<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue id="role_body" bottomMargin=7 leftmargin=7 topmargin=7 rightMargin=7> <div class=Section1> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial id="role_document"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Of course I meant that the listeners and players should <u>not</u> know if the tape was on or off.  </span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p> <div> <p><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt; color:navy'>David Love<br> davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br> www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>David Love<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:50 PM<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> 'Pianotech List'<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> RE: The Duplex affect --an experiement</span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>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.  </span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p> <div> <p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>David Love<br> davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br> www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Erwinspiano@aol.com<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, November 13, 2007 9:13 PM<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> pianotech@ptg.org<br> <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> The Duplex affect --an experiement</span></font></p> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> <div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  Duplexers</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  AS  a follow up to my original post</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>   Last night we had a roundtable discussion at our chapter meeting regarding my experience as listed below.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  As you can imagine, in a group of independent piano technicians there were a variety of opinions & intelligent conjecture offered. </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  The short version is that Bob Davis suggested an experiment which, any one with a roll of masking tape can do.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>     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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  In our follow up assessments I was surmising that the more efficient & strong the tone of a sound board is</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>the greater the duplex effect may be. </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  So try it yourself & see if it's just smoke & mirrors.  Whether it is a desirable affect....... is your call.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  I personally like it.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>    Dale</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  Hi all</span></font></p> </div> <blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt; margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  &..... I  remain the primarily of the same opinion but I submit an interesting experience that happened to me the other day.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>The client who tunes as well as plays has massive ears & is a <strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial'>very</span></font></b></strong> 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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  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.</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  Food for thought?</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>  Dale</span></font></p> </div> </blockquote> </div> <div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'> </span></font></p> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left: 1.0in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p> <div> <div style='margin-left:.5in'> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-left:.5in;text-align:center'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial; color:black'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center> </span></font></div> </div> <p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><font size=2 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>See what's new at <a href="http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170" target="_blank" title="http://www.aol.com?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170">AOL.com</a> and <a href="http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169" target="_blank" title="http://www.aol.com/mksplash.adp?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001169">Make AOL Your Homepage</a>.</span></font></p> </div> </div> </body> </html>