Since we have many people reading this list who are new to piano technology, I simply feel it's important to be as accurate as possible in disseminating information. I know you like to offer information and advice and I think that's admirable, but I think it's important to recognize when the information we pass on may not be as accurate as we'd like. A sizzle, cymbal with rivets, or jangle, as it is also frequently referred to, is a sound that we do experience with pianos and is quite distinctive. It simply does not come from unfelted backscales or, for that matter, from unfelted duplexes, front or rear. Now I suppose you might hear a "zing" from the front duplex if there was leakage, but that would be quite distinctive from a sizzle or riveted cymbal and should be dealt with in an altogether different manner anyway. And a "whoosh", well that's another matter entirely. The sorts of sounds produced by undamped or unfelted non speaking segments will be distinctive overrings of sympathetic tones--something quite different from a sizzle, cymbal with rivets sound, jangle, zing or whoosh. I would hate to see an earnest newcomer to the industry struggling to weave some cloth into the tenor section underneath the bass strings getting his nasty fingerprints all over that nice new copper to get rid of a sizzle when in fact it was a paper clip or bobby pin laying across the lower bass strings that could have been easily extracted with an even relatively clumsy thumb and forefinger. I can accept that it's important to try and save face when a particular poor piece of information has been passed for no other reason than we just wanted to say something but didn't bother to think about it first. However, we do have a responsibility to those who might not otherwise catch our lapse and take us at our word. Don't you think? (Rhetorical question) Cheers David Love davidlovepianos@comcast.net
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC