Capo bar noise

[Lance Lafargue]

I asked about this a few months back.  I'm surprised that Baldwin has not
issued some statement of recommendation on this matter.  90% of the
Baldwins I see from the 70's and early 80's have this problem.  One of my
customers paid $800 to send her R back to the factory to correct the
problem and it was exactly the same.  They restrung it, but left the old
string marks on the capo bar,etc.  

I got temporary results by filing the bar, but it came back.  I have
reduced some of it with a drop of glue or felt mute between the bar and the
plate ridge near the pins.  I suspect downbearing, but that's mostly
because it's the only thing I haven't tried.  It is so loud and annoying
that it renders the instrument useless on a few of my customer's pianos. 
I've got SD-10s with it too.  I find the problem in Young Changs a lot
also.  

It must be predominantly ONE common factor.  But what???

Lance Lafargue, RPT
New Orleans Chapter
Covington, LA.
lafargue@iamerica.net

----------
> From: Rob Kiddell <atonal@planet.eon.net>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Capo bar noise
> Date: Sunday, September 21, 1997 2:56 AM
> 
> Greetings list, 
> 
> 	I'm currently working on prepping a new Baldwin L grand (6'3"), and 
> there is a problem with excessive high partial noise from the first 
> section of strings above  the agraffe section. Simply put, it is an 
> excessive high partial ringing that is absent in the agraffe section, 
> but becomes immediately apparent in the Capo bar section. This noise 
> is so harsh as to qualify for ear protectors on a ff blow.  It is 
> amplified by the front duplex section between the Capo bar and the 
> first plate ridge past the tuning pins, but muting this kills all 
> high end frequency and leaves the section lifeless. Hammers are hard, 
> but voicing (I've tried several approaches) only diminishes the 
> overall hammer volume, the amount of the high end noise remains 
> consistent with the overall volume of the note, either mellow, medium 
> or bright. This noise is also evident when the string is plucked, so 
> I feel hammer voicing is not the solution. I have seen this problem 
> before on Baldwins, but strangely enough, the identical 6'3" piano on 
> the sales floor exhibits none of this "noise", yet the front 
> duplexing section on this piano is amplifying high partials as it 
> should.   	 
> 	I have spaced strings along the capo bar, streched 
> strings, seated strings, muted strings, yet everything seems to come 
> back to the Capo bar. Before I begin filing the Capo bar, are there 
> any thoughts out there regarding this or similar problems?
> 
> 
> Rob Kiddell
> R.P.T., P.T.G.
> C.A.P.T. Student
> Edmonton, Canada
> http://www.planet.eon.net/~atonal/atonal.html