Yamaha C3

[A440A@aol.com]

<< Hello list one of my clients has a Yamaha C3 had

bought it in 1995 not used it till 2002 now he is

complaning that there is somthing wrong with the

soundboard the trebel sounds harsh & distorted &

everytime the humidity level drops low( as low as

20%)the piano is just not playable .

         What could be the problem have not seen the

piano yet any suggestions >>

Sounds like the Yamaha "rocks for hammers" syndrome that was so prevalent in 
those years.  
    I have found that many C3 pianos get some surface voicing before being 
sold, but there is a very dense underfelt that soon comes into play.  The last 
one that I voiced, I used thirty or so jabs with a 1/2" needle, beginning at 
the low shoulders and working my way up to within 1/4" of the strike point on 
both sides.  After some banging with a brass hammer, these hammers began to 
loosen up and create a mellow pianissimo while still capable of a brass FF.  The 
customer was delighted.  I have also done approx. the same thing to a much 
later model C6 in a radio station's broadcast studio.  They are still very happy 
with it.  
   You can't just release the tension up near the strike point,  these 
hammers have so much compression that they will tear the felt apart where you 
localize the needling.  You have to release a lot of the tension over a broad area 
to achieve the resilience under the crown. 
   As long as you don't mush the felt under the strike-point, you will not 
ruin the hammer.  It may ultimately need one or two deep needles straight down, 
between the string marks, into the heart of the hammer, but don't even think 
about doing that until you have some spongy feeling low shoulders.  
Good luck,   
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html