Voicing question

[Tom Servinsky]

With regards to Susan Kline's interest in string cover felts for grand
pianos...
Dear Susan,
  As a RPT who has operated a piano business for almost 20 yrs in the
tropics of South Florida, I can testify to the justification of string
cover felts.  On the coastal parts  of FLorida we have a serious problem
with salt and excessive moisture in the air.  It can ruin a piano (in AC)
within a few years.  Most customers are under the assumption that whole
room air conditioning will solve all problems...it doesn't.
 The felt covers sold through Schaff have some type of water resiliant
quality that prevents moisture from passing through, yet air passes through
preventing mildew.  The felt cover acts just as windows do for our home. 
They prevent air passage and moisture from entering the room.
With a dampp chaser system running on a grand  (without a FSC) the humidity
is never really stabilized at the piano.  It is constantly changing due to
humidity falling onto the piano.  Humidity in the air makes it heavy, thus
it's tendancy to fall instead of rising.  If you have some type of
mechanism that prevents the moisture from touching the strings and
soundboard, then you have taken a major step in preventing changes in the
piano.  With the DC system running underneath and the FC on the strings,
you have created an enviorment that is separate from the room enviorment. 
With these systems installed properly (with the cover) pianos go out of
tune less AND there is a definite gain to tonal response.
   As to a cover on the bottom...it's not necessary.
A note about covers...not all felt is good felt.
Many of the fabric retailers carry a type of felt that is synthetic and
will not repel moisture.  If you are not sure, get a sample and place
underneath a faucet and see if waters passes through it.  Most of the times
this is poor material and is not suitable for this purpose.
The material Schaff sells (#29) is costly but performs beautifully.  This
material will also shrink if it washes.  During tuning visits I have the
customer put the cover in the dryer ( air fluff) for 15 min. and most of
the dust and debris that normally would have settled on the soundboard
which was caught by the cover, will be removed.
   One other plus about covers,  I have pianos located in oceanside homes
for many years and have remained show-room condition inside due to the
protection of the cover.
I must admit it takes awhile to get used to not seeing those beautiful
strings and soundboard, but in areas like ours the preventative measure is
worth it.
I hope my babling on has been some help for you
Tom Servinsky, RTP
tompiano@gate.net
----------
> Hi Susan,
> 
> I agree that DC systems try to dehumidify only the piano. But on the other
> side of the equation they *do* try to humidify the *whole* room. This is
> one reason they work much better in uprights particularly if you cover the
> back of the instrument with plastic or some other water proof material.
> 
> I also find much better results in Grand pianos in institutions if a water
> proof floor length cover is used. In homes I often recommend connecting an
> *auxilary* humidifier (i.e. five gallon room type) to the humidistat.
Those
> that listen have pianos with pitch drop less than 4 cents per year.
> 
> I also recommend at least 3 drier bars to all grand customers. (a 50 a 35
> and a 25).
> 
> I am considering trying to find a way to *cover* the bottom of a grand
> piano in a way that would be esthetically pleasing to the client. I don't
> really want to put black builders plastic and have it hang down from the
> piano, and have also often wondered about the use of felt string covers.
> Perhaps the felt string covers (btw have never seen one) might improve the
> effectiveness!
> 
> 
> At 11:06 AM 3/8/98 -0800, you wrote:
> 
> >David seems to be implying that Dampp-chasers work by decreasing
> >the humidity in the whole room, and a simple experiment can
> >disprove this. Put a digital humidity-and-temperature gauge on 
> >top of the piano, or in the keybed area, and take a reading. Then 
> >place the humidity gauge on top of a backpost, and take another
> >reading. 
> >
> >When I did this on a Steinway L near the coast, my readings were:
> >70º F, 60% RH on top of the piano; 77º F, 51% RH on top of the 
> >backpost.
> >
> >It's true that vapors try to disperse evenly throughout a container, 
> >_but they take time to do so_, just as heat does. We should be 
> >glad of this: all sorts of things which we take for granted would
> >be seriously awry if this were not so. For instance, wearing
> >a toque and muffler wouldn't help our Canadian friends to stay warm. 
> >
> >Sincerely,
> >
> >Susan
> >
> >Susan Kline
> >P.O. Box 1651
> >Philomath, OR 97370
> >skline@proaxis.com
> >
> >"I don't want to go hunting for knowledge: I want it to come and grab
me."
> >			-- Ashleigh Brilliant
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Regards, Don
>