More dip in bass

[David Love]

The KR range on this action is actually .51 - .54

David Love


----- Original Message -----
From: "Phillip Ford" <fordpiano@earthlink.net>
To: "pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: August 14, 2002 9:47 AM
Subject: More dip in bass




The topic of a graduated keydip from bottom to top, or more keydip in the
bass, came up in a discussion that I had with David Love about the action
from
a Baldwin SD-10 that I'm rebuilding.  This action has an angled balance rail
and an angled capstan line (in other words not parallel to the front of the
keys or the keyslip), like a Steinway D action.  The key ratios vary a bit
from the bottom end to the top end of the keyboard.  The keys at the bottom
end have a key ratio of .52 and those at the top end have a key ratio of
.54.
The action is Renner and of good quality.  I don't know if this change in
ratio was deliberate or accidental.  The result of this is, unless I change
the capstan locations, that the blow distance or the keydip must be
graduated
from one end of the keyboard to the other for all the notes to have the same
aftertouch.

Have any of you seen other actions with a graduated key ratio that you
thought
was deliberate?

My own personal feeling is that more keydip in the bass feels natural and I
often set actions up like this.  Pianists who have given feedback have
seemed
to like the actions, but I've never done a direct A-B comparison between
uniform keydip and keydip graduated from bottom to top to see if they prefer
the graduated keydip.  Any thoughts about this?  Any feedback from pianists
on
this?

Phil Ford



Phillip Ford
Piano Service & Restoration
1777 Yosemite Ave - 215
San Francisco, CA  94124