<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1476" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Kurt said: "Geez everyone, calm down. Nothings been done yet. I'm = open to new perspectives and corrections. :-) Reasons for using = pads: 1. It's the way the original designers intended. Square's shouldn't sound = "that way". (Implies that no improvements have occurred in the intervening = 135 years/historic sound is better regardless of context.) 2. = Beethoven liked it that way/clean cut-off should not be heard in historic pianos. (Implies my client wants to hear the same damper bleed = Beethoven did.) I ain't convinced. Not at all. My client is not = interested in having a "historically true" restoration. I wasn't hired to do = so. He simply wants a piano he can play and enjoy. And his grandchildren and = great grandchildren, etc. These nuances of "how a square should play as it = was intended" are actually irrelevant to my client, although not perhaps = to the League For The Prevention of Modern Sounding Square = Grands". I am a far better pianist than him, and unlike him, I have a good sense of = what is NOT enjoyable, and he trusts me. Heck, I trust me too. :0) What is NOT enjoyable is lousy damper functioning = with bleed-over as the key being played modulates quickly to another key. I AM 100% open to doing what is in the best interest of my = client, and no decision has been made. I'm just somewhat boggled that = a choice to have more damper over-ring than needed is being proposed = as desirable simply because of an abstract notion of having the piano = sound as it did in 1876, (which I do appreciate on it's own as a principle, = but not in this real-world context) rather than having a clean sound for a = beginning musician who could not care less whether a clean sound would have = bothered a pianist of that era. I can be convinced I'm wrong, but it will = take more persuasive arguments than an appeal to historic accuracy in = reproduction of function. Were this job for a history buff musician or a musical historical society, that would be completely different. I = would then grovel and beg for every scrap of "how to do it as they did it, no = change whatsoever". This piano will never be played in a concert = setting, and it is extremely unlikely that anyone beyond intermediate will play it, ever. It is likely that as many Christmas carols and Beatles = tunes will be played as Bach or Mozart. Realistically, the odds = of A: Someone complaining - "Gee, the dampers work too well for an old square = and it bugs me" or B: Someone complaining - "Gee, the dampers sure = seem muddy, can that be fixed?" Well... If this were MY piano, we = wouldn't even be having this conversation. I loathe even the tiniest = damper over-ring in any piano I play, and even the best Yamaha damping is = just barely good enough for my tastes. It isn't "atmosphere", it's slop! ;-) Now, what say you, oh valiant protectors of = atavistic sloppy historicalnesses? (All in good fun y'all, convince me I'm = wrong, and I'll admit it!) = ------------------------------</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Kurt,</DIV> <DIV>I've been working on Square Grands for = 30+ years. I've seen many attempts at getting a Square Grand to Dampen like a = Modern Piano. The short statement is: It don't work!!!</DIV> <DIV>The problems with clearance, dictates = that the felt be too short to do any good. Also, clearance is the main factor to be considered, IMHO. You can add modern Bi-Chord felt, more lead and even = use springs. It won't do a damned bit of good. Trust me!<G> It will = only open up a large can of worms! DAMHIK!</DIV> <DIV>My thought(s), is/are that if the = client wants a "modern" sound, then the only choice is a Modern Piano. The only reason = I'm taking up this cause, is to exemplify the foibles of this and = hopefully keep you from having a situation that cannot be resolved.</DIV> <DIV>You do what you think is going to do = the job, but I'm here to tell you this ain't the way to go. (period!) Try to prove me = wrong, if'n ya can.<G></DIV> <DIV>Best Regards,</DIV> <DIV>Joe Garrett, R.P.T. Captain, Tool Police Squares R I</DIV></BODY></HTML>