<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.3314.2100" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=4>Kevin, </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=4>It's poor design, IMO. Several years ago I rescaled = the GH1, when they were having problems with the area you described. They paid = for the service and never used it. I might add that I have redone several of = those GH1's and they are not that bad to deal with when the scale is right. Yamaha = also asked me not to discuss the problems with that particular model, = publicly. Well, one of their own techs., (not to be named), let the cat out of bag, so I = don't have any qualms about discussing it. They have since changed that model gazillion times and still haven't, IMHO, used my scale solution or fixed = the basic scaling problems of that piano. I don't want to pick on just = Yamaha however. There are gross scale problems with many current manufacturers. = I suspect some of the problem lies with the inability of string makers to understand and impliment proper bass string configurations.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=4>Regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=4>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.</FONT></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com" = title=ramsey@extremezone.com>Kevin E. Ramsey</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, May 18, 2001 7:23 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Scaling problem</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I've noticed = something on some newer pianos lately, and decided to ask the opinion of the sages on = the list. I've been encountering more and more pianos of late that seem to have = a real scaling problem in the low tenor section. Baldwin model 248 comes to = mind; ( the last note in the tenor is C# I believe), but where I really see it = is in the new Yamaha model GA1, and to a lesser extent in the GH1. What is = happening is that the designers of these pianos have put too many notes in the = tenor that belong in the bass. As you play chromatically down the scale, = these notes start sounding like "pong-pong-pong" and then you hit the bass, and = they sound normal again.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I know that this = is caused by continuing to drop the tension on the strings in order to get the = fundamental down to the required frequency, but you reach a certain point, and you = get a tone that seems hollow and is very difficult to fit in with the rest = of the tuning.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    I've had some = partial success with carefully doping the hammers, and voicing the bass down, plus = leveling strings, straightening termination points etc., but not to any totally = satisfactory result. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Got any good = advise? I'm all ears.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    Or is it just poor = design?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin E. Ramsey<BR><A href="mailto:ramsey@extremezone.com">ramsey@extremezone.com</A> </FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>