<WBR>  <STRONG><EM>David A.  <br> Your point resonates with me.  David Ilvedson <U>was kidding around</U>. (SEE below).<br>   Fenton<br>   Zzzactly<br>   <br> I believe it was  Del who said, all piano design starts with a string scale. Fenton, I have experienced clearly what you have stated."Still the Steinway soul is in there" <br>   <br> Did it ustta be a Steinway or is it still a Steinway?        <br>  <br> Wow.. we get that a lot. <br> <br>   Answer: Who cares...It's an enormously satisfying Steinway/piano sound & more enjoyable to my ears than most I've have heard. With Modifications/customizations the original design gets the equivalent of a tonal super charger & then stuff happens I've not heard prior. <br> <br>     I feel compelled to say that even for me this is a new journey & I recognize true tonal beauty more intensely after I've listened more closely to a variety of music's & pianists play on the same instrument over time. When Bruce Stevens sat & played our B in Anaheim, he plays to the bottom of the keys...vigorously. My pleasure at this that lacks words. When the Student played Ravel in class it became like a very different tonal palate. He played what I call sleepy time music, which engages the keys differently, with a caress.  Anyway...Although I requested something played vigorously for class & got Ravel. It was perfect.<br> <br>  All that to say, give new piano/tonal experiences the benefit of time & exposure no matter what the decal. The whole decal thing I find most humorous & frustrating. Lets just learn to trust our own ears & opinions instead of the decal. When  I was younger it took along time before I was exposed to  really fine voicing & tone. My brainwashed ears needed time to adjust. <br> <br>   I was waiting till the 6 ft 8 inch Henry Miller wasn't so green to comment but I Tuned it last week, did some voicing & it's very Steinway esk. It's a beautiful tonealbeit But different.  I've not heard really fine pianist or a variety of music played on it so I am still reserving a final subjective critique. It does have a beefier & heavier plate which creates enormous & instant tuning stability.  It also has a massively long back scale but the string scale is 1894 ish Stwy B Tenor lengths. How these things effect the sound would only be a subjective opinion. It has wonderful color & power just waiting to be tapped.<br> <br>   Needless to say I really like the outcome & it is a for me a success. The client is more than willing to show it. Fenton... come on over<br>   Speaking of customizing things one may not think of...but on our convention B I customized the casters.  I despise the teensie little wheels that came as OEM parts. Dennis I install Big brass Yamaha made casters. Perhaps a solid footing supports the tone in much the same way as it does for singers with feet planted firmly on the ground, & when they are, they  sing with power & resonance. Ok a stretch...Maybe ...but they look better & roll immeasurably better which also removes the stress on the leg system. Also the mass may resists energy absorption into the floor.<br> <br> </EM></STRONG>  <STRONG><EM>Finally I think we did to define <U><FONT size=3>what constitutes customization</FONT></U>. Perhaps the idea would be more widely understood under the Banner of "Performance Enhancement" or "Extreme Makover" or "Hot roddin it". Hey ,every body can relate to this. Personally I like the first one. <br>   Dale Erwin<br> </EM></STRONG> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 3px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"> </div> </BLOCKQUOTE><br> <br> <br> <div id=AOLMsgPart_2_bbe95b0d-f8fd-4ff5-a629-fcd3ed430881> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3>List,</FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3> I'd like to throw out a question. I've now built 4 bellies myself.  </FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3>I have seen several Steinways that have been very highly modified. </FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3>Consider a completely different soundboard design, scale design, a totally different approach to hammer design and installation, to say nothing of damper, action and key re-design. While these design changes all play a part in bringing out a new voice to an old piano, I always am able to very clearly hear a Steinway in there, the Steinway soul is still there, it's as though it can be tweaked, but not changed (who'd want to?). Sooo, what makes a Steinway sound like a Steinway? Did it Usta-B a Steinway, or is it still? I think that it still very much is, more of the original timbre and tone remains than is replaced.</FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3>Even the rim and plate are changed, what with treble dams and aliquot and duplex mods, plate mounting, etc, etc. It seems that the design of everything can be changed, and we still have the wonderful Steinway.</FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><EM>And why can no other piano be made to sound like one? (Dale, I'd like to hear that Henry Miller with the B belly.)</EM></STRONG></FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><EM>Thank you, list, for taking my questions. I'll now take my answers off the air.</EM></STRONG></FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial></FONT><FONT size=3> </FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3>None of this is meant to be pro or con design changes in vintage Steinways, please, let's not go there.</FONT></div> <div><FONT face=Arial size=3>Fenton</FONT></div> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <div style="FONT: 10pt arial"><FONT size=3> </FONT></div> <div><FONT size=3><br> </FONT></div> <FONT size=3>No we don't; the belly's great just as it is---and the action is---uh---it's fine! Just fine. It'll break in and lighten up a lot in the next couple weeks. </FONT> <div><FONT size=3>If you've got my check there, ma'am, I gotta go. Have fun. Buh-bye....</FONT></div> <div><FONT size=3><br> </FONT></div> <div><FONT size=3>David "Tune 'n Run" Andersen</FONT></div> <div><FONT size=3><br> </FONT></div> <div> <div> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"> <div align=left><FONT size=3>Well first of all, we don't need to do anything with the belly...;-]<br> <br> David Ilvedson, RPT<br> Pacifica, CA 94044</FONT><br> </div> <div style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 3px solid; PADDING-TOP: 5px"> <div align=left><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=3><STRONG><EM><br> Colleagues<SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: -1"> Lets' agree to discontinue the idle banter. I've got a great Idea why don't we really discuss customizing a piano. What does it mean & all that it entails. It would be drastically more engaging than the spitting in the wind that's been going on under this wrongly titled thread which has zip to do with true authentic & artisanal Custom Piano Restoration, design or new designs. Who will go first? <br> <FONT class=Apple-style-span size=5><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Dale Erwin</SPAN></FONT><br> </SPAN></EM></STRONG></FONT></div> </div> </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"></BLOCKQUOTE></div> <br> </div> </BLOCKQUOTE></div> <div id='u8CAACFB107DF2E6-1250-97C7' class='aol_ad_footer'><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">The Famous, the infamous, the lame - in your browser. <A title="http://toolbar.aol.com/tmz/download.html?NCID=aolcmp00050000000014" href="http://toolbar.aol.com/tmz/download.html?NCID=aolcmp00050000000014" target="_blank">Get the TMZ Toolbar Now</A>!</FONT> </div>