[CAUT] # of dampers on a D

[Fred Sturm]

I'll concur that Steinway D's have an appropriate number of dampers, and
note that if one wanted to modify one for the stated purpose, the most
efficient and reversible procedure would be to raise the wire in the top
flange (accelerate lift), rather than remove felt or heads. You could even
do a fancy job so the top one was clear with pedal at rest, and the next two
or three were "just touching" to increasing degrees, feathering in the
effect. The kind of thing one does subtly over the whole range of the
dampers for top concert work (lift of treble slightly ahead of bass in a
smooth transition), but accelerated for the last few.
    But not something I'd do as a matter of course. And leaving the tray
and/or guide-rail short of the standard number is beyond the pale, IMO.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico

On 12/16/04 8:27 PM, "Kent Swafford" <kswafford@earthlink.net> wrote:

> This is a continuing story. Some of you will remember.
> 
> When pointed out to a rebuilder that his rebuilt D had fewer than the
> standard number of dampers, a rep of the rebuilder wrote:
> 
> 
> "Regarding the dampers, I wonder if any pianists have registered a
> complaint. Our technicians (as well as many others) always remove the
> top three in full and semi-concert grands. The reason is that pianists
> (myself included) often find that the piano sound needs to ring more in
> that upper register (especially to balance the bass) and that it is a
> design flaw to have those dampers at all. The change of sound with
> those three dampers in place is very sudden and unpleasant when one
> plays up the scale, especially since that register is so thin to begin
> with. In order to make the transition smoother, we remove the top
> three, and then take some felt off the last damper in the treble so
> that it dampens only partially. That way there is no sudden change. I
> have seen many D's in concert hall prepared that way (even by Steinway
> factory-trained technicians), so it is not at all unusual."
> 
> 
> I'm just checking, since I have never heard that the D has dampers that
> go too far up the scale.
> 
> But if I did receive such a complaint, it would be relatively simple to
> temporarily disable as many top dampers as needed.
> 
> On the other hand, if a pianist complains that the piano dampers don't
> go as high in the scale as other D's, there is nothing I as a field
> tech could do to add more dampers to the shorter than normal tray and
> guide rail.
> 
> So I would prefer to have all the dampers that a D normally has. No?
> 
> 
> Kent
> 
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