Grand Dampers

[John Ross]

Very interesting.
Thank you.
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
jrpiano at win.eastlink.ca
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Delacour" <JD at Pianomaker.co.uk>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 7:07 PM
Subject: Re: Grand Dampers


> At 11:03 am -0300 22/8/07, John Ross wrote:
> 
>>I have to use two different sets to make the one. They go really 
>>narrow at the treble, so the normal tapered strip doesn't work.
>>I read that the stitched damper acted quieter/better than the flat pads.
>>It is a Heintzman Semi-Grand, and they knew what they were doing, 
>>that is why I want to stick as close to the original as I can.
>>They wouldn't have 'penny pinched', on dampers.
> 
> Except for the occasional run-of-the-mill upright I always make my 
> own "stepped" dampers.  You can see roughly how I do it here -- I 
> haven't bothered to write an index file so you'll need to view the 
> pictures one at a time and then return to the index with the back 
> button:
> 
> <http://pianomaker.co.uk/damper_pictures/>
> 
> No stitching is involved and most of the old makers produced the 
> winged profile in the way that I do, at least in Germany.
> 
> Very few makers put plain flat felt on the treble dampers and I never 
> do for two reasons: 1. The pressing of the felt renders it much more 
> stable and prevents it going askew and 2. most importantly I think, 
> the stepped felt allows an expert player to achieve half-pedalling 
> effects that are not possible with the flat felt.
> 
> JD
>