[pianotech] Tonal transformation

[Encore Pianos]

Another voicing tool you can throw into the mix and which is reversible is
to take a moving blanket and lay it on the floor beneath the soundboard.  It
will make the piano sound less bright in this room of all hard reflective
surfaces.  If he likes the way it sounds, tell him to buy a throw rug to put
underneath the soundboard.  If not, pick up the blanket and throw it into
the car.  You are in effect voicing the room, and this is one of the most
important places to do it.  Next thing to try, curtains

Will Truitt

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Phil Bondi
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 8:11 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Tonal transformation

Hi all.

Attached is a piano that has had a tonal transformation. I didn't measure
the room, but it is a Baldwin SD-10 in a box
- 15x15 is my approximation - 3 sides glass and one side bookshelf..wood
floor - 12' ceiling. Wim called it a piano in a cage. Good description.
The client, a well-respected local surgeon and Julliard-trained pianist,
Likes the piano, hates the twanging that goes on in especially the 5th and
6th octaves. 
The original Baldwin hammers were nothing out of the ordinary that any of us
haven't seen over the years. Some sets good, some not so. This set fell into
the not so category.

I needled till my fingers bled and then some - I steamed, I vice-gripped, I
alcoholed (me and the hammers), I repeated...still not happy. The only
resolution is to replace, and he agreed to it.
Now my butt is on the line, because I told him I could get this piano to
sound musical in this room with a new Hammer Shank Flange config(HSF)..and
of course being the over-achiever that he is he wanted it done yesterday
with a promise that he would be happy. I asked him if he make promises in
his profession?

So now I start asking the question - what do I replace with? 
Having used Abels and Brooks in the past, I had no problem going there, but
I was hesitant because of the praise being put on the new Ronson
Hammers..olde world sound - the only hammer to replace with..high praise
from some respected technicians..so I asked. The over-whelming choice was
Ronson.

I called Dale Irwin, knowing that he was one of the techs using/carrying
Ronson, and I told him my situation. After he picked himself up off the
floor from laughter!, he suggested the Bacon Felt. He said it was the right
choice for the situation. OK - let's do it.

I'll admit to not doing alot of this type of work, so when I do, the real
hero is the person doing the real work. I had Dale hang them, and prepare
them for me. I will take care of the rest, but as you can see, the real work
here is being done by Dale and his shop.

The set I got back was very well-prepped. You always have to burn a hammer
or 3 to get them to line up better..no problem there. Part of my
instructions to Dale was to make sure the center pin/knuckle center
measurement stayed very much the same..the touch was fine, although Dale did
point out the hammer centers on the originals were a bit tight. Agreed. 
What I sent was samples measuring 16.1mil at that crucial point. What I got
back was 16.8, and on average 6-7 swings for the hammer flange. I was a bit
worried, thinking that I was going to have a fly-away action.

I installed and rough regulated on my bench. Down weights were surprisingly
similar, slightly less, but they seemed to even out across the keyboard. Now
I'm anxious to get this action back where it belongs.

Yesterday was the day. My first reaction after putting the action back in,
playing my minor 9 arpeggio from bottom to top was - wow...and it wasn't
close to being done yet.

After I was done dialing in this action, I had real depth of tone. In that
room the 1st octave literally shook you, and the top octaves were clear and
bright without the shrill. An amazing transformation. The piano had real
color..warmth, depth, it was an exciting piano to play, and I had gained a
little bit of control from the slightly wider center pin/knuckle center
measurement, and of course better pinning. There's no more twanging, only
singing. There's real tonal color, or as I am calling it, depth of tone.

I have not been this impressed with a set of hammers since using a set of
Abel Performance on a another Baldwin - R - many years ago..one of my first
replacement jobs. That piano still sounds great today.

Over the years I am sure this SD-10 will get a workout in that room. I look
forward to these hammers aging as well as those Abels have.

That cage got alot bigger yesterday Dale. Great work.

-Phil