Capo d'Astro

[Richard Moody]

I would like to add some considerations to Jim's post below.
The reason the Capo d'Astro bar was invented IMHO was because agraffes in
the upper treble didn't permit the hammers to strike the strings at the
optimum point. 
	This can be seen where some makers used an "overhanging" agraffe in the
upper section. And that lead to a bar that supplied the bearing from above
that allowed the hammers to hit at any point that was desirable. Something
agraffes (seated from below) couldn't allow. ... 

Richard Moody 

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> From: Jim Coleman, Sr. <pianotoo@imap2.asu.edu>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Capo d'Astro
> Date: Thursday, September 24, 1998 11:06 PM
> 
> Hi everyone:
> 
> This term comes from Italian. It is a precursor to the Astronaut age.
> Literally it means the head from above.
> 
> The tone of the high treble is beafier where there is more mass
connected
> to the V-Bar surface which in this case is an inverted V-Bar (V-bar 
> from above) hence the d'Astro portion of the term. Many years ago we did

> some tests which showed there is better reflection of string energy back

> to the bridge and soundboard when there is more mass at the front string

> termination. This test was done on a vertical piano. Some of you may 
> remember that great piano, the Heintzman.
> 
> Jim Coleman, Sr.
>