[CAUT] Steinway D damper quirks

[A440A at aol.com]

John writes:

<< great difficulty with a few felts dampening completely. The first note in 
the treble, #21, has a nasty harmonic that I was unable to completely remove, 
no matter what configuration of placement of the felt.  >>

Ah,yes.  I have had this problem too.  It seems to emanate from the section 
of string between the damper and the agraffe.  Sometimes it helped to set the 
damper head so that the it lifted slightly earlier at the proximal end,(nearer 
the keyboard).  
   The only time I have seen this problem completely solved is on a 1936 D 
that has had a modification to the F# damper head.  It consists of a small 
extension, made from what looks like a popsickle stick,  about two inches long, 
attached to the bottom of the damperhead so that another trichord felt can hit 
the string closer to the agraffe. This functions just like the Steinway upright 
extensions above the break.  It does require that I replace the guide rail 
cloth every other year or so, since the added weight creates more wear. 
    I have stopped using the factory damper felt.  It was so consistantly 
uneven in the trichords, and so offset in the blocks, it was simply not worth the 
trouble.  The Pianotek damper sets have given me much better service.  They 
are quiet, durable, and extremely consistant, (and cost less, which is the 
least of the reasons for me using them!). 
Regards, 



Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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