Obnoxious Note (was Re: S&S capo)

[Ron Nossaman]

>Hi Roger & List,
>
>   Since you chimed in on this, let me ask a question. This isn't the same
>thing exactly, as Chris has, but I also have a new 'D' where E-2 (1st bass
>string below the break) is giving me fits trying to get the tone in line
>with the other notes around it. I've been using steaming and needles and
>have improved it quite a bit, but it still sticks out some. All the other
>notes have responded nicely to steaming. I'm almost to the point of
>slightly hardning the hammers right above the tenor break to even it out
>some, although I don't really want to.
>   The hammer doesn't seem to be over-doped. The needles go in easily.
>However,the sides of the hammer do seem to have a crusty, hard feel. The
>dedication concert for this piano is tomorrow night and I'm trying to
>finish up on it today. Any "miracle" ideas? Thanks.
>
>Avery
>


I'm just getting to this, hope it's not too late to help. I'll go with Vince
here on soundboard impedance, with killing looks at the wrapped trichords
there. You have already done enough with the voicing enough to indicate that
voicing probably isn't the problem. You can check out soundboard impedance
non destructively like this. Try rigging up a temporary clamp and weights
(solidly attached), totaling something around 100 grams, and clamp it to a
rib under the high end of the bass bridge. It's like Baldwin's "tone
extender" and will raise the impedance in this area of the board, since you
can't do much with the stiffness. Try more or less weight and listen for
differences in the sound. When/if you get a close enough match, install a
hunk of brass of the same weight to the underside of the bridge with a
threaded rod or screw... with permission of the owner(s). If you can't make
a difference with whe weights, you're probably back to voicing. 

 Ron