This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment It seems to me that one problem here is that it is difficult to define = what a genuine Steinway actually is. Aside from the inherent lack of = uniformity that exists from piano to piano, is it a piano from 1920 that happened = to come out with a fairly decently matched soundboard to scale and an = extremely light and soft hammer to match it, or is it a 1990 piano that was = horribly matched and had hammers so full of lacquer that the hammer was more = plastic than felt, or was it the 1980 piano that happened to be using Renner = parts out of the factory? And this is before we're even talking about the = areas of the piano that we all know commonly fail: fifth octaves that sound = more like clack than bing, basses that sound like thud, duplex scales that = zing and sizzle, transitions between tenor and bass that just seem like they = just can't be coming from the same piano, actions that weigh off at 65 - 70 grams. The phrase "killer octave" didn't come from our perception of a Story and Clark. =20 =20 What I see from the rebuilders who are making modifications is that they = are not departing from the low tension scale characteristics that are = typical of these instruments, though they are making small modifications to tweak = and improve the transitions and sometimes they are adding third bridges (as = many Steinways had in the past) to better maintain log progressions through = the sections. They are not altering the hard bent rim which helps to accommodate a fairly thin panel typical of these instruments, though = they are adding some bracing to beef up where the frame is somewhat weak. = They are designing soundboard assemblies to better match the low tension = scales so that opposing springs are more compatible as they were probably = intended to be. They are designing assemblies with new rib scales and shaping elements in order to produce more predictable and dependable results and correct weaknesses in various areas in both the treble and bass (please don't tell me that an O has a lovely bass until you've heard one with a modified bass bridge and float). They are putting softer hammers on = these (which produce plenty of volume) to match the scale and panel/rib = assembly and are much more characteristic of the Steinway hammers from the 1920s, = not hard and heavy Renner or Abel hammers as we are so often seeing, or the relatively unpredictable and lacquer driven hammers of recent times. = They are producing pianos with a warm tone that have a natural pianissimo as = well as a forte and might very well be more aligned with the overall tonal characteristics of the early Steinways (before the boards failed) than a = lot of what I see and hear now out of the factory or the shops of some rebuilders. =20 =20 All in all, who is to say that these modifications don't, in fact, help = to capture more predictably the sound (without the bugs) that made Steinway what it was originally intended to be and that we have all but forgotten about through there darker periods or through the more recent attempt to become the Yamaha-bigger, brighter and louder-of the west. When asking what a genuine Steinway is, I think one first has to look at the = fundamental aspects of rim and scale and go from there. It might just be that those = two things, when all things are taken into consideration, narrow your = reasonable choices considerably. The characteristic of the genuine Steinway sound = is hard if not impossible to identify because among Steinways, the sound = varies considerably with many failures in all parts of the scale not to mention = the hammers (pay a visit your local dealer and try a dozen or so and = compare). As someone who embraces these modifications, I am not looking for a non-Steinway sound per se. I am looking for the best aspects of the = sound produced by that type of scale in that type of structure and I want the = best possible sound and balance in all areas of the scale. If it takes these modifications to achieve that predictably and consistently, then I'm all = for it. To me, it's the person who wants the big, bright, ear popping percussive sound that they identify as Steinway who is not looking for a "genuine Steinway". They should be shopping for a Yamaha (and I mean = that with all due respect to Yamaha-it's just another choice). David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net=20 =20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/d9/bb/3f/a7/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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