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<DIV>Hi Michael and List,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I had forgotten about those round fronted sharps on Collards (I t=
hink
Brinsmead did them as well). It's amazing that they went to all the
trouble of cutting the ivory to accommodate them, in fact, tonally most of t=
hose
pianos were not worth all the trouble and decent materials which often =
went
into them. They all sounded as though they had been strung with loose
knicker elastic.</DIV>
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<DIV>However, the subject of sharps and their size and shape has always
interested me as a pianist as well as a technician. I have always been=
conscious of sharps being comfortable or uncomfortable and I think that
pianists often do not realise that one of the many reasons they do=
n't
like the 'feel' of a piano is, in fact the sharps. I have a very =
good
and immediate comparison in a college here, where I have a Steinway B a=
nd a
Yamaha S6 in the same room. All the upper end of the market Yamahas ha=
ve
rather 'chunky' sharps with quite an exaggerated front bevel. I
believe that they are made from some sort of composite material which resemb=
les
wood. The Steinway still has much neater and thinner sharps which I hav=
e
now found, from questioning pianists, they prefer. Oddly, the sma=
ller
and cheaper Yamahas have plastic sharps with much neater ( and in my opinion=
)
more comfortable dimensions. Over the years, my recollections
of different keyboards often takes me back to a really super Knabe
grand. There are very few in UK, but this was a stunning piano musical=
ly,
but it had the most incredibly 'short' sharps I have ever come accross. You =
felt
as though you were going to collide with the nameboard at any minute.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It would be interesting to hear other opinions on this whole business o=
f
keyboards and their 'feel' as a result of materials and their size and
shaping. Just as the recently discussed Wurzen front punchin=
gs
appear to be part of a general building up of agreeable feel and tone, so, I=
feel this business of keyboard materials, design and finish are also a =
very
important part of the picture.</DIV>
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