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<DIV>
<DIV> Duplexers</DIV>
<DIV> AS a follow up to my original post</DIV>
<DIV> Last night we had a roundtable discussion at our chapter
meeting regarding my experience as listed below.</DIV>
<DIV> As you can imagine, in a group of independent piano technicians
there were a variety of opinions & intelligent conjecture offered.
</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> The short version is that Bob Davis suggested an experiment which,
any one with a roll of masking tape can do.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> In our follow up assessments I was surmising that the more efficient
& strong the tone of a sound board is</DIV>
<DIV>the greater the duplex effect may be. </DIV>
<DIV> So try it yourself & see if it's just smoke & mirrors.
Whether it is a desirable affect....... is your call.</DIV>
<DIV> I personally like it.</DIV>
<DIV> Dale</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> Hi all</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid">
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> &..... I remain the primarily of the same opinion but I
submit an interesting experience that happened to me the other day.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV>The client who tunes as well as plays has massive ears & is a
<STRONG>very</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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> Food for thought?</DIV>
<DIV> Dale</DIV></FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
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