ok folks. Here's what I found yesterday: First off - the hall is acoustically a 3.5 out of a possible 5 to my ears. It's on on the quiet side, but sound effectively gets to the audience. Alot of work has been done to this hall over the 6 years I've been there. What I found yesterday was nothing more than 88 hammers needing some TLC. I sanded lightly then listened. The sound improved somewhat at that point, so I knew my work with my allotted time would be dedicated to voicing the hammers. The whole Piano(String leveling, matting, etc.) has been scheduled for February when Phantom has the Hall. I'll do that work in the Piano Room(where it's stored) at my convenience since that door will not be blocked when Phantom is in the hall. Careful needling just outside what were the string grooves made the piano sound MUCH better. Gone was the initial 'clang' that was bothering me. I needled carefully and not too deep..I would say slightly deeper than sugar coating(2 mil tops?). Oh, before I forget, I needle with just 1 needle because I feel I have better control that way. The only concern at this point is ocatve6, where the sound seems to die quickly. Octave 7 sings beautifully compared to 6. I realize, as does the Tech Director now, that the piano is in need of more TLC. The message will be sent to the Director of the Hall, where the OK has to come from. My thanks to this list and the personal notes sent my way regarding 'my baby'. More work needs to be done. Phil Bondi
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