Damper Overring inn Ludwig Upright

[Farrell]

Go to: www.spurlocktools.com/id36.htm  You will find the instructional pamphlet described below:

Vertical Damper Replacement
This nine page pamphlet presents step by step methods for diagnosing damper problems, re-designing dampers to improve poor damping common in the bass and tenor, a unique method of pre-adjusting damper heads prior to installation of new damper felt, and simplified methods of damper head and spoon regulation. $2.50

I have used Bill's approach with great success. I wouldn't count on getting 80-year-old poorly designed dampers to do the job. New properly designed dampers are the trick! I find designing the dampers to be less hi-tech, and more trial and error. The actual making of the damper set can be a bit of a family arts & crafts project!

One thing Bill does not directly address in his pamphlet is that you can use a variety of thicknesses for the wood blocks, and various felt/action cloth thicknesses such that you can customize the dimensions (distance to the string relationship) of the new dampers such that very little regulating will be required with the new dampers (depending of course on how evenly it was regulated with the old dampers).

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey@sbcglobal.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2002 2:40 AM
Subject: RE: Damper Overring inn Ludwig Upright


> There are some excellent articles by Bill Spurlock in the Journal and on the Journal CD, I believe.  Use something to block the bass strings from sustaining and play the offending note.  If the ringing is gone the bass dampers are the problem, which is typical.  Often they are 1" dampers.  That Yamaha has 2 & 3/8" dampers, I think.  Replacing the bass dampers and regulating will take care of the problem.  If after blocking the strings the offending note still has some ringing, then move that tenor damper up and down and make sure it is seating correctly.  Change it to a bi/tri-chord.  The over-damper is usually the last resort and most often you can fix it before that.
> Good luck and be sure to read the Spurlock articles under "Basic Skills" or something like that...
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
> From: <Piannaman@AOL.COM>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Received: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 02:18:57 EDT
> Subject: Damper Overring inn Ludwig Upright
> 
> List,
> 
> I have a customer who has a nice old Ludwig upright that has a problem with partials being excited because of where the dampers land on the strings--I think.  There is quite a bit of overring when the dampers move back onto the strings.  Isn
> 
> I worked on a Yamaha WX-7 today that had the beefiest dampers I've ever seen in the upper bass section, and double dampers just above the break.  No overring there.
> 
> The customer would like to get rid of the problem.  Any suggestions on this besides replacing all of the dampers?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any input,
> 
> Dave Stahl
> 
>