explanation or remedy?
> > >      Respectfully,
> > >      Gordon Stelter
> >
> > The simple answer is:
> >     Welcome to the heavy and stiff soundboards/hard
> > hammer world.
> >
> > The more complex answer is, well, more complex. One
> > could easily present a
> > three to six hour class--and I have--on the subject
> > and not but scratch the
> > surface. Suffice it to say that you are hearing the
> > result of a variety of
> > mass-production techniques and materials all working
> > together to give the
> > sound you are hearing. Precisely and beautifully
> > built but musically flat.
> >
> > Changing this would not easy--indeed, well-nigh
> > impossible. There is no easy
> > fix. Newton has suggested Ronsen hammers and this
> > will certainly take of the
> > hard edge but you may well lose so much power in the
> > process the results may
> > not be acceptable. That scale and soundboard were
> > not designed to
> > accommodate hammers that soft. Besides, the piano
> > was probably, at least in
> > part, sold on the basis of its great and wonderful
> > power and it wouldn't do
> > to take that away, now would it?
> >
> > Please repeat after me:
> >     Power is good! Dynamics are bad!
> >     Power is good! Dynamics are bad!
> >     Power is good! Dynamics are bad!.....
> >
> > The real solution would be to swap out the
> > soundboard with one that is a bit
> > more flexible and probably a bit lighter, back off
> > on the scaling some and
> > then use a more resilient hammer; all of which
> > working together are better
> > suited to the type of dynamic sound you find so
> > endearing. This would take a
> > bit more time and effort on the soundboard work and
> > on both hammer making
> > and the voicing, of course, but what you would end
> > up with would be a real
> > pianoforte instead of a FORTE.
> >
> > Regretfully,
> >
> > Del
> >
>
>
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