The Duplex affect

[Porritt, David]

Dale:

 

I'm with you on the duplex scale thing.  The rear duplex probably adds
some high frequency sounds more of a cymbalstern effect since all the
frequencies are singing along with the vibration of the bridge.  That's
fine unless it gets obnoxious.

 

The front duplex however, is the one that bugs me the most.  I have a
few pianos at the school that just when I get a note tuned where I want
it, the front duplex makes an untoward noise I'd rather do without.  I
realize that the front duplex contributes some brilliance to the tone
which you can tell when you mute it out.  However, I don't think that's
brilliance that I need.  If I want more brilliance I can do it with the
hammer and traditional methods.  That brilliance I have some control
over.  The front duplex brilliance is kind of there or not there and is
out of my control.  My choice is to get rid of that brilliance I can't
control, and bring up brilliance I can control.

 

Does that make me a control freak??

 

dave

 

____________________

David M. Porritt, RPT

dporritt at smu.edu

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Erwinspiano at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 9:08 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: The Duplex affect

 

  Hi all

  Michael Spreeman reminded me of the difference of opinions regarding
this subject recently & I remarked to him that I was by in Large a nay
sayer. Many on this list in the course of our discussions about belly
work have also been less than enthusiastic about the actual affect if
any of the rear Steinway invented by the same. IE. the part that sits
behind the bridge. I for sure want to go on record to say that the
duplex scale is highly over rated & isn't a magic bullet that most copy
cat manufacturers would have the public beleive.

 

  &..... I  remain the primarily of the same opinion but I submit an
interesting experience that happened to me the other day.

  I was in Los Angles following up on a 1905 Victorian Steinway  A-2. I
did a rib crowned belly job last Dec. It got everything else new as well
as new key set & beautiful Ronsen Bacon felt hammers. On this A I
removed the bass cantalever (first time)  which has been a dynamic
unqualified improvement. It now has a huge bottom end the likes of which
I've not encountered in an A-2.

The client who tunes as well as plays has massive ears & is a very good
player of Jazz to classics. After 10 months of play in I recently
received a request that I bring up the brightness level of the piano
just ever so slightly. I added 3 to 6 drops of very thin plastic on the
string cuts in octaves 3 & 4 & also octave 5 & the very top 8 notes with
thicker plastic.

  After 10 minutes use  with a hair dryer to cure the plastic  the level
of harmonic blending came up to a place where the tone just launched
into this new level of ethereal sounding amazing stuff that was sucking
the music out of my finger tips. Anybody ever experience this?  Uh huh.

  AS I sat & played it a bit myself I was sensing a sound, as if Keith
Jarrett himself was humming along with me as he does on his recordings.
It was really cool.  It sounded like singers singing softly &  slightly
under the texture of the body of the piano tone. It was such a wonderful
sound. As I listened more closely I started plucking the rear duplex in
the first capo area & I could hear these sounds in the music as he
played. It was then I realized the sound I was hearing was possibly
coming from this duplex.

  I am fully aware that  a great tone comes from many things in a belly
that is functioning at maximum capacity & perhaps the duplex isn't all
that affective unless all those things  are. It was great fun  & I was
stunned and enthralled by the entire experience.

  Food for thought?

  Dale





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