[pianotech] GH-1s

[Ron Nossaman]

On 12/18/2012 12:55 AM, David Love wrote:

> While there has been much bashing of wrapped trichords I would conclude that
> when the transition is good, you can attribute it to the scaling.

I certainly haven't read any "bashing" of trichords. I've read what I 
consider to be reasonable and rational descriptions of their very real 
drawbacks and nothing supporting their desirability except one instance 
where it was thought that trichords sounded better. Failure to support a 
questionable feature isn't in my estimation "bashing" the alternative 
that has proved in repeated instances to be viable without the observed 
drawbacks of trichords.


> Ron mentioned that as long as he had permission to redesign that he could
> avoid trichords.  I'm sure he's right, as long as he has permission to
> redesign he can probably set the speaking lengths to whatever is required to
> accommodate all bichord wrapped strings.  But with very short pianos you
> often don't have good options.And if you don't have permission to redesign
> and must work with what's there then there is, in my view, a place for
> trichord wrapped strings on certain pianos under certain circumstances.

In ANY piano of ANY length, absence of permission to redesign means you 
have no choice. And I still haven't yet found an instance of trichords 
in ANY length piano that, given permission to redesign, I couldn't 
address with bichords. If there is a clear justification for trichords 
that doesn't consist of the potential hazard of making a bad bichord, I 
have neither read it, nor come across it in the shop.


>In
> your particular project (and I don't really know the details of it), I would
> not rule it out, though someone with more knowledge than I have in this area
> would have to look at it and make that determination.  With respect to the
> low bass, Ron's suggestions are all good though he and I disagree on
> thinning the panel around the perimeter.  I think it's a great benefit and
> something I wouldn't leave out under any circumstances that I can think of.
> I think unthinned panels, especially those that employ soundboard cut off
> bars, are too tonally restricted.  With a rib scale and radius that removes
> the need for compression crowning or panel support of crown, thinning the
> panel is only a benefit in terms of soundboard mobility, a more open sound
> and pushing out the upper end of the dynamic range.  You need it to get a
> good fortissimo.  At least that's how I hear it.

When have you heard one of my pianos - EVER? A lot of techs listened to 
my B at Rochester, but I don't recall "tonally restricted" being one of 
the resulting descriptions.
Ron N