The Duplex affect --an experiement

[David Love]

Of course I meant that the listeners and players should not know if the tape
was on or off.  

 

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net
www.davidlovepianos.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Love
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:50 PM
To: 'Pianotech List'
Subject: RE: The Duplex affect --an experiement

 

Did you do the experiment blind? i.e. did the listeners (and player) know
when the tape was on or off?  You need to do that to really legitimize the
results.  

 

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net
www.davidlovepianos.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Erwinspiano at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:13 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: The Duplex affect --an experiement

 

  Duplexers

  AS  a follow up to my original post

   Last night we had a roundtable discussion at our chapter meeting
regarding my experience as listed below.

  As you can imagine, in a group of independent piano technicians there were
a variety of opinions & intelligent conjecture offered. 

  My contention was that if the duplex scale is such a great invention it
should produce a noticeable effect upon the listener & content of the sound
emanating from any piano with a duplex scale should be enhanced.

  The short version is that Bob Davis suggested an experiment which, any one
with a roll of masking tape can do.

  Our test subject, was 1953 Steinway B with an original board,new strings &
action.  The voicing is in the range of what many people would find
acceptable. We enlisted one of members to play the same piece of music after
taping off the three rear duplex bars. As he played we took of the tenor
area tape. The clarity sustain & flavor of the piano tone was greatly more
appreciated by all present and of all areas & most pronounced of the 3
individual sections.

     We then did the same thing with capos section 2 & 3. Similar result in
capo 1. Capo 2 was less obvious but still preferred.(i.e. .increased
sustain,clarity & color. We taped off the front duplexes as well & a similar
outcome was observed though not nearly as pronounced.  One thing to note
about the front duplexes and that is that on this 1953 B the draft angles
are significantly steepr than most B I've encountered & bleed thru is not an
issue & sustain is good. Also lightly pressing your finger on the front
duplexes really kills the sustain as it apparently limits the rocking of the
string across the capo string contact area.

  In our follow up assessments I was surmising that the more efficient &
strong the tone of a sound board is

the greater the duplex effect may be. 

  So try it yourself & see if it's just smoke & mirrors.  Whether it is a
desirable affect....... is your call.

  I personally like it.

    Dale

  

 

 

 

 

  Hi all

  Michael Spreeman reminded me of the difference of opinions regarding this
subject recently & I remarked to him that I was by in Large a nay sayer.
Many on this list in the course of our discussions about belly work have
also been less than enthusiastic about the actual affect if any of the rear
Steinway invented by the same. IE. the part that sits behind the bridge. I
for sure want to go on record to say that the duplex scale is highly over
rated & isn't a magic bullet that most copy cat manufacturers would have the
public beleive.

 

  &..... I  remain the primarily of the same opinion but I submit an
interesting experience that happened to me the other day.

  I was in Los Angles following up on a 1905 Victorian Steinway  A-2. I did
a rib crowned belly job last Dec. It got everything else new as well as new
key set & beautiful Ronsen Bacon felt hammers. On this A I removed the bass
cantalever (first time)  which has been a dynamic unqualified improvement.
It now has a huge bottom end the likes of which I've not encountered in an
A-2.

The client who tunes as well as plays has massive ears & is a very good
player of Jazz to classics. After 10 months of play in I recently received a
request that I bring up the brightness level of the piano just ever so
slightly. I added 3 to 6 drops of very thin plastic on the string cuts in
octaves 3 & 4 & also octave 5 & the very top 8 notes with  thicker plastic.

  After 10 minutes use  with a hair dryer to cure the plastic  the level of
harmonic blending came up to a place where the tone just launched into this
new level of ethereal sounding amazing stuff that was sucking  the music out
of my finger tips. Anybody ever experience this?  Uh huh.

  AS I sat & played it a bit myself I was sensing a sound, as if Keith
Jarrett himself was humming along with me as he does on his recordings.  It
was really cool.  It sounded like singers singing softly &  slightly under
the texture of the body of the piano tone. It was such a wonderful sound. As
I listened more closely I started plucking the rear duplex in the first capo
area & I could hear these sounds in the music as he played. It was then I
realized the sound I was hearing was possibly coming from this duplex.

  I am fully aware that  a great tone comes from many things in a belly that
is functioning at maximum capacity & perhaps the duplex isn't all that
affective unless all those things  are. It was great fun  & I was stunned
and enthralled by the entire experience.

  Food for thought?

  Dale

 

 

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