Whole room humidity control better than Dampp Chaser. ( Right?)

[pianoguru at cox.net]

---- Andrew and Rebeca  Anderson <anrebe at sbcglobal.net> wrote: 
> A DC system really can't be effective in a grand without a 
> string-cover. 

I have to disagree.  While the over and under covers surely increase the effectiveness, it is overstating the case to say that a DC can't be effective in a grand without them.

Years ago, before the covers had come to be, and when I was a university tech, there were two S&S grands in a teaching studio.  They had been purchased at the same time, from the same dealer, and had lived out their lives, up to that point, in the same environment.  Before I came to work for this university, for some reason, a complete DC system was installed in one piano, but not the other.  Without exception, every time I tuned these pianos, the one with the DC was closer to pitch, and had fewer incidents of tight key bushings and action centers.  OK, that's a sampling of one, but it was enough to make a believer of me.

Frank Emerson