<!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 5.00.2314.1000" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT> <DIV><FONT size=2>From: Danny BODDIN <<A href="mailto:danny.boddin@planetinternet.be">danny.boddin@planetinterne= t.be</A>></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>To: <<A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A>></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Sent: Thursday, August 26, 1999 2:09 PM</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Subject: Re: Pleyel anyone</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Hi,<BR>this kind of old grand Pleyels are common = here in Belgium, just restrung one<BR>2.20cm °1910 grand which belongs to the = French embassy here in Brussels, the<BR>action can be regulated perfectly, the = French stopped this type of action in<BR>1936. Uprights have also single = centerpins. This pianos have a very nice<BR>warm sound with power in the low = diskant, people love them here and they are valuable.<BR>I asked kevin Gouldmann from = Danmark to make me a new scale for this piano,<BR>he uses turbo mensuration Peters = Tholey software. Following scale was used:<BR>2X13.5   = 5X14    11X14.5  and very strange going to 3X15 and back to 6X14.5?<BR>(any = comments on this, we had to do some intonation on the 3X15, Kevin = told<BR>me 14.5 was also ok but he preferred to 3X15 on the figures I gave = him<BR>measuring the speaking lengths on this strings) anyway: going on with 4X15<BR>3X15.5   5X16   4X16.5   = 4X17   9X17.5   2X18   2X18.5   = 1X19    1X19.5   1X20.5   1X21  seems that the 17.5 on = that part is low in tension???  </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080 size=2>It is impossible to tell for sure = what is going on with this scale without seeing the actual speaking lengths, but it = sounds like the original builder -- Pleyel -- did not compensate for speaking = length across one of the plate braces.  This is not all that unusual in = older pianos.  If fact, it is still seen on some so-called 'modern' = pianos.  Ideally, the bridge should be offset across the scale breaks to keep the = length progression uniform.  Often they are not.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The piano sounds beautiful round and warm, but not = much power/volume, but that's what Kevin suggested in the first place, so he = know how to make a scale,his base strings sound good : I'm satisfied with his work.<BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080 size=2>Power, or volume, is a combination = of many different design elements of the piano.  Again, without knowing the = speaking lengths of the piano in question, it is impossible to tell = whether this is a 'low-tension' scale or a 'high-tension' scale.  In either = case, the stringing scale is only part of the equation.  Other considerations = are the mass and stiffness of the soundboard, its condition (does it have good = crown and downbearing), its size and shape, etc. the type and construction of the = rim -- just to name a few.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080 size=2>Personally, I would prefer the = beautiful, warm sound over the overly bright and harsh sound of many -- if not most -- = of the modern pianos I encounter, however 'powerful' they may = be.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080 size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080 size=2>Del</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT color=#000080>Delwin D Fandrich<BR>Piano = Designer & Builder<BR>Hoquiam, Washington  USA<BR>E.mail:  <A href="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com">pianobuilders@olynet.com</A><BR>= Web Site:  <A href="http://pianobuilders.olynet.com/">http://pianobuilders.olynet.com= /</A><BR></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>