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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> David:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Has the customer =
complained
about the tone of the piano? Are you trying to correct a problem =
from your
viewpoint or hers? The voice of a piano is a subjective thing, and =
though
you may find it objectionable, does your customer? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> If so, try this =
formula from
Baldwin: "A mixture of 25% water and 75% methanol can be =
applied to
the hammers to produce a mellower or softer tone. Care should be =
taken not
to apply to stapled areas. The solution can be applied to the =
shoulders
for moderate changes or to the strike point for more severe =
changes. It is
recommended in most cases not to apply the solution to the top octave =
and lowest
octave since these areas usually require more tone accentuation to be =
musically
pleasing. It takes about 20-30 minutes for the solution to =
work.
Fine voicing can then be performed with shallow needling to the =
hammers as
needed to provide a consistent note to note tone."</FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> This does =
work.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Mike =
Kurta</FONT></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=foster29@earthlink.net =
href="mailto:foster29@earthlink.net">Dave
Foster</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, March 14, 2003 =
5:17
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> old Lowrey =
console</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>List,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I just got back from tuning a friends =
piano which
is an old Lowrey Console (Charles Fredrick Stein). This was my =
third
time tuning it in the past 12 months. It holds the tuning quite =
well,
but the tone is a very ugly, schreeking, bright nasty sound that I can =
hardly
stand while I tune it. She gives piano lessons every week on it =
and I
can't understand how it doesn't drive her nuts. I have tried =
before to
shape, needle, and soften the hammers to even out the tone a bit, but =
nothing
I do seems to bring down the schreekiness. And to add on top of =
this, it
sits on a hardwood floor which makes it echo throughout the
house.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Is there an easy/short fix to this =
problem shy of
replacing the hammers that anyone here has found?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dave Foster</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial =
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