Whadayathink of this piano sound?

[David Boyce]

I have covered myself in opprobrium and I now grovel shamefully in it.

Ron, the work you and Kent have done on that piano - and others - is 
fascinating, and surely worthy of the utmost plaudit.  I've followed 
discussions on here about the treble fish etc with great interest, as one 
who has no experience of rebuild or redesign.  These issues are intriguing, 
and in this age it seems to fall to dedicated individuals like you to 
explore taking piano design forward.

I was remarking to Kent how in my area there are lots of late 19th century 
quality uprights, and how at that time you could see makers experimenting 
with design features.  In today's commercial world there seems to be much 
less inclination on the part of piano makers to do do.

With regard to the sound files:  I would never have identified the piano as 
being - or as having been! - a Steinway B, from the overall sound.  The 
tenor and treble to me on my HiFi sounded very different, most lively and 
interesting.  I did think that I detected a certain Steinway quality in the 
bass, but I fully concede that I may have been reading that back in, having 
read that it started as a Steinway B.  And curiously, on my tiny and 
ineffective laptop speakers, the sound does seem to take on a certain 
plangent Bosendorfer-ish quality.  Not a fair method of assessment however.

The bottom line is that I'd love to hear it live, to fully apreciate it!

I always enjoy the fascinating technical stuff in your posts Ron, and your 
humour.

Best regards,

David.


>  I also find
> that it doesn't have the Bosendorfer-ish quality I thought I deteceted
> on the tiny laptop speakers, and I can hear the Steinway pedigree, but
> the piano sounding very fresh and lovely and lively.

No, you don't. There's very little in that piano that's still
Steinway.


> The old Steinway B's seem to restore so well.

This one isn't remotely restored - it's heavily redesigned. It
has a new string scale, new bridges, bass separated from the
tenor, with a nine note transition bridge in the low tenor,
new soundboard, with more ribs than the original, fanned and
deeply crowned for support with very low panel compression,
extra rim and belly rail bracing, a big bass cutoff, and a
treble fish. The plate is also modified with vertical hitch
pins, and elimination of both the front and rear tuned
duplexes. That's not Steinway you hear in there, it's my way
and Kent's way. This dog has a different pedigree.

Ron N