<html> I am forwarding the report below on behalf of Mark Cramer as he is not subscribed to Pianotech. He has also posted this report on CAUT Terry Beckingham <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 14:40:52 -0600 From: Mark Cramer <Cramer@BrandonU.ca> To: CAUT <caut@ptg.org> X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Importance: Normal Subject: [CAUT] Wapin Seminar Report X-BeenThere: caut@ptg.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.7 Reply-To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org> Sender: caut-bounces@ptg.org X-Xplornet-MailScanner-Information: Please contact the ISP for more information X-Xplornet-MailScanner: Found to be clean X-Xplornet-MailScanner-From: caut-bounces@ptg.org X-Spam-Status: No X-NAS-BWL: Found match for 'Cramer@BrandonU.ca' on the allowed list (219 addresses, 0 domains) X-NAS-Classification: 0 X-NAS-MessageID: 19422 X-NAS-Validation: {B604C2D8-0B98-49C9-B7B3-4AF989CF8907} Hello all,   here are some photos from the recent Wapin installation seminar at Brandon University.   You may recall my skepticism about Wapin. After reading the amazing claims on the Wapin website, I e-mailed Tim Geinert and asked "are you willing to prove it!?"   Even when he generously offered to travel here and answer my challenge, the doubts remained... "is the piano going to sound wierd, will we need scientific equipment to tell, or are we all just going to agree to "imagine" what we hear.(!?)"    Fortunately the results were NOT subtle. The improvement I personally witnessed in this piano was profound, more to the order of a transformation.    Every pianist, even those who had been quite vocal about their dislike for this "plinky" instrument noticed it right away, without prompting... "it lingers, what did you do to open the sound?..." Some were arrested within a few bars, and one at the very first chord!   And as musicians do,  they all seemed to conveniently forget about the bad regulation, wobbly keys and uneven voicing they had pointed out beforehand, and zero in on something else, in fact the only "something else " that had actually changed.  By their own words, this  "ugly" instrument went from "unplayable" to "vibrant," and from "completely un-interesting" to "wonderful," albeit within 24 hours!   For us technicians however, trying to desribe any improvement using the tired old adjectives "warmer, richer, stronger, faster, etc." gets real lame in a hurry. So I'll put it this way; when I install new hammers, or deep-needle the shoulders, or carefully fit them to the strings, I have a certain aural expectation in mind. Sometimes I'm pleased, sometimes disappointed.   By comparison, the effect Wapin displayed on this instument would be greater than my expectation of any of the three routines described above, and at least equal to the combination of all three put together, in their perceived ability to enhance a piano's sound. I hope this paints a helpful picture.   My humble recommendation...   If you're the type who prefers to wallow in the mild bemusement of actually doing something, over the heady exhilaration of sublime speculation and endless debate, find a profoundly disappointing instrument (preferably the work of thine own hands) and try this Wapin thing out for yourself. Make your own conclusions.   Retro-fitting is less work than a typical bridge-repinning, and I think they even have a "how to" DVD. I'm sure the results will make this little adventure more than worth your while.   As for the skeptic, well I've just ordered a Wapin license ($325.00 U.S.) for the 1923 Mason & Hamlin A I'm currently rebuilding and intend to for the 1885 Steinway A, and possibly the 1912 B ... (I might occasionaly be cheap, but I ain't stupid. ;>)    Finally, I have to express an overwhelming debt of gratitude to Tim Geinert. Not just for the generousity of his time, and so capably sharing a valuable skill, but for taking a disappointing piano within my care, and transforming it to a musical level I had otherwise been unable to achieve.   Thanks Tim!   best regards, Mark Cramer, Brandon University   PS One strange thing; you can actually "feel the resonance" through the keys. All the pianists noticed this. It's not in the least bit distracting, actually we tend to think it's kind of cool!     </blockquote></html>