Tom, At 07:43 3/9/2005, you wrote: >List > >Just tuned a Kawai vertical, a CX-5H. I have always thought of Kawai as >one of the better brands of piano. But the design elements of this piano >make me wonder if they continue to aspire to quality. > >First of all, this piano had a soundboard with the grain orientation >vertical! I had always read that the best orientation for soundboard >grain on a vertical was diagonal. Cheap pianos had the grain horizontal >because it took less wood (lengthwise) to do it this way. I've never >seen vertical grain orientation before, but I'm guessing it's for the same >reason, and it ain't because it sounds better this way. The tone of this >piano? Well, the top two octaves were pretty weak. Not much sustain, not >much brightness. > >There were also no wooden frame support beams in the back. Completely >open. Again, from what I understand beams bracing the frame are there to >help tuning stability by stiffening the structure of the piano. Perhaps, >just a coincidence, but this piano, which was one of three that I tuned in >the same building, was the only one that needed a pitch raise. Following >a tuning 6 months ago (by another tuner), this piano was 35 cents flat in >the center, and nearly 100 cents flat in octave 7. The bass strings were >generally 15 to 25 cents flat. The other two pianos were within 4 cents >of A440. > >I also noticed that the action had only two brackets attaching it to the >plate, one on each end. There was a hole in the plate at the tenor break >where a third bracket could have been attached, but there was nothing on >the action there. Perhaps this plate is shared by another model in the >Kawai line that does have a third bracket there. Or maybe they elminated >the bracket after designing the plate with the hole already there. > >So maybe I'm misinformed about some of the above elements of pianos in >general. If so, I'm sure someone will enlighten me. And that's what this >list is all about. But from my humble viewpoint, the Kawai CX-5H has >quite a few corners cut, resulting in a piano that makes me contemplate >Kawais in general. > >Tom Sivak >Chicago PTG Associate กก My fault, entirely !! Just yesterday I was talking up Kawai to some friends. Sure hope I don't have to retract my words... S&S/Boston want to ring in on this one?? Conrad Hoffsommer, RPT, MPT, CCT, PFP, ACS, CRS. Decorah, IA - Certified Calibration Technician for Bio-powered Digitally Activated Lever Action Tone Generation Systems. - Pianotech Flamesuit Purveyor - American Curmudgeon Society - Apprentice Member and Founder
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