[CAUT] Bass bridge, string scale, cantilevered bridge, tone

[Jim Busby]

Alan,

Years ago when I had my first class from Del he said that he took a small grand, reduced the soundboard area by 30-40% (That's what I recall anyway) reduced the speaking length of the lower bass strings, then actually had a BIGGER sounding piano! The proof was there to play. It just sounded like a "bigger" sized piano. The Ms I've done sound more like Ls, As or Os. But that, I guess, is just my opinion and the opinion of everyone who has heard them. Can't prove a dang thing...

(AND DON'T WANT TO ARGUE...<G>)

Regards,
Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Alan McCoy
Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 2:18 PM
To: College and University Technicians <caut at ptg.org>
Subject: [CAUT] Bass bridge, string scale, cantilevered bridge, tone

Hi Jim and Ron (and others),

I do not have enough first-hand experience with especially short-scale
instruments that have been recipient of the kind of treatment that the
Brodmann thread was about, namely new string scale with a shorter speaking
length, longer backlength, no cantilever. But I am curious about what kind
of tonal change I might anticipate if I were to rescale, say,  a Kawai GE-1.

Would anyone be interested in describing what would be the likely tonal
result with these changes to this short-scale piano? I know words won't
likely do justice to it, but I'd be interested to hear anyway.

BTW, this isn't idle curiosity.

Thanks.

Alan


-- Alan McCoy, RPT
Eastern Washington University
amccoy at mail.ewu.edu
509-359-4627
509-999-9512