Was Voicing M&H BB/ Now tuned duplexes

[Richard Brekne]

Richard Moody wrote:

> Are the front duplexes tunable?  Either way how do you determine that the
> duplex segments are in tune or out of tune?  Are they octaves double
> octaves, octaves + ?   So when "buzzing" because of front duplexes being in
> tune, wouldn't this have been noticed in the factory?  ---ric
>

Yes they (front duplexes) are tuneable... tho for the most this is not the
easiest task. Steinway used to have moveable counterbearing bars for each note
in the capo sections. They stopped because too many techs were moving these
around.... (wrecking the sound according to Steinway) Today tuning the front
duplex often involves reshaping the front counterbearings that are cast into
the plate. Some techs just grind them all the way down and redesign the whole
scheme using half rounds or something else. Ron O has described a proceedure
for how he accomplishes his approach to this task. On other pianos you have a
duplex of sorts using half rounds to begin with.

As to how to decide the "Tuning" of the front duplex area there are to basic
and rather opposite views. Steinway, the Copycats, and supporters say consonat
harmonics.... as in P5's, 8's, double 8's and the like. They say this enhances
power and sustain in general. The opposition says this is not so and that in
reality what you are setting up is a lot of string noise that becomes noiser
and noiser as time goes by.

When the front duplex is well tuned with nice shinny new terminations and
strings and all is well and fine in Silver City...the piano can sound quite
nice. But I fail to see that such pianos do not sound nice with the detuned
duplex as well. Actually I prefer the later. But when the piano starts getting
worn the tuned duplex preforms poorly in my estimation... accenting string
noises and creating some of its own that quite frankly ruin the sound of a
piano. Perhaps this is why so many of the old style movables on S&S were being
moved around.

There still remains to be written the definitive treatise on the Front Duplex.
Most of what has been published on the subject is either speculative or
declarative in nature, without support hard data to back up any assertions
made.

MVFFUN

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no