Steinway mid-treble

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Nereson" <dnereson@dimensional.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: May 29, 2001 11:47 PM
Subject: Steinway mid-treble


>     I'm servicing a Steinway B (1908) that was restrung and had the
soundboard cracks shimmed in the 70's (they've all opened up again alongside
the shims, but not terribly).    It has great tone except from about G5 to
C7, the volume "drops out".  I've tried different strike points, which
doesn't make much difference except in the highest octave.  I've lacquered
the hammers, which have been replaced, but they're Steinway hammers, just
shy of the strike point, which helped a little, but not much.  Should I
lacquer right on the strike point?  The board has minimal crown, but does
have some downbearing in that area.  Would restringing that area with
different gauge wire have much effect on the volume?  What area of the
hammer, if any, or what type of voicing has the most effect on volume?
---------------------------------------------------

Dave,

There are no voicing techniques that will solve this problem. It is a
soundboard problem. Obviously, the soundboard should have been replaced when
the piano was 'rebuilt.' At this point you can only alter the tone qualities
by the various voicing techniques you're inquiring about, probably causing
further deterioration in the tone quality. Rarely will you be able to make
it much better. Lacquering the hammers will only make the tone more
percussive -- that is, there will be more energy at the higher harmonics
concentrated in the initial attack sound -- but this does not usually make
the sound more pleasant, nor does it help sustain. Nothing we can do to
these things will add any energy to the system, we can only alter the energy
mix and how it is used. There is very little you can do to improve the
sustain characteristic without adding some stiffness and/or mass to the
soundboard assembly.

What, exactly, do you mean when you say 'restringing the area with a
different gauge wire...?' The B scale is a bit uneven through this region,
but it's not all that bad. Were you planning to simply replace each wire
with one a half-size larger? Or are you going to do the right thing:
calculate the scale and make corrections carefully and only as necessary? If
the first, how do you know, in advance, what the overall results will be?
How will you know that you aren't inadvertently introducing other problems?
How will you know if this was really a problem to begin with? If the latter,
you'll find that, yes, you might improve things a bit, but not all that
much. At least now you'll know what you are doing to the piano. In the end,
you'll find it's not a string problem either. It's still a soundboard
problem.

This is the trap we place ourselves in with these things. This is a
soundboard problem but because the customer can't/won't spend the money on
the real solution we're going to put on our white knight outfit and attempt
to fix it all by voicing the hammers beyond recognition. If a little lacquer
doesn't do it, we'll use more. If the tone gets harsh and strident -- and it
will -- we'll needle what's left of those little suckers for 'power.' Or
we'll fix the problem by changing strings. What happens when we've done all
these things -- and, presumably, after we've charged for them -- and they
don't work? Which is most likely. Were we justified in charging? Is the
customer justified in coming to the conclusion that we didn't know what we
were doing? Will the customer believe us when we now say, 'Gee, maybe it was
the soundboard all along -- let me replace that next and see if it helps
any?'

Just make sure that before you start doing any of these voicing things your
customer understands that the problem is really the soundboard and that
there is only a very small chance any of the things you are about to try are
going to actually make the tone performance any better through this region.
Indeed, they may make it worse.

Or, explain what the problem really is. Explain that the best you can do is
to even out the tone a bit and make it as pleasant as possible. But, until
the soundboard is replaced the short sustain, the percussive tone quality
and overall tone drop-off is simply going to be part of this piano's tone
palette. Or go to work on the spring idea. No guarantees, but at least it's
reversible. (Check the archives first.)

Regards,

Del