brightness of Steinways

[John Musselwhite]

At 01:52 PM 2/14/2001 -0500, Andy wrote:

>So my question is, do you lacquer your Steinways on a regular basis? Because

I use lacquer and thinner as a basic hardener for new Steinway hammers. 
With installed hammers that require a little more power in the field I use 
an acetone-based hardener. I suppose that could be considered "regular".

>most or if not all of them come out of the factory quite dull.

Asian pianos (in general) come out of the factory as powerful as they can 
be to make them more attractive to the purchaser. Steinways are more of a 
"custom fit" and come out of the factory under-voiced so they can be more 
easily matched to their new location and owner's tastes.

At least, that's the "party line" and the one to which I subscribe. I'm 
sure a great many others will argue the point. I'd rather bring up the 
power myself rather than assume some nameless voicer in NYC should have the 
last word on what this very expensive instrument should sound like in its 
new home.

                 John
John Musselwhite, RPT    -     Calgary, Alberta Canada
http://www.musselwhite.com  http://canadianpianopage.com/calgary
email: john@musselwhite.com    http://www.mp3.com/fatbottom